DJR and Anton De Pasquale find podium a relief after mixed enduro campain

Anton De Pasquale Expresses “Relief” Over Bathurst 1000 Podium Finish

The Shell V-Power Racing Team's Anton De Pasquale has voiced his relief following his podium finish in the Repco Bathurst 1000. Partnering with Tony D'Alberto, the duo managed to claim third in the #11 Ford Mustang, leading the charge for the Blue Oval.

However, there's no telling if they would have achieved this outcome had David Reynolds not been hit with a drive-through penalty or James Moffat not crashed his vehicle on Lap 70.

De Pasquale remarked on their performance, “We felt we had a really good race car all week... It feels good, it’s a relief, but doesn’t feel like a win, that’s for sure.”

This marks De Pasquale's debut podium finish in the Great Race and D'Alberto's second, following his third-place finish in 2017. Furthermore, this podium is Dick Johnson Racing (DJR)'s first significant finish since McLaughlin/Premat's 2019 victory.

Considering the apprehensions Ford teams had about technical parity prior to the race, the performance was particularly commendable, this connects to the rumours that the Bathurst 1000 might trigger another official parity review.

Reflecting on DJR's achievement, Team Principal Ben Croke stated, “We’re proud to be the first Ford home. The podium was great for everyone in the team...We’re going to enjoy this for a few days. Then we’ll turn our attention to the Gold Coast.”

While the #11 car's performance is praiseworthy, the same cannot be said for the team's other entries. After revealing braking inconsistencies post-Saturday practice, the Davison brothers finished last in 16th place.

Will Davison shared, “All in all, a frustrating day here at the Repco Bathurst 1000...We added some more points to the team and driver championship, and now our focus turns to Gold Coast.”

The #98 car, driven by debutant Kai Allen and Simona De Silvestro, finished 20th after De Silvestro experienced two spins during the race.

Allen conveyed his gratitude, saying, "Grateful to all the team for giving me the opportunity... congrats to Anton & Tony up there on the podium.”

DJR's recent podium finish strengthens their fourth position in the teams' championship with two more events awaiting. In the drivers’ championship, De Pasquale moved from 11th to seventh, while Will Davison dropped from ninth to 11th.