Cub Cadet Racing’s Anton De Pasquale finished sixth in the opening race of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, while TRADIE Energy Racing’s David Reynolds led for several laps before ultimately coming home in 14th after a late fuel stop.
Starting eighth and ninth, Reynolds tucked in behind De Pasquale off the line as the pair navigated a chaotic opening stint around the tight Surfers Paradise street circuit. The first safety car was deployed on Lap 12, prompting a double-stack pit stop for both Team 18 cars. Despite the delay, De Pasquale emerged in sixth while Reynolds rejoined in ninth after waiting in the lane.
Midway through the race, Reynolds rolled the dice on strategy, pitting early on Lap 28 with 57 laps remaining in a bid to stretch fuel to the finish. The move briefly paid off, with Reynolds leading the race for ten laps before being forced to conserve heavily in the final stint. Ultimately, he was called back to pit lane for a splash-and-dash to reach the chequered flag, finishing 14th.
De Pasquale maintained strong pace throughout and brought the #18 Cub Cadet Camaro home in sixth, keeping his Finals Series hopes alive heading into Sunday’s finale.
De Pasquale was later demoted to eighth after receiving a post-race five second penalty for short-cutting the circuit.
Sunday’s action features Qualifying at 10:00am AEST, the Top Ten Shootout at 11:35am, and Race 29 at 2:10pm. All the action will be live on Channel 7, Fox Sports and Kayo.
RESULTS & QUOTES
David Reynolds, driver #20 TRADIE Energy Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Qualifying: P4
Shootout: P8
Race 28: P14
“Me and Anton were starting side by side, so I kind of let him pass at the start and just stayed behind him. Then the safety car came out, we double stacked, only lost a couple of spots because there were dramas in pit lane, so that actually helped us.
“A few safety car laps later we decided to roll the dice and pit with about 58 laps to go. It was a long run on that set of tyres, and we had to save fuel, but I think we got the number wrong. The figure I was told wasn’t enough, so I had to save too much and it just became impossible. We had to come in and put fuel in, so a bit of a drama on the calculations, but we’ll chalk that up to a loss and come back tomorrow.
“I love this track, I love racing here. When you’re in the zone and out in front, there’s nothing better, it’s a great feeling. Going through those chicanes feels like the car’s going to break every lap. It’s pretty nuts out there.”
Anton De Pasquale, driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Qualifying: P10
Shootout: P9
Race 28: P6
“First race at the Gold Coast 500 done. It was an intense race with heaps going on and a really fast pace.
“I felt like we had a pretty good car, but unfortunately we had some fuel issues and had to save all the way home, which cost us a few positions. The car felt strong though, and I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow.”