DEWALT Racing’s Anton De Pasquale continued his strong form, charging into the top ten to finish eighth in Race 5 of the Melbourne SuperSprint, while TRADIE Energy Racing’s David Reynolds endured a tough race, finishing 23rd after being spun mid-race.

Starting 12th, De Pasquale gained a couple of positions on the opening lap before the Safety Car was deployed. Both drivers navigated the early laps cleanly, but on Lap 5, Reynolds was turned around by Thomas Randle at Turn 1, triggering a second Safety Car.

Before the caution, De Pasquale had moved up to ninth, taking advantage when Brodie Kostecki nudged Richie Stanaway wide at Turn 4. He continued his charge, setting the fastest lap of the race while hunting down Kostecki for seventh, but the race ended under time-certain conditions after just 12 laps, leaving him in eighth place.

Reynolds rejoined the race after his spin but was unable to recover, taking the chequered flag in 23rd.

De Pasquale was pleased with his progress, avoiding trouble and learning valuable lessons for the next races. Despite today’s incident, Reynolds remains hopeful for a turnaround in the remaining races.

Team 18 returns to the track on Saturday for back-to-back qualifying sessions for Races 6 and 7 from 9:05am, followed by Race 6 at 5:40pm local time. Catch all the action live on Channel 10, Fox Sports, and Kayo.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Anton De Pasquale – #18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Race 5: 8th

“Pretty short and sharp for us.

“We had a couple of safety cars in our one race for the day.

“It was a decent enough race for us, made up a few positions. We got in and around a few tangles, but came out the other side alright.

“I think we learned a few things, tried some different stuff for the race which we can take into the next two races.

“Looking forward to having another couple of qualifying sessions tomorrow and then a race tomorrow afternoon.

David Reynolds – #20 TRADIE Energy Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Race 5: 23rd

“I got the best start I’ve ever got in my life, and then just settled into my rhythm.

“I tried to pass a car and then got hung out on the wrong side of the track. Randle was on my inside and I didn’t know there was another car on his inside, so three cars don’t go into one corner. I was on the outside and just got spun out, so that was it.

“I haven’t had one race all year when nothing has gone wrong, so hopefully we can turn that around tomorrow. We have two more opportunities to bounce back tomorrow so I’m looking forward to getting back on track.”