Nissan Motorsport has left the inaugural OTR SuperSprint with plenty of positives across the team, as the four car squad backed up yesterday’s double podium with another Top 10 result this afternoon.
Michael Caruso’s impressive third placed finish yesterday was his best result of the year so far. The Industrial Athlete Racing driver was able to maintain that form again today with another Top 10 result, as he finished in 9th place after 41 laps of racing around The Bend Motorsport Park. Caruso now heads into the PIRTEK Enduro Cup with confidence following a momentum-building weekend.
Rick Kelly was unable to repeat yesterday’s second placed result, as the #15 Castrol Racing driver battled with a gear sensor issue. Qualifying 9th, Kelly pitted on the opening lap in an attempt to find pace in clean air. But the issue ensured Kelly had to nurse the Altima home to 17th place.
Simona De Silvestro has crossed the line in 23rd after a tough afternoon of racing. After qualifying in 21st on the grid, the #78 Team Harvey Norman driver was forced to serve a drive-through penalty after an unsafe release during her first pit stop. The Swiss driver can now look towards the endurance races and returning to Bathurst once again.
Andre Heimgartner’s race ended after making contact with Garth Tander at pit entry. The #7 Plus Fitness Racing driver sustained heavy damage during the incident and was forced to retire. The race had started promisingly for Heimgartner after he qualified in 11th place. The 23-year-old was the surprise star of last year’s PIRTEK Enduro Cup and will be looking to repeat that form this year.
Nissan Motorsport will now return to the team’s Braeside workshop and prepare for the next event in the Supercars Championship: The Sandown 500.
MICHAEL CARUSO #23 INDUSTRIAL ATHLETE
« I’m reasonably happy, despite a rough little race this afternoon. We got caught up with some other cars but we were still able to improve our race pace. Which is all really encouraging. Although we didn’t leave today with the result we wanted, I’m leaving here the most comfortable I have been all season. I’m looking forward to getting the Enduros underway with Dean. I know he’s been watching on and is just as excited to get started. Everyone has been loving the Industrial Athlete livery on the car, so it’s always nice to drive as fast as your car looks. »
RICK KELLY #15 CASTROL RACING
« »We don’t know exactly where the problem is but we had a gear shift sensor failure which cost us a lot of time. Every time we had someone near us, the straight line speed was down so much that we were an easy target. Our corner speed was really strong though. But that drama set the tone for the day straight away. We just need to get tot the bottom of the issue and ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO #78 TEAM HARVEY NORMAN
« The car was pretty good today but we had an issue in our pit stop with merging into the lane. I got a penalty for that and we weren’t able to recover the spots we lost. The car felt a lot better today. So we have a lot of positives to take into the endurances races. It’s a big change over the new few events now. I’ll be sharing with Alex Rullo and we’re both really excited to head to Bathurst.”
ANDRE HEIMGARTNER #7 PLUS FITNESS RACING
« I was just behind a tight group and we all entered pit lane at the same time. I misjudged the distance to the car in-front and made contact. It was my mistake and I’m sorry to Garth for the incident. My focus is now on the Enduros. So it’ll be nice to reset and put together a good campaign.”
Press release Nissan Motorsport
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