Car damage stings Reynolds after De Pasquale clash

David Reynolds was hampered by damage in Sunday’s first race after his collision with Anton De Pasquale.

Reynolds slumped to 14th in Race 8 at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint after starting on the front row.

The Penrite Racing driver was passed by Brodie Kostecki at Turn 7 at the end of the first lap and dropped to third.

De Pasquale attempted a similar move, but barged Reynolds off the track and into the sand.

The incident saw Reynolds’ #26 Penrite Ford pick up bearings damage, with sand also running through the car’s brake ducts.

“Anton pushed him over into the sand, and the left side of the car went through the sand,” Team Principal David Cauchi said on the Schick Cool Down Lap podcast.

“The left side brake got hot, and it damaged the bearing… he couldn’t brake, he couldn’t stop.

“He was definitely wounded, that was really disappointing because I felt he could have run at the front."

Reynolds wasn’t a factor from there, but managed to come home fourth in the finale after repairs.

"I got pushed off the track and got some sand in my brake duct,” Reynolds himself said.

“That literally destroyed the front of the car, and it was very difficult to win the race after that.

“Drove the wheels off [in Race 9] flat out the whole time and finished fourth so there was not a lot of pace left in the car.

“All in all it was a great weekend from the team. Good stops, everything like that was working well.

“The wins aren’t too far away we just need to be a little bit better on race day.”

Reynolds was the fast man on Friday at CARCO.com.au Raceway, but was unable to convert speed to victory.

The 2017 Bathurst did manage to finish third in Saturday's race, his first podium since the Newcastle season-opener.

Race engineer Alistair McVean said the next step is making sure the #26 converts in qualifying, and is easier on its tyres in the races.

“Almost got some poles, almost got some wins, but couldn’t quite get it,” McVean said.

“We need to execute in qualifying, we missed a couple of opportunities there.

“In the races, just a bit of tyre life. We can’t keep up with the front two [Erebus], those guys are doing a great job."

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on May 19-21.

Tickets for the event are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.