Incredible Victory! David Reynolds Triumphs at Gold Coast V8 Supercars Race
In a heart-stopping battle with Brodie Kostecki’s Erebus Chevrolet Camaro, David Reynolds emerged victorious in his Grove Racing Ford Mustang, clinching the win by a narrow margin of 0.18 seconds.
Reynolds displayed strategic brilliance, settling into second place before seizing the lead when he benefitted from a shorter second fuel stop compared to Kostecki. However, Kostecki managed to regain the lead with just 10 laps remaining, only to make a critical mistake that allowed Reynolds to reclaim the front position.
The race took an unexpected turn when a Safety Car was called with only seven laps to go. James Golding’s crash in the PremiAir Chevrolet Camaro at the Chicane and the ensuing track blockage caused by Scott Pye in the Team18 Camaro completely changed the complexion of the competition. With just three laps left in the race, Reynolds faced some intense nose-to-tail contact but managed to hold on and secure the much-deserved victory.
Reflecting on his remarkable win, Reynolds admitted, “My car performed exceptionally well in the first two stints, but it struggled a bit towards the end. He [Kostecki] was definitely pushing me, and I thought I was going to get crashed! It was an incredibly hard-fought race, and I loved every moment of it.”
Although Kostecki had to settle for second place, maintaining his series points lead provided some solace. “I really wanted a surfboard! They just outmaneuvered us with their strategy, but our car had amazing speed,” Kostecki remarked, referring to the traditional Gold Coast winners’ trophies. He added, “This is exactly what we needed. I felt being the lead car was a disadvantage, and I was able to exploit that to my advantage against Dave. It has been an awesome weekend, and leaving with the same points gap going into Adelaide is fantastic. My team kept reminding me over the radio, and I understand why they did it during the race.”
Cam Waters secured a commendable third place, demonstrating a solid performance. Despite starting on the fourth row of the grid following an incident where his Tickford Mustang found the escape road, Waters skillfully navigated through the field, ultimately holding off the second Grove Racing Mustang to secure the final spot on the podium.
Waters’ redemption was just one story among the many setbacks witnessed during the chaotic Top 10 Shootout. Shane van Gisbergen and Anton De Pasquale both incurred penalties for kerb strikes, while Will Brown crashed at the first chicane. Nevertheless, van Gisbergen’s strategic long game paid off as he worked his way up from a fifth-row grid start to secure sixth place in the race, gaining one position from Golding. However, he was unable to overtake Gold Coast rookie Matt Payne, also from Grove Racing Ford, leaving him to settle for fifth place.
As Kostecki clinched second place, the hard-fought weekend solidified his 131-point lead over van Gisbergen, which he will carry into the final two races of the season in Adelaide. With 2696 points, Kostecki sits comfortably atop the leaderboard, followed by van Gisbergen on 2565 points. Meanwhile, Will Brown, now out of mathematical title contention, holds third place with 2201 points.
The Supercars season will culminate with the final two races held in Adelaide on November 25-26, promising intense battles and thrilling competition till the very end.