Erebus Motorsport has recorded another top ten finish, after a nail-biting race at Sydney Motorsport Park today.
Qualifying set the tone for the start of day, with the Erebus duo not making the most of their one lap.
In a race that was all about tyres, Reynolds started from eighth and was able to get the most out of his – quickly shooting himself up three spots on the opening lap.
Pitting earlier than most, he found himself effective third before the race took a turn just over the halfway mark.
With 10 laps remaining and the field under Safety Car, Reynolds tried to make the most of the restart as McLaughlin and Van Gisbergen collided in front.
The #9 driver slotted into second temporarily, before cosmetic damage wrecked his aero-package and he fell back to eighth before the checkered flag.
On the other side of the garage, Wood started off 24th, and was quick to move through the field.
He was able to make it safely through a tangle at turn one and elevated to 19th before the end of the opening lap.
After 30 laps of hard racing, Wood held onto his position until the finish line.
The team are confident they have found race pace, ahead of tomorrow’s 200-kilometre finale.
David Reynolds – #9 Erebus Penrite Racing
“We changed our car a bit for qualifying and it had a really big effect, but we were lucky to be able to change it back for our last set of tyres and go a lot faster and get a reasonable time.
“I got a good start in the race and was in a big battle, but I just couldn’t hold onto it and ended up making only one spot. My car felt really good and we pitted early to undercut everyone, ended up third but then the Safety Car came out which ruined our race. I got caught up in the mess on the restart and got stoved in both ends of my car and after that it was really difficult to drive. Luckily, I was still able to finish eighth and I think we’ve found some race pace for tomorrow.”
Dale Wood – #99 Erebus GB Galvanizing Racing
“We didn’t qualify where we wanted which always makes for a tough day. I got an OK start, got hit by Moffat into turn one but was able to come through a few spots. I had a few fun battles and managed to finish 19th.
“I think we’ve got better tyre life than I expected, which we certainly need around here, and hopefully we can make that better again for tomorrow.”