FRIDAY RESULTS

As the Sandown 500 kicked into gear, the first day of practice saw notable performances and learnings for Cub Cadet Racing’s Mark Winterbottom and Michael Caruso, alongside TRADIE Beer Racing’s David Reynolds and Warren Luff. The Team 18 squad tackled three pivotal practice sessions, each uncovering critical data and strategies for the weekend’s main event.

In Practice 1, Winterbottom and Caruso made a strong statement, securing third place with Winterbottom showing strong pace. Reynolds and Luff also showcased their potential, finishing fifth in the same session.

As the day progressed, Practice 2 was dedicated to co-driver laps. Caruso and Luff utilised this session to adapt to the track, finishing 13th and 23rd, respectively. By Practice 3, the evolving track conditions saw Winterbottom and Caruso dropping to 13th, while Reynolds and Luff settled in 17th.

Saturday’s schedule promises an action-packed day with two additional practice sessions at 9:55am and 12:05pm, leading into the critical Qualifying session at 2:15pm and the Top 10 Shootout at 5:25pm.

Fans can catch all the action live on Fox Sports and Kayo, with highlights available on 7Plus. Check local guides for further details.

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 1: 3rd
Practice 2 (Caruso): 13th
Practice 3: 13th

QUOTES

“Pretty good day, really fast in P1. I think we're one of the fastest cars in first practice, but we lost our balance a little bit over the day.

“I think our base car is very good, and it was actually a really good day, we'll just try and stay on top of the track, evolution and stuff like that, but first practice out the gate was very confidence inspiring, and then Caruso was fast too.

“Unfortunately started better than we finished, but now we just go and look at the data, but I think we're in pretty good shape.”

Michael Caruso, co-driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Solid first day at Sandown. We've got plenty of laps in and tried a few things. A few lessons learnt and now we have a good direction what we're after for before practice tomorrow. So we'll come back and gear up for quali.”

SATURDAY RESULTS

Team 18 faced a challenging day at the Sandown 500 as erratic Melbourne weather conditions hampered their qualifying performance. Cub Cadet Racing's Mark Winterbottom will start the endurance race from 13th position, while TRADIE Beer Racing's David Reynolds will line up in 17th.

The day began with Practice 4 marred by torrential rain, causing significant delays and poor track conditions. In these damp conditions, Reynolds and co-driver Warren Luff finished in 14th, while Winterbottom and Michael Caruso were 17th. As the weather cleared slightly for Practice 5, though the track remained damp, a red flag ended the session early. Winterbottom and Caruso improved to 13th, with Reynolds and Luff in 16th.

The crucial Qualifying session saw more dramatic weather changes. The track, which had been drying, was hit by a sudden downpour and hail just minutes before the start. Despite an impressive early showing from Reynolds and Winterbottom, the session was interrupted by a red flag. After a switch to fresh tires, neither driver could capitalise fully, resulting in Winterbottom securing 13th and Reynolds 17th on the grid.

Sunday’s action will feature a warm-up at 9:55am, followed by the Sandown 500, Race 19 of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship at 2:05pm.

Fans can catch all the action live on Fox Sports and Kayo, with highlights available on 7Plus. Check local guides for further details.

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Practice 4: 17th
Practice 5: 13th
Qualifying: 13th

QUOTES

"Not too bad a day. When it was wet we were good, but when it was drying in that qualifying with a wet tyre on we, we blistered the tyre and punished it.

“If we could have made that tyre last I would have made the shootout, but we kept blistering tyres in that condition so we just gotta work out why, which we think we know.

“It would be nice to have that session again because I think we're very good. If we didn't have the blisters we would have got in for sure.

“No one knows the dry pace, so we've qualified 13th and maximised what we had and in the dry tomorrow we'll see where we're going.”

Michael Caruso, co-driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Interesting day at Sandown. Obviously the weather played a large part of what the results would end up being, and Mark did a great job. I think he got the most out of the car in qualifying, obviously not exactly where we'd like to start but that's all you can ask from Mark to do, to get the most out of it.

"We've got a warmup tomorrow, so we'll try a couple of things before the race and we'll come out fighting."

SUNDAY RESULTS

Team 18 delivered a solid performance in a chaotic Sandown 500, with the TRADIE Beer Racing duo of David Reynolds and Warren Luff securing a commendable eighth-place finish, while Mark Winterbottom and Michael Caruso of Cub Cadet Racing fought their way to 16th.

The race got off to a clean start, but the action quickly ramped up. By Lap 17, Mark Winterbottom experienced a gear shift issue at Dandenong Road, forcing him off the track. Just a lap later, a daring three-wide move into Turn 1 added to the early drama as Winterbottom clawed his way back through the pack.

A safety car was deployed on Lap 24, as Reynolds was caught up in an incident in the count down for the Full Course Yellow, causing damage to both the front and rear of the TRADIE Beer Racing Camaro.

Reynolds, who had climbed to P13, made his pit stop to swap seats with co-driver Luff, while Winterbottom swapped with Caruso at this point of the race as well.

Both Team 18 cars opted for fresh tyres and fuel during the second safety car period on Lap 42, with Luff pitting first, followed by Caruso.

After the restart on Lap 50, Luff found himself in a tough battle, sustaining contact from Everingham at Dandenong Road on Lap 62, forcing him wide. Everingham received a five-second penalty for the incident, but the damage left Luff back in 19th.

As the race progressed, Caruso put in an impressive stint, pushing the #18 Cub Cadet Racing Camaro up to P13 by Lap 69, before eventually handing back the reigns to Winterbottom on Lap 81 after not opting for an earlier stop for tyres which cost the #18 car valuable track position.

Another full-course yellow followed soon after, with the race becoming a stop-start affair due to further incidents on track.

Luff swapped back with Reynolds on Lap 89 during a Full Course Yellow period that ended on Lap 93, just in time for a few final safety car periods before a time-certain finish brought the race to a close.

Despite the challenges, Reynolds and Luff’s persistence paid off with a top-10 result, while Winterbottom and Caruso settled for 16th after a determined effort.

Team 18 now sets its sights on the prestigious Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, taking place from October 10-13.

QUOTES

Mark Winterbottom, driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

Race 19: 16th

“It was a tough weekend. We rolled out in practice one fastest car, pretty much. Then the rain hit and qualifying 13th was tough. Dave was 17th so as a team we were in the pack.

“Today was a tough one, a few things didn't go our way. I think Caruso did an amazing job. He was really fast, did an amazing job, got us up to fifth or sixth, and then we didn't take that full course yellow, which, when I was in the garage, I was playing engineer and telling them to take it, and unfortunately we didn’t. We should have probably come out fifth or sixth, didn’t take it, came out 21st, and that's the story of our day.

“We just have to make those right calls at the right time and it's so hard to pass cars here and get stuck in the train. Anyway, yeah, tough day, a little bit different in the pits might have changed the story.

“The boys did an amazing job. The car is reliable, pit stops were great and it was really good to be with Michael again. He's a great guy and he really delivered today. On to Bathurst.”

Michael Caruso, co-driver #18 Cub Cadet Racing Team 18 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

“Not the result that we came here for. For myself personally, I was really happy with how I drove. Had really good pace, seemed to make up quite a few spots and that's the name of the game. I guess that's what the job that was asked of me, looked after the tyres, so it was going really well.

“I think towards the end of my second stint there, there was obviously a safety car out which we didn't take and ultimately that really hurt our overall position because we had a long way to claw back from, but look, overall this weekend, I know everybody tried their best and we've got three weeks to get back together and I know Mark and myself will stop at nothing to get the results that we deserve.”