Penrite Racing has scored their first set of surfboards at the Gold Coast this afternoon, David Reynolds and Luke Youlden scoring third, as Anton De Pasquale and Will Brown added to a good points haul in 8th.
The podium finish was almost solidified off the start line, Luke getting away well and slotting into third at the first chicane.
That wasn’t the only action to happen on lap 1 though, as Todd Hazelwood came firing through the field at Turn 11, causing a four-car pile-up and spinning Brown, who started from 9th.
The #99 Holden was sent to the rear of field and Hazelwood served a penalty, though it wasn’t going to stop the young gun from storming through the field.
Will emerged in 12th before the first round of stops started, while Luke drove faultlessly to keep the train behind him and maintain 3rd.
As the co-drivers hit their requirement for minimum laps, it was on lap 34 when Luke pitted for a driver change, David returning in 4th.
Will made a dive for pit lane just two laps later, handing the car over to Anton in what would be effective 11th when the #99 returned.
With Michael Caruso in front on an alternate strategy, it wasn’t until lap 59 where David reclaimed his place in third for a wild drive home.
The second round of stops came with roughly 40 laps to run; the #9 Penrite car stopping on lap 62 and #99 the next time around.
When the field settled it was still David in 3rd, while Anton shot through to 8th for the final run home.
David chased down the Red Bull Holden’s in front up until the final stages, and though he closed the gap to just 0.6-seconds before the flag, he and Luke could only manage third on the podium.
Despite the early issues, Anton also delivered the good and cemented the young duo’s first top ten result at the season’s toughest circuit.
David Reynolds – Started: 4th, Finished: 3rd
“I am really, really happy with today, it was great to bounce back from yesterday. 4th in the Shootout really set us up for a good result; I knew if Luke got a good start we could end up on the podium.
“My car was very good today; it was easy to drive and not make a mistake, and the tyre life was good. Al did a brilliant job overnight for us and Luke did a perfect race for us. We didn’t ask him to try and beat the two in front, but he was the next best driver. This is a really good booster for our team.”
Luke Youlden – Started: 4th, Finished: 3rd
“My confidence had taken a bit of a battering at Bathurst and also yesterday, so today was exactly what I and the team needed. I have been driving OK, but things haven’t gone too well for me, so it was good to get that under my belt.
“I had Barry’s voice in my head the whole race, ‘no kerb strikes and just try to keep it clean’. I could go faster but I just did my best at not any mistakes, that’s what I needed to do to maintain the position we were in. To be able to bring it back in third was really good. Obviously, the car had really good pace, it’s a credit to the team to turn things around from yesterday.”
Anton De Pasquale – Started: 9th, Finished: 8th
“To be in the top ten was a good starting point though Will got spun on the first lap which put us dead last and then he did a great job to hustle through and pass a lot of cars. The boys did a good strategy too to bring me out in clean air. We had a fast car so we could move our way forward. To get back to 8th from last was a really good effort; it was good to recover from where we were, but we had a car that was good enough for a much better result.”
Will Brown – Started: 9th, Finished: 8th
“Overall it wasn’t a bad day, but it was pretty disappointing with Hazelwood hitting us on lap 1 from a fair while back. It put us back to last, but I had a good stint, I was happy with my pace and I was able to put us back near the top ten and Anton brought it home in 8th. That’s pretty good, when you can take a top ten around here, especially from where we came from, it’s a good effort from the entire team.”
For the latest on the Penrite Racing Team visit their website at: https://penriteracing.com/