Team 18 drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom are gearing up to light up the night this weekend at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight at Sydney Motorsport Park. With the 2023 Repco Supercars Championship entering its second half, the team is eyeing a consistent performance to bolster their championship aspirations.

Hino Camaro driver Scott Pye scored two strong comebacks on the streets of Townsville, with a 11th and sixth place finish in Race 16 and 17 respectively.

DEWALT Racing’s Mark Winterbottom displayed strong form in Townsville to move into the top ten in the drivers’ standings with a seventh and 11th place finish in each race.

The team have been working to improve their one-lap performance heading to Sydney Motorsport Park without compromising their impressive race pace.

This is the first time all season a seperate format is utilised on each day, with varying strategies at play for teams to prepare for. 

The Sydney SuperNight will consist of a 51 lap, 200km race under lights on Saturday featuring a single compulsory pit stop with an 80 litre minimum fuel drop, as well as a 36 lap, 140km sprint race on Sunday. Both races will include minimum two tyre changes, with an option for four in Race 19, with eight sets of Dunlop Soft Tyres available for qualifying and racing.

Track action commences on Saturday with two 30-minute practice sessions, allowing the teams to fine-tune their setups and gather valuable data. Qualifying kicks off at 4:45pm with a three-part knockout session to set the grid for Race 18 at 7:35pm. Qualifying for Race 19 will take place at 12:35pm on Sunday with a single 15 minute session, setting the stage for Race 19 at 3:30pm.

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

QUOTES

Scott Pye, #20 Hino Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“I’m excited ahead of the weekend to be back racing under lights. It’s always a really cool experience, something unique that we don’t get to do very often. 

“I think the 200km race around here will be interesting especially with tyres. The tyre wear is going to be very high, it’s notorious as a track like that but hopefully we’ve got competitive cars and we’re right at the front. 

“The Saturday night I think is going to be a very exciting night for all the fans and racing and the lights, the atmosphere here is always very special.”

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

“Sydney Motorsport Park’s pretty close to where I grew up, so it’s a special round, but under lights, it doesn’t really get any better. 

“I think the spectacle of the cars and the way that the flames now are back and under light’s going to be really cool.

“Then we pretty well regroup rolling into Sunday and have this really tight sprint format, which is going to be hectic, so a big weekend with two jam-packed days ahead.”