Scott Pye has come oh-so-close to another podium in 2018, finishing fourth in race one of the weekend in Darwin.
As for James Courtney, his afternoon didn’t go quite as well, suffering from a front-end vibration, bringing the car home in 24th.
For Pye, who’s finish has moved him into fifth in the championship, a lap good enough for eighth in qualifying put him in a strong position to contend this afternoon.
James Courtney’s day started off on the back foot, pinching a brake on his flying lap when track conditions were at their best, meaning he would start in 23rd.
Both drivers made strong starts in the race, with JC up to 18th and Scott seventh.
JC stopped on lap seven of 42, while Scott went longer, stopping on lap 21.
Not long after the stop, JC got on the radio to report a front-end vibration which was impacting his speed.
Meanwhile, Scott was punching out good numbers on older tyres.
After Scott eventually stopped, he was released into the pack with fresh rubber compared to most around him.
In no time he was able to move past Whincup, Lowndes and Kelly, and into fourth on the road.
That was all he had though, just lacking the last bit of speed to close the gap on the front three.
It’s another great result for the team, making it four podiums and two fourths for the year to date.
The attention quickly turns on tomorrow now, with qualifying, a top-10 shootout and a 200km race to come.
Scott Pye
“It was another really strong day for us today. We improved the car overnight and it showed in qualifying.
“The guys made a great call on strategy, and the car was really good throughout the entire race.
“It would have been nice to pick up that extra spot and get on the podium, but we aren’t far off. Hopefully tomorrow we can find a bit more and grab another trophy.
“It’s nice to move inside the top five of the championship as well. Bring on Sunday.”
James Courtney
“Not much went right today unfortunately.
“I made a mistake in qualifying that really cost us a good lap, and that put us back for the race.
“The car was quick early but once that vibration crept in, it made life difficult.
“The car is straight and we can go again tomorrow.”