David Reynolds puts controversy behind to take critical pole for PRA

In a weekend where things were seeming to never be going the right way for Prodrive Racing Australia, David Reynolds claimed his first pole position at Bathurst, putting the headline grabbing controversy of Thursday behind him and setting the fastest time in a very wet top ten shootout.

It was a case of being in the right place at the right time in the top ten shootout for Reynolds, with the rain having eased off just before his run, returning just as Volvo’s Scott McLaughlin took to the track after him.

Reynolds and co-driver Dean Canto’s team-mates Mark Winterbottom & Steve Owen qualified 14th, and wild card entry team-mates Simona de Silvestro & Renee Gracie 25th, while Chaz Mostert & Cameron Waters are out of the weekend after Mostert fractured his leg and wrist yesterday in the first attempt at qualifying.

The weekend started awkwardly for Reynolds, after comments which were viewed as condescending and even misogynistic about his female team-mates saw the 30-year-old hit with a $25,000 fine, but on Saturday Reynolds bounced back from the controversy to put the team’s Falcon FG X in eighth position in the rain-hit rescheduled qualifying session, which proved to be the golden ticket to pole position in the top ten shootout.

“It was a pretty good feeling. When the rain started coming down a lot, I knew it was going to be a struggle for the last couple of contenders,” said Reynolds.

“It was a good lap, I had a little plan, which was not to hit any kerbs and any white lines and always get good runs on the straights and it paid off.”

Reflecting on the troubles for the team so far this weekend, in particular team-mate Chaz Mostert’s huge crash on Friday, Reynolds remarked:

“I suppose it’s a small win. We’re still here to win the race overall and it’s a six and a half hour race, it’s not decided in two and a half minutes. Yesterday was pretty bad for our team, we’ve got a guy in hospital who’s quite hurt, and so we’re thinking about him at the minute.”

With Mostert now set to miss the rest of the season, Reynolds now becomes the closest active competitor to championship leader Mark Winterbottom in the standings, but Reynolds isn’t getting carried away and thinking of his championship chances yet.

“I think Mark’s so far in front he actually has to have a DNF or two for me to catch up, so I’m just going to try and win (this) race and not think too much about it,” he added.