Victory 'very satisfying’ for GM amid rebuild

General Motors motorsport boss Simon McNamara has labelled Anton De Pasquale’s Darwin victory as “very satisfying,” celebrating another key result amid GM’s "rebuilding phase."

De Pasquale powered to victory in Sunday’s betr Darwin Triple Crown finale, leading home the Ford Mustangs of Penrite Racing's Matt Payne and Tickford Racing's Cam Waters.

The win couldn’t have come at a better time for GM and Team 18, which had been subject to intense scrutiny in recent weeks amid a 17-race winless spell.

Notably, Holden legend Mark Skaife battered GM for responding to Triple Eight’s Ford move with a “whimper,” before doubling down that "one win doesn’t change my position... not even slightly."

Post-race, Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt retorted straight back, before Team Principal Adrian Burgess and Skaife went head to head on MotorRacing 360.

While McNamara — the former long time Holden racing boss — didn’t wade into the debate, he couldn’t hide his gratification in the result.

“It's very satisfying given that we've made it quite clear we're in a rebuilding phase,” McNamara told Supercars.com.

“Things are slowly progressing in the fashion that we want.”

When asked if the win was statement to the rest of the field, McNamara was coy.

“Lots of teams have stepped up and they’re doing a really good job,” he replied.

“Week in, week out there's someone different that's fast. On Friday, who would've thought it would be Cam? Yesterday it was Kai [Allen] seeya later.

“So for these guys [Team 18] to win, and win well with car speed and car strategy, is a testament to all of them and what they've done, We’re super proud of them.”

McNamara has been at the helm of GM’s Supercars program for 12 months, having been called up following Triple Eight’s shock Ford defection. The Triple Eight-sized hole is responsible for the rebuild: the time period spanning Triple Eight's GM era from 2010-2025, the 13-time teams' champions accounted for an astonishing 73% of GM's wins

The ‘Team Chevy’ alliance has been a lightning rod for criticism and conjecture, with Erebus Motorsport even opting not to join at the start of the season. However, it’s understood Erebus quietly joined the alliance from Darwin, complete with new Chevrolet stickers on the roof.

PremiAir Racing, now run by Roland Dane, has impressed through rookie Jayden Ojeda, while Matt Stone Racing duo Jack Le Brocq and Zach Bates were both constants of the top 10 in Darwin.

Team 18 is a massive 458 points ahead of where it was this time last year, while PremiAir (+44) and MSR (-119) are also showing promise with all-new driver line-ups.

For McNamara, the latest results are proof that the alliance is genuinely starting to deliver.

“We support them and we help where we can and the resources and we do deep dive with them all,” McNamara said when asked about all GM teams.

“But [Team 18] is there at the coalface every day. Charlie's been successful at this circuit so it was nice to keep his flow going.

“They did an amazing job to turn the car around from qualifying. Pit stop was bang on, the strategy was bang on, Anton drove beautifully.

“When all those little flags line up, you tick every box, you do a good job, and you get a result, it’s very good. We just need to keep that process going. MSR had a great weekend. Jayden Ojeda and the PremiAir guys are coming slowly.

“As much as it's difficult to not win all the time, we can see our program is coming to the fore.”

The 2026 season resumes in at the NTI Townsville 500 on July 10-12.