Team 18 drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom are getting set for this weekend’s OTR SuperSprint at The Bend Motorsport Park, as Pye looks forward to a return to race in front of his home crowd in South Australia.
After finishes of tenth and 11th in Sydney, Pye is looking to continue to build on his speed while predicting an extremely close field at The Bend. While looking back at last year’s treacherous weather conditions, Pye is also hopeful of a dryer weekend this time around.
Winterbottom continued his form in Sydney with two ninth place finishes, and while he sees The Bend as a another good opportunity for the team to chase crucial championship points, he is already looking ahead to Bathurst and feels The Bend can bring learnings to take to the mountain as attention soon turns to The Great Race.
The series returns to a three-race sprint format, with three 20-lap 100km races across two days of action on the Dunlop Soft Tyre with one compulsory pit stop in each race.
Track action commences on Saturday with two 30-minute practice sessions, before a three-part knockout qualifying session from 1:40pm to set the grid for Race 20 at 4:30pm. Qualifying for Races 21 and 22 will take place at 9:45am on Sunday, setting the stage for Race 21 at 12:50pm and Race 22 at 3:50pm.
Fans can catch all the thrilling action live on Fox Sports and Kayo. Check local guides for further details.
QUOTES
Scott Pye, driver #20 Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
“It’s always nice heading back to SA. I’m looking forward to getting back home. I grew up in Adelaide, so having the opportunity to race there twice every year is, is something that I’m very grateful for and it’s a very, very cool track.
“Strategy is always difficult because of the tyre wear well, the delta is not massive. There’s no large undercut or anything like that, but the racing’s usually pretty close and I think with this new car as well it’s going to be even better because in the high speed we’ve seen we’re able to follow closer, so I think that the racing will hopefully be more exciting than it has been in the past there.
“Hopefully the weather’s kind to us as well, we’ve seen some pretty treacherous conditions there and started a race under safety car at one point with the weather, so hopefully it’s good weather for us on track and the fans on the hill too.
“I’m excited to get there in a new car. Every time we go to these tracks, it’s a new opportunity with a whole new package, and I think for us this season has seen us be a lot more consistent when we roll out of the truck. Hopefully we can make some improvements and be at the pointy end.”
Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 DEWALT Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
“Really looking forward to going to The Bend. I think it’s getting to that time of year where the enduros are starting to come, so it’s probably the most exciting part of the year, this time.
“It’s another good opportunity to race at a big, fast, flowing track and I think we can learn a lot from Tailem Bend for Bathurst as well.
“It’s a good opportunity to see where we’re at and keep trying to push our momentum and keep scoring points and try and get another trophy. It’s a track that is very tough and if you have a good setup, a good car and a clean run, you can get a good result.”
