Reynolds set for 500th start as Team 18 tackles NZ double-header

---

Team 18 heads across the Tasman this weekend for the New Zealand double-header, with the ITM Taupō Super440 kicking off the two-week stint across the Tasman from April 10–12.

The event marks Supercars’ third visit to Taupō International Motorsport Park, a fast and technical 3.32km circuit in the heart of New Zealand’s central North Island. Featuring tight, flowing switchbacks and long straights, the track places a premium on tyre management and consistency across the multiple surface changes.

Taupō also introduces the first mixed tyre round of the 2026 season. Saturday will feature two 120km sprint races, with the opening race and Sunday’s 200km finale contested on the Dunlop Soft tyre, while the second sprint race will be on the Super Soft compound.

For Snowy River Racing’s David Reynolds, Sunday’s 200km Race 10 will mark a significant milestone, becoming the 13th driver in Supercars history to bring up his 500th Supercars Championship race start. The achievement will be celebrated on Sunday, with the team set for several activations to recognise the occasion.

DEWALT Racing’s Anton De Pasquale returns to Taupō with strong form, having finished fourth in last year’s opening race and starting from the front row in the final race of the weekend. The 2024 Jason Richards Memorial Trophy winner is looking to build on Team 18’s solid start to the season which sees him sitting fifth in the standings.

The event kicks off on Thursday with the Track to Town parade and signing session in Taupō, before on-track action commences with two practice sessions on Friday. A busy Saturday features back-to-back qualifying sessions and twin sprint races. Sunday features a three-part qualifying format, culminating in a Top Ten Shootout to set the grid for the 200km feature race.

Fans can catch all the action live on Fox Sports and Kayo. Check local guides for further details.

QUOTES

Anton De Pasquale – Driver #18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Taupō is a really cool track. It’s quite technical with a lot of direction change, but it also rewards flow and rhythm when you get it right.

“We had good speed there last year and were in the mix across the weekend, so it’s a track I’m looking forward to going back to. The goal is to build on what we’ve learned and roll out with a strong package from the start.

“It’s nice to come back here after I won the Jason Richards Trophy a couple of years ago which was really special. We’ve had a solid start to the year and hopefully we can roll out strong from where we were last year and keep pushing forwards.

David Reynolds – Driver #20 Snowy River Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“To be honest, I’ve been thinking about what 500 races means for a while and I still don’t really have a perfect answer. I guess it just shows I’ve been around a long time, I’m experienced, and I’ve been good enough at what I do to last this long.

“I’m really thankful for everyone who’s helped me get here. When I first started out, just making it to Supercars felt impossible. Now I’ve been here this long, it almost feels like my dream wasn’t big enough at the start. Once I got here, the goal became to win a championship, and I haven’t done that yet, so I’m still going. That’s probably what 500 races means to me.

“At the end of the day though, it’s just another weekend. Whether it’s 500 or 5,000 races, you turn up, do your job, drive the car as fast as it can go, make no mistakes and enjoy it, because you don’t know how long it’s going to last.

“I’m feeling good heading into Taupō. We made a really good change at the Grand Prix and we’re going to stick with that this weekend and see how it goes. We’ve gone back to a different philosophy, similar to what we had when I first joined the team, so I’m really interested to see how it performs. I’m probably looking forward to this one more than I have been.

“We’ve always talked about having two rounds in New Zealand. The fans over there love motorsport and Supercars. I’ve seen it firsthand being teammates with Greg Murphy, you realise how big racing is over there. So it’s great we finally have two events.

“Taupō is a really good track but it’s tough. There are multiple surfaces, some new, some old so you go from a lot of grip to not much grip very quickly. That makes it hard to set the car up and understand what you’re feeling, but if you can be consistent across all of it, you’ll be quick.

“It’s a short weekend with limited practice, so you don’t have much time to make big changes. You need to roll out of the truck confident in your setup, and I think we’ve been doing a much better job of that lately.

“The mixed tyre format will be interesting too. You practice on the Soft and then go into qualifying on the Super Soft, and it feels like a completely different car. As drivers, it’s always a challenge to understand how much grip you’ve got on both, but it should make things interesting.”

SCHEDULE

2026 ITM Taupo Super440
(All Times NZST)

Friday 10 April

1:50pm, Practice 1 (25 mins)
2:30pm, Practice 2 (25 mins)

Saturday 11 April

10:15am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 8 (12 mins)
10:35am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 8 (12 mins)
11:10am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 9 (12 mins)
11:30am, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 9 (12 mins)
12:55pm, Race 8 (37 laps / 120km)
4:05pm, Race 9 (37 laps / 120km)

Sunday 12 April

11:40am, Qualifying Part 1 – Race 10 (12 mins)
12:00pm, Qualifying Part 2 – Race 10 (12 mins)
12:35pm, Qualifying Part 3 (Top Ten Shootout) – Race 10 (30 mins)
3:05pm, Race 10 (60 laps / 200km)