'I felt really bad’: Allen, Randle explain awkward contact, redress
Kai Allen tipped Thomas Randle into a spin in Gold Coast finale
Allen redressed, Randle carried on, before clouting front chicane barriers
Allen, Randle qualified for Sandown Semi Final
Kai Allen immediately sought out Thomas Randle after Sunday’s Gold Coast finale following an incident that threatened both drivers’ Finals hopes.
On fresh tyres, Allen caught Randle, only to tip the #55 Castrol Ford into a spin towards the tyre barriers at the final corner. Quick thinking from both drivers saw Randle press on and Allen redress, despite the Castrol Mustang nursing rear damage.
Sixth and seventh in the race, Allen and Randle ended the day sixth and seventh in points, and off to the Semi Final at Sandown.
It so nearly could have gone pear-shaped, and for Randle, it would have cast a pall over car owner Rod Nash's milestone 800th start.
Allen insisted he had no intention to tip Randle out, and the Ford drivers discussed the tangle in pit lane after the race concluded.
“Obviously, I didn't mean to hit him,” Allen said on the broadcast.
"I hit him in the last corner and because he was on the limit of the tyre, just pushed him bit wide and he spun and hit the wall and I felt really bad.
"I had no intention at all to do that. I was just trying to hustle to get him, I had a lot of speed, had younger tyres, the old 26 Mustang was fast.
“Unfortunately, didn't quite do it cleanly at that point. So yeah, redressed, but I just wanted to let him know it wasn't intentional and make sure it was all good.”
Randle challenged for victory in the opening stint, but fell away as the race wore on. Tickford Racing teammate Cam Waters got by, with Randle falling into the clutches of the #26 Penrite Ford.
It was a successful weekend nonetheless for both drivers, who jumped out of the drop zone at the expense of the eliminated Brodie Kostecki and Anton De Pasquale.
Speaking post-race, Randle said the incident shared similarities to the Chaz Mostert/Broc Feeney clash from Adelaide 2024, where Mostert was sent into the barriers towards the end of the race.
“That was kind of him. He was obviously on fresher tyres,” Randle said of the redress.
“We had to pit early because Cam got me so didn't want to risk double stacking like yesterday.
“Got a big hit, it was like Feeney on Chaz at Adelaide last year, similar thing, straight in the tyres, the tracking was definitely out.
[The car is] pretty damn wounded. So to make the next round of The Finals is a bit of a relief."
The Repco Supercars Finals Series resumes at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on November 14-16. Tickets for the Semi Final are on sale now.
