DEWALT Racing’s Anton De Pasquale and Lee Holdsworth have finished seventh in a chaotic, rain-affected AirTouch 500 at The Bend, while Snowy River Racing’s David Reynolds and James Courtney came home 22nd.

Starting fifth aboard the No. 18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro, Holdsworth battled wheelspin off the line before recovering several positions during an action-packed opening lap.

Courtney also made a strong start from 16th, gaining several positions through the opening corners before the No. 20’s race unravelled when contact from Scott Pye sent him into a spin at Turn 6.

The incident damaged the Camaro’s steering arm and forced Courtney into the garage while the Team 18 crew worked quickly to complete repairs.

The Snowy River Racing Camaro returned to the circuit five laps behind the leaders, with Courtney immediately beginning the recovery effort in the treacherous conditions.

Meanwhile, Holdsworth received a 15-second penalty following contact with Nick Percat at Turn 5 on Lap 2. Low tyre pressures then made the DEWALT Camaro increasingly difficult to manage as he slipped outside the top 10.

Holdsworth made his first pit stop from 12th position on Lap 23, shortly before torrential rain brought out the first Safety Car two laps later.

The Safety Car periods gave both Team 18 entries an opportunity to recover, with Holdsworth returning to the lead lap and Courtney regaining several of the laps lost while his car was being repaired.

Holdsworth returned to pit lane for fuel under the first Safety Car as the conditions continued to deteriorate around the West Circuit.

A second Safety Car was called on Lap 45 due to the extreme weather, with the No. 18 returning to the pits for tyres and fuel while the crew also managed damage to its front splitter.

Following the restart, Holdsworth was turned around at Turn 2 when Macauley Jones rejoined the circuit after running wide, adding further damage to the DEWALT Camaro.

Holdsworth kept the car in contention before completing his minimum driving requirement and handing over to De Pasquale on Lap 54.

Courtney continued to recover aboard the No. 20, although an overheating wet tyre made the car increasingly difficult to manage as a dry line began to emerge.

He later handed the Snowy River Racing Camaro to Reynolds for the run to the chequered flag.

Reynolds continued the recovery effort but, with no further Safety Car periods, was unable to return the car to the lead lap.

De Pasquale carried damage to the front splitter and rear of the No. 18 but steadily worked his way back inside the top 10 as the circuit dried.

The race was shortened from its scheduled 147 laps to 141 after reaching the time-certain finish.

De Pasquale crossed the line eighth before he and Holdsworth were promoted to seventh in the final classification following two post-race disqualifications. Reynolds and Courtney were also elevated one position to 22nd.

The result provided De Pasquale with another valuable haul of championship points and secured his place in the Supercars Finals Series.

Team 18 will now turn its attention to the Bathurst 1000 on October 8–11.

RESULTS & QUOTES

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

Race 29: P7

“What a crazy day for the first endurance race of the year. We had plenty of rain, mixed conditions towards the end, crashes, Safety Cars and a bit of everything. It would have been a really cool race to watch from the couch.

“We became involved in a few things early which put us on the back foot, but we recovered into the top 10. That should cement our place in the Finals, which was one of our main goals today.

“We carried some damage to the front splitter and had taken a couple of hits to the rear, so we didn’t have the ultimate speed. We did everything we could and now we’re looking forward to Bathurst.”

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

“That was very wild. They were probably the worst and most unpredictable conditions I’ve ever driven in. There was so much happening out there that it was difficult to keep track of everything.

“I didn’t get a great start and just sat there wheel-spinning, but I managed to regain some ground on the opening lap.

“I was down the inside of the Red Bull car into the hairpin and it came across the front of me. The contact turned them around and earned us a penalty.

“Staying on the track was the key in those conditions. We managed to remain in contention and get back onto the lead lap, but it was absolutely crazy out there. I was exhausted by the end of my stint.”

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

Race 29: P22

“The Bend 500 didn’t go as we planned. We were pretty much out of contention from the opening lap.

“James made a good start from 16th and gained a few positions through the opening corners. When he turned into Turn 6, someone tagged him and turned him around, which caused a puncture and broke the steering.

“We had to bring the car into the garage for repairs, which put us five laps behind. The Safety Cars allowed us to recover most of those laps, but we were still short of the lead lap when I got in.

“There were no more Safety Cars to help us recover, so we finished 22nd. It wasn’t where we wanted to be, but there are plenty of things we can learn and take to Bathurst.

“I had heaps of fun racing with Courtney this weekend. He’s a great character who brings the party, and I can’t wait to do it all again.”

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

“That was wild. The start was pretty cool and I got a good jump off the line, passed a few cars and went around the outside at Turn 6.

“I was hit from behind on the exit, which put us out of contention straight away. We had damage and a tyre go down, so we were immediately on the back foot.

“We had to push hard and make sure we kept moving forward so we could regain laps during the Safety Car periods.

“It was good fun despite everything. As the circuit started developing a dry line, the wet tyre became hot and over-pressured, which made the car pretty sketchy and caught us out slightly on strategy.

“I handed the car over to Dave for the finish and knew the little Ginger Prince would push all the way to the end.”