Tony D'Alberto survived wild aquaplane moment in Bend 500
D'Alberto lost control of #38 Shell V-Power Ford, hit the wall
Rylan Gray/D'Alberto recovered to finish ninth in wild race
Shell V-Power Racing Team rookie Rylan Gray says he could hear wheel spin in the rain from his garage, before co-driver Tony D’Alberto was a victim of a Tailem Bend deluge.
Gray and D’Alberto, who are 21 years apart in age, combined to deliver one of Sunday’s more unexpected — and brilliant — results, particularly after a frightening moment for D’Alberto.
The #38 Shell V-Power Mustang went on a wide rollercoaster ride throughout the day, with D’Alberto charging from 20th to 13th, before falling back to 17th.
D’Alberto moved up to 11th, before the race turned on its head for the #38 as heavy rain struck The Bend.
On lap 25, D'Alberto's Mustang aquaplaned out of control, rendering the 40-year-old a passenger. The Ford slid off the road and into the wall, and it appeared that the Gray/D’Alberto car was out of business.
After dropping to 24th, D’Alberto recovered to 12th amid a flurry of Safety Cars, before Gray took over and charged back into the top 10.
Gray could barely watch as D’Alberto fought the conditions. Problem was, Gray could hear the drama, too — the 600hp Supercars would fall into wheel spin on gear changes in the heavy wet conditions.
Tim Slade had the highest profile moment, catching a slide in front of the field after a restart. It even caught Craig Lowndes out, who wrote in his Supercars.com column: "I was going down the main straight in fourth gear and aquaplaning! I was almost going from lock to lock just trying to keep the thing straight."
When asked on Supercars’ Equip Super Cool Down Lap if he was happy with the result, he replied: “I’d say so considering where we were after the first 10 laps or so, with TD in the wall.
“But the conditions were pretty bad out there. I heard cars' wheels spinning on the front straight from the garage. Everyone survived... sort of. It was a good comeback drive.”
The Gray/D’Alberto Ford spared Shell V-Power Racing Team’s blushes after the pole-sitting Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood Mustang had a shocker.
When asked what it was like watching from the garage, Gray said: “My heart rate was very high, to be honest. I tried not to watch as much.
“A safe pair of hands, TD always is. Made some positions, and I just got in and had to take it a bit further forward.
“So we actually had really good car speed, so pretty happy with a top 10. I think we could've got a few more spots with the strategy, but no, overall good day.”
The 2026 season resumes at the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 8-11.
