Randle proud to repay crew with strong finish

Thomas Randle was pleased to leave behind recent drama with a top 10 for his crew.

Randle raced from fifth to ninth in Saturday’s Sandown opener.

The top 10 was a smart result following another impressive showing in qualifying.

Randle was third fastest in Q2, and set the fifth best time in the Top Ten Shootout.

The 2020 Super2 champion kept a solid pace in the first stint before dropping down late on.

Randle brought home a top 10 finish, a result some three weeks in the making after his Bend crash.

The 26-year-old was implicated in a major crash at The Bend on July 31.

Randle’s stalled car was hit by Andre Heimgartner, with both drivers hospitalised.

“Obviously I’ve been really looking forward to getting back on track,” he said.

“To get back into the Shootout was awesome, and qualifying in the top five was a great start to the day.

"We lost a few spots through the pit exchange and in getting the tyres up to temperature, which is a little bit disappointing.

“To come home ninth is a really good result, both for me and the crew.

"So many times this year we’ve been so close to the 10, it’s nice to finally get one on the board.

“Hopefully we can back it up with a couple more tomorrow.”

Cam Waters and James Courtney also finished in the top 10, further adding to Tickford’s pace.

Team boss Tim Edwards said it was a “solid” day but expects more come Sunday.

“While it’s unfortunate not to have a trophy it is good to bring three cars back in the top 10,” Edwards said.

"Obviously Cam showed his race car is far better than where he started and JC continued the good run he’s been on since Townsville.

“It was great to see Thomas get back on track with a day like he had, it’s great for him and the Castrol crew to be solidly in the 10 all day.

"It’s a solid day all up, but we’ll dig into the data tonight look to go a few spots better tomorrow."