Radio issue 'hard pill to swallow' for Slade
Tim Slade's Sunday strategy "undermined" by radio issue
Slade started seventh, finished 12th in Sydney finale
James Golding finished ninth, ran as high as effective fifth
Tim Slade has labelled a radio issue in Sunday’s Sydney race a "hard pill to swallow,” with PremiAir Nulon Racing missing out on a double top 10.
James Golding and Slade finished ninth and 12th in Sunday’s race in Sydney, which was won by Ford star Chaz Mostert.
Slade was the team’s benchmark early on Sunday, qualifying second before ending up seventh in the Shootout ahead of teammate Golding. Golding moved from seventh to fifth and challenged for fourth in the opening corners, while Slade settled into eighth position.
As Golding stopped on lap 13, Slade pitted on lap 20 amid a radio issue that cost the #23 dearly in strategy. PremiAir Nulon Racing estimated a loss of three to four potential spots as a result, with Slade 12th by race’s end.
“Things were looking pretty strong and we felt we were on-track for a top 10 for both cars,” said Slade, whose last top 10 came at the Grand Prix in March.
“But the radio issue for my car really undermined our efforts there and we finished three or four spots further back than what we feel we should have, which is always a hard pill to swallow.
"But we will regroup and look ahead to the next one.”
Ludo Lacroix, PremiAir Nulon Racing Competition Director and Slade’s Race Engineer, added: "To put a car in the top 10 [of the race] is never a bad thing, and we could have had two.
“But we had an issue with the radio [for Slade] and so we couldn’t communicate very well with the car and missed the window where we wanted to pit, which cost us probably three or four places for Timmy.
“That [radio issue] is not a big drama but we could have done a better job, so we need to be more neat on all the little details.”
The 2024 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on August 16-18. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
Live coverage can be found on Foxtel, with live streaming available on Kayo. Highlights will be shown on the Seven Network and 7plus. International viewers can follow all the action on Superview.
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