Team 18 boss declares Grand Final target
Team 18 reveals Grand Final target for Anton De Pasquale
De Pasquale was eliminated at last year's Elimination Final
Team 18 driver won in Darwin, sits 47 points out of top four
Team 18 is determined to get Camaro spearhead Anton De Pasquale into the 2026 Grand Final, says Team Principal Adrian Burgess.
De Pasquale reestablished himself in the championship discussion with a second win of the season at the betr Darwin Triple Crown.
Heading to Townsville, De Pasquale is just 66 points behind third-placed Cam Waters, and 47 points behind fourth-placed Brodie Kostecki.
The DEWALT Camaro driver fell agonisingly short of reaching the 2025 Semi Final after dual penalties at the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
In a bitter double blow, De Pasquale’s Semi Final performance at Sandown would have qualified him for the Grand Final, had he not been eliminated on the Gold Coast.
Carrying the weight of expectation of General Motors fans, and emboldened by last year's chastening elimination, Burgess remains set on getting his star driver to Adelaide.
"We want definitely one in the Finals. We need two in the Finals, and I want try and get Anton into the final four,” Burgess said on MotorRacing 360.
"Anton's going to be the one in the Finals at the moment, looking at Dave's [Reynolds] performance. But for us, we want be in that final four, and then you've got a crack at winning it.”
Chevrolet homologation squad Team 18 has been far and away GM’s best team so far in 2026, with De Pasquale the only Camaro driver in the top 10 overall.
While the ’Team Chevy’ alliance is still getting up to speed, De Pasquale and Team 18 have taken clear strides forward this season. Amid noise over his credentials, De Pasquale silenced several critics with his peerless drive in Darwin.
While he only clinched his Finals berth in Bathurst, the signs were there towards the end of 2025 as De Pasquale eventually jostled for a Grand Final position.
However, Burgess insists his team can’t rely on last year’s Sandown performance to get the job done.
"If we hadn't have had a couple of errors at the Gold Coast, he would've gone to Sandown,” Burgess said.
“We were fourth in the round of Sandown. He would've gone to Adelaide in the final four.
"Now, you can't rely on that, that's last year. But this year that's what we're aiming to do, and that's what we're going to do."
De Pasquale continued his 2026 season at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 10-12.
