Team 18 will begin its 2026 endurance campaign at this weekend’s AirTouch 500 at The Bend, the opening round of the two-event Ryco Enduro Cup.

The 10th round of the Repco Supercars Championship marks the return of endurance racing, with Sunday’s 500-kilometre race serving as an important precursor to next month’s Bathurst 1000.

The AirTouch 500 will be staged on the shortened West Circuit at Shell V-Power Motorsport Park for the first time, presenting a fresh challenge as teams adapt their car setups and refine their driver changes, pit stops and race procedures ahead of the Great Race.

Anton De Pasquale will be joined in the No. 18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro by 2021 Bathurst 1000 winner Lee Holdsworth, who partnered David Reynolds in the Enduro Cup last year. Reynolds meanwhile will share his No. 20 Snowy River Racing Camaro with 2010 Supercars Champion James Courtney.

Courtney returns to the Supercars grid following the conclusion of his full-time driving career at the end of 2025 and will compete as a co-driver for the first time in more than 20 years.

With 1,912 Supercars race starts between De Pasquale, Holdsworth, Reynolds and Courtney, Team 18 heads into the endurance season with one of the most experienced four-driver line-ups in the field.

While The Bend provides an important opportunity to prepare for Bathurst, there remains plenty at stake in the championship battle.

De Pasquale is closing in on a place in the inaugural Supercars Finals and could secure his berth at The Bend by leaving the weekend more than 300 points clear of the 10th-place cutoff, provided a driver from outside the top 10 does not win the Enduro Cup. Reynolds continues his bid to qualify for the Finals with a solid haul of points at Queensland Raceway with two top-ten finishes. The Finals system means the winner of the Enduro Cup will automatically qualify, so Reynolds will be aiming for high finishes this weekend and at Bathurst next month.

The AirTouch 500 begins with three practice sessions on Friday, followed by two further practices, qualifying and the Top Ten Shootout on Saturday. The 147-lap, 500-kilometre race will begin at 1:45pm ACST on Sunday. All the action can be viewed live on Fox Sports and Kayo.

QUOTES
 

Anton De Pasquale – Driver, No. 18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“I’m excited to head to The Bend and get in the car with Lee. It’s the first of our two enduros, which is a really cool part of the year, and hopefully we can have a strong run.”

“We’re racing on the shorter layout, which will be slightly different from last year, so we’ll aim to adapt as quickly as possible and put together a good weekend.”

Lee Holdsworth – Co-driver, No. 18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“It’s great to be starting the endurance series at Tailem Bend this weekend.”

“The team has been performing strongly all year and has put us in a great position to challenge for some strong results over the next two rounds. I’m excited to be back in the car and working alongside Anton. He’s having a great run in the championship, and hopefully I can do my part to help him gain even more ground as we head towards the business end of the season.”

David Reynolds – Driver, No. 20 Snowy River Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“I’m pumped to go racing with James. We’ve known each other for a long time, so sharing the car should be a lot of fun.”

“The shorter layout should make for some exciting racing and could mix things up across the weekend.”

“Our aim is to have a clean, strong weekend, execute all the little details and continue building towards Bathurst.”

James Courtney – Co-driver, No. 20 Snowy River Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“It’s been more than 20 years since I’ve been a co-driver. The last time was alongside Jim Richards, so stepping into that role with Dave will be a very different dynamic!”

“My approach to the weekend will be completely different from when I was the lead driver. My job is to maintain the car, keep it clean and hand it back to Dave in the best possible position. It will be interesting stepping back into that role after so long, but I’m really looking forward to it.”

“After spending the past eight months watching from the sidelines and commentating, it felt great to get back behind the wheel at our test days and practise the driver changes.”

“It’s also been nice being part of a race team again. I’ve spent my whole life around engineers and mechanics, talking about cars, and that’s probably what I’ve missed most. There’s a team environment in television, but it isn’t quite the same, so I’ve really enjoyed being back amongst it.”

“Now we’ll get stuck in and see where we end up.”

SCHEDULE

2026 AirTouch 500 at The Bend
All Times ACST

Friday 11 September

8:15am, Brake Session (20 mins)
11:25am, Practice 1 – All Drivers (30 mins)
1:45pm, Practice 2 – Additional Drivers (30 mins)
3:40pm, Practice 3 – All Drivers (30 mins)

Saturday 12 September

9:50am, Practice 4 – Additional Drivers (40 mins)
12:00pm, Practice 5 – All Drivers (40 mins)
2:45pm, Qualifying – Race 29 (30 mins)
5:00pm, Top Ten Shootout – Race 29 (30 mins)

Sunday 13 September

10:15am, Warm-up (20 mins)
1:45pm, Race 29 (147 laps/500km)