Tea

m 18 face a long night in the garage as they work to rebuild David Reynolds’ TRADIE Beer Racing Chevrolet Camaro after a dramatic crash during Qualifying for Race 23 at the VAILO Adelaide 500.

Reynolds had earlier topped the timesheets in Practice 2, showcasing the TRADIE Beer Camaro’s impressive pace. However, his Qualifying session ended abruptly when he clipped the inside wall at Turn 8, sending him into the notorious outside wall and spinning down the back straight. To add to the drama, his car came to rest near Cameron Hill, who had crashed moments earlier at the exact same spot.

The incident red-flagged the session, which was later declared, leaving many drivers, including Reynolds and teammate Mark Winterbottom, unable to set a competitive lap time. As a result, Winterbottom will start Race 23 from 18th and Reynolds from 21st on the grid.

Despite the setback, Reynolds remains optimistic about the pace of his car, and Winterbottom’s performance in Qualifying highlighted the potential in their setups. Both drivers are determined to make up ground in tomorrow’s race.

Team 18 will return to the track tomorrow for Practice 3 at 10:00am, followed by Race 23 at 3:20pm ACDT. Fans can catch all the action live on Channel 7, Fox Sports, and Kayo.

RESULTS & QUOTES

David Reynolds, driver #20 TRADIE Beer Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 2: 1st
Qualifying: 21st

“I feel brand new. That’s the unfortunate part!”

“There was a bit of yellow flags, so I didn’t know what was going on the other side. So I tried and lose a little bit of speed, and I probably stayed out on the brake a bit too long, and just turned myself into the fence and had a crash myself. I was probably just over committed to be fair, it was a stupid mistake.

“I feel sorry for the boys and hopefully we can fix it and get out tomorrow. We’ve got one of the fastest cars in pit lane, so it’s just a shame.”

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 DEWALT Racing Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 2: 16th
Qualifying: 18th

“It’s frustrating. We tried a few things and then we literally bolted Dave’s car in for qualy then, and that’s the best lap I’ve done so far this week to turn seven, and then it was looking probably good for a 19.6 on that first lap, which I’ve been nowhere near.

“The car felt pretty good. I think that was a comfortable, easy top ten. I can see why Dave has been fast because we literally copied it and we could have done pretty well where he was. It’s frustrating because I think we’re a lot faster than where we are, but it is what it isn’t it?

“Thankfully Dave’s alright, that’s what Adelaide is. He’ll bounce back and he’ll be right tomorrow I’m sure.”