Team 18 showcased a solid performance in Race 26 of the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship during the Gold Coast 500, with Hino’s Scott Pye placing sixth and DEWALT Racing’s Mark Winterbottom finishing 12th.

In an exciting qualifying session, Pye secured sixth place, advancing to the Top 10 Shootout. On the other hand, Winterbottom faced several challenges, including kerb strikes during his early laps and a yellow flag incident during his final flying lap, resulting in a 15th-place start.

During the shootout, Pye faced a wild lap that saw him briefly clip the wall at the exit of the Turn 1 chicane. However, he recovered the lap strongly, ultimately earning a seventh-place starting position for Race 25.

In Race 25, both Team 18 drivers maintained their positions in the early stages. Winterbottom pitted for his first compulsory pit stop on Lap 15 to take on fresh tyres and fuel, while Pye followed suit eight laps later from eighth place. Their second pit stops on Laps 49 and 51, respectively, positioned them for a strong finish.

Pye faced a minor setback during his first pit stop due to a fuel flow issue, resulting in him losing ground to his competitors and rejoining the race in seventh place, and ultimately taking the chequered flag in eighth. However, while several drivers received time penalties for excessive kerb strike breaches, Pye’s composure promoted him to a well-deserved sixth-place finish.

Winterbottom progressed through the field, ultimately finishing in 12th place, contributing significantly to the team’s solid points haul.

As the Gold Coast 500 continues, Sunday’s action includes Qualifying at 10:05am AEST, the Top 10 Shootout at 11:35am, and Race 26 at 2:15 PM. Fans can catch all the action live on Channel 7, Fox Sports, and Kayo.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Scott Pye, #20 Hino Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Qualifying: 6th (1:11.0468)

Top 10 Shootout: 7th (1:11.6461)

Race 25: 6th (Fastest lap: 1:11.7332)

“Pretty solid day. Seventh in the shootout, which wasn’t too bad. I made a little mistake with the first sector, but other than that, lap was tidy.

“In the race we had a slow stop in the first stop, which cost about six seconds but we still finished up sixth at the end of the day. I feel like our car speed and and strategy was quite good. We just obviously had to recover a bit from that, but all in all, a pretty solid day.”

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

Qualifying: 15th (1:11.4108)

Race 25: 12th (Fastest lap: 1:12.0168)

“Not bad race pace, just got to qualify better and if we can get up the front, I think we can do a better job in the race.

“Pretty clean race, stayed out of trouble. We had pretty good pace, so end of the day it’s all about qualifying.”