Aussie Anton aces first Supercars win
Holden’s Anton de Pasquale has broken through for his maiden Supercars win after a chaotic race of the Darwin Triple Crown.
There were crashes and multiple safety-cars, but Penrite Racing’s De Pasquale survived it all at Hidden Valley yesterday.
The 24-year-old Victorian led an unexpected podium, with James Courtney second and Scott Pye finishing third.
De Pasquale’s best previous Supercars race result was third, which he achieved twice.
Based in Melbourne, de Pasquale said it was satisfying to secure the victory for a Penrite team that has already been away from home for more than a month.
‘‘We had a really good car — the team’s been begging for it so it’s been awesome,’’ he told AAP.
‘‘My dream is racing every weekend around the country, living in hotels, but for a lot of the crew they’ve got families at home.
‘‘For them to be away for so long, to get wins and podiums, that’s what it’s all about.’’
Two-time defending Kiwi champion Scott McLaughlin began the 38-lap race in pole, but was caught up in the carnage and was issued a 15-second penalty to plummet to 20th.
McLaughlin wasn’t the only notable driver to be penalised with Holden pair Jamie Whincup (17th) and NZ’s Shane van Gisbergen (11th), and Ford veteran Rick Kelly (15th) also falling victim.
It was a horror race for Brad Jones Racing, with Nick Percat and Macauley Jones failing to finish.
Percat, who claimed a race victory at last month’s round in Sydney, launched at van Gisbergen from the garage.
‘‘That’s actually laughable, did you see what Shane did,’’ Percat said.
‘‘Unreal. He’s just having a Shane day.’’
Two more 38-lap races today will complete the round, but drivers and teams remain in the Northern Territory for another Darwin event next weekend.