The Team 18 Camaros of Scott Pye/Warren Luff and Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso will start 12th and 19th place respectively for the 2023 Bathurst 1000, in an encouraging day for the team with improved pace.

Saturday’s action commenced with Practice 3 and 4, before Qualifying was held in the afternoon.

Practice 3 saw drivers share track time with their co-drivers, as they focussed on honing their setup for the race.

Practice 4 saw the main drivers take control as they turned their attention to developing their ultimate one-lap speed for the afternoon’s Qualifying session. Pye starred to finish fourth in this session in a strong improvement from the earlier practice sessions.

However, the Qualifying session was not without its challenges. Several red flags and stoppages due to incidents on track interrupted the proceedings.

Pye, in the Toyota Forklifts Camaro, encountered an early setback, clipping the wall at Turn 2. The team’s swift response allowed Pye to return to the track, and he qualified in a commendable 12th position, narrowly missing out on the shootout despite handling issues sustained from the contact with the wall.

Both Pye and Luff found encouragement in the day’s speed and remain confident of making significant progress during the race on Sunday.

On the other hand, DEWALT Racing drivers Winterbottom and Caruso wrestled with handling issues throughout the day, ultimately qualifying in 19th position for The Great Race. However, the team is taking valuable lessons from the past two days of practice, and they eagerly anticipate the upcoming practice sessions on Saturday to further refine their package for the race.

Saturday’s action will include two more 60-minute practice sessions at 10:00am and 1:00pm. All the action can be viewed live on Channel 7, Fox Sports and Kayo.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Scott Pye/Warren Luff, #20 Toyota Forklifts Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 3: 11th (2:06.0794)

Practice 4: 2nd (2:05.7526)

Qualifying: 12th (2:05.4419)

Mark Winterbottom/Michael Caruso, #18 DEWALT Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 3: 17th (2:06.5186)

Practice 4: 19th (2:06.3263)

Qualifying: 19th (2:05.7995)

Scott Pye, driver #20 Toyota Forklifts Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Disappointing not to make the shootout. I made a mistake and hit the wall at turn two and bent the car, unfortunately. The guys did a good job to get it as straight as possible, but we were still wounded.

“To finish 12th is a good recovery, I definitely think we could have been in the top 10 today, but we’ve got what I think is a top ten car, so we’ll recover for the weekend and it’s a long way to go so hopefully we’ve got a good opportunity to get a result on Sunday.”

Warren Luff, driver #20 Toyota Forklifts Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“We showed some really good speed in the final practice session today. We didn’t quite capitalise on that pace going into qualifying, but we’ve got a good car come Sunday. We’re only just outside the ten, so I’m confident that we’ll be able to fight our way forward from there.”

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 DEWALT Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“We didn’t have the speed under us to make the shootout today. We had a couple of big moments in Qualifying, and without those moments we’re close, but those wild moments cost me getting in for sure.

“Our focus is on the race now, and we have two more sessions tomorrow to work on getting our race car ready for Sunday.”

Michael Caruso, co-driver #18 DEWALT Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Today was about trying to get the most out of the car for qualifying. Mark had a good crack, but unfortunately the car speed Is just not there at the moment. So we’ve got a couple hours tomorrow to to continue working on it before the big day on Sunday.”