Team 18 delivered a solid performance in a chaotic Sandown 500, with the TRADIE Beer Racing duo of David Reynolds and Warren Luff securing a commendable eighth-place finish, while Mark Winterbottom and Michael Caruso of Cub Cadet Racing fought their way to 16th.

The race got off to a clean start, but the action quickly ramped up. By Lap 17, Mark Winterbottom experienced a gear shift issue at Dandenong Road, forcing him off the track. Just a lap later, a daring three-wide move into Turn 1 added to the early drama as Winterbottom clawed his way back through the pack.

A safety car was deployed on Lap 24, as Reynolds was caught up in an incident in the count down for the Full Course Yellow, causing damage to both the front and rear of the TRADIE Beer Racing Camaro.

Reynolds, who had climbed to P13, made his pit stop to swap seats with co-driver Luff, while Winterbottom swapped with Caruso at this point of the race as well.

Both Team 18 cars opted for fresh tyres and fuel during the second safety car period on Lap 42, with Luff pitting first, followed by Caruso.

After the restart on Lap 50, Luff found himself in a tough battle, sustaining contact from Everingham at Dandenong Road on Lap 62, forcing him wide. Everingham received a five-second penalty for the incident, but the damage left Luff back in 19th.

As the race progressed, Caruso put in an impressive stint, pushing the #18 Cub Cadet Racing Camaro up to P13 by Lap 69, before eventually handing back the reigns to Winterbottom on Lap 81 after not opting for an earlier stop for tyres which cost the #18 car valuable track position.

Another full-course yellow followed soon after, with the race becoming a stop-start affair due to further incidents on track.

Luff swapped back with Reynolds on Lap 89 during a Full Course Yellow period that ended on Lap 93, just in time for a few final safety car periods before a time-certain finish brought the race to a close.

Despite the challenges, Reynolds and Luff’s persistence paid off with a top-10 result, while Winterbottom and Caruso settled for 16th after a determined effort.

Team 18 now sets its sights on the prestigious Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, taking place from October 10-13.

RESULTS & QUOTES

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Race 19: 16th

“It was a tough weekend. We rolled out in practice one fastest car, pretty much. Then the rain hit and qualifying 13th was tough. Dave was 17th so as a team we were in the pack.

“Today was a tough one, a few things didn’t go our way. I think Caruso did an amazing job. He was really fast, did an amazing job, got us up to fifth or sixth, and then we didn’t take that full course yellow, which, when I was in the garage, I was playing engineer and telling them to take it, and unfortunately we didn’t. We should have probably come out fifth or sixth, didn’t take it, came out 21st, and that’s the story of our day.

“We just have to make those right calls at the right time and it’s so hard to pass cars here and get stuck in the train. Anyway, yeah, tough day, a little bit different in the pits might have changed the story.

“The boys did an amazing job. The car is reliable, pit stops were great and it was really good to be with Michael again. He’s a great guy and he really delivered today. On to Bathurst.”

Michael Caruso, co-driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Not the result that we came here for. For myself personally, I was really happy with how I drove. Had really good pace, seemed to make up quite a few spots and that’s the name of the game. I guess that’s what the job that was asked of me, looked after the tyres, so it was going really well.

“I think towards the end of my second stint there, there was obviously a safety car out which we didn’t take and ultimately that really hurt our overall position because we had a long way to claw back from, but look, overall this weekend, I know everybody tried their best and we’ve got three weeks to get back together and I know Mark and myself will stop at nothing to get the results that we deserve.”

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

Race 19: 8th

“It was a crazy day, absolutely mental, off its face. We started 17th, I got involved in a lot of accidents, Luffy got involved in a lot of accidents, and it was out of control.

“Our car wasn’t too bad over a distance, it just didn’t have the one lap performance, and we had good strategy, mint pit stops, everything went okay to plan, and we ended up P8 overall, so I’m ecstatic with the result.

“I couldn’t believe that after, the chaos we had at the start of the day, so yeah.

“Luffy did an amazing job for us, brought the car home, had good pace. I can’t wait to race with him in the Bathurst 1000, it’s going to be awesome.”

Warren Luff, co-driver #20 TRADIE Beer Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Look, it was a tough day, but ultimately we finished with the top 10, so not a bad result.

“Obviously we would have liked to be a little bit higher. It was tough out there, we got hit a few times and lost a bit of track position, but again, anytime that you can finish in the 10 hasn’t been the worst day, but we look forward now to Bathurst and definitely want to end up on that podium at Bathurst.”