Team 18 owner hits back at critics after win
Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt hits back at critics after win
Anton De Pasquale powered to victory in Darwin finale on Sunday
Team 18, General Motors subject to recent criticism over results
Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt is revelling in his squad's brilliant Darwin victory, using the result to silence vocal critics of his team, including Holden legend Mark Skaife.
Anton De Pasquale powered to victory in Sunday's betr Darwin Triple Crown finale, delivering on a brilliant strategy by Team 18 to outlast Penrite Racing's Matt Payne.
Save for a qualifying wobble on Saturday, De Pasquale was supreme. It was a timely result for driver, team and Chevrolet, following a swathe of pre-round criticism led by Skaife.
Those at Team 18 and GM remained quiet when approached over the comments — until Sunday. Speaking on Supercars' Equip Super Cool Down Lap podcast, Schwerkolt gave an unprompted retort.
“We've got a great team. There's been a lot of critics at the moment,” Schwerkolt said.
"It's actually such a shame Mark Skaife wasn't here to see us win today, because it's a great team.
"Really well-deserved win for Anton. He drove so well."
The win was Team 18's third in Supercars, following De Pasquale's Sydney victory in February, and Mark Winterbottom's breakthrough win three years ago.
Schwerkolt couldn't hide his excitement over the team performance on Sunday, and while delighted in the win, refused to get too far ahead of himself.
However, the momentum is clearly there, with De Pasquale now just 66 points from third in the championship.
"You know, in this game, they're hard to get wins, and you've gotta be 100 out of 100. You can't be 96 or 98, and we did 100 out of 100 with the whole team,” Schwerkolt continued.
"Our pit stops were great. The strategy was great. Anton great, drove so well. So it's a whole thing, and put it all together. It's hard to put it together, but we did.
“We just love celebrating. So hopefully we can do it again this year. Won't take it for granted, but I hope we really can."
The 2026 season resumes in Townsville on July 10-12.
