AFTER eight years donning Penrite colours, David Reynolds has uncovered a vastly different look for the season ahead.
Tradie Beer has taken naming rights on Reynolds’ Team 18 Camaro, which was unveiled via a video starring the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner alongside team owner Charlie Schwerkolt and team principal Adrian Burgess.
“I’m very excited to launch our special Tradie Beer livery today at the brewery,” said Reynolds.
“The car looks absolutely sensational. The colours are going to pop on track and stand out amongst the pack, and I just can’t wait to drive the car and see how fast we are.
“I’m really looking forward to the year, it’s going to be fantastic and I’m very excited to have Tradie as our main partner.
“I think the Tradie Beer brand is a great match for my own. We’re all about a larrikin character and fun times.
“We’ve got some awesome partners as well backing that and all the feedback received so far has been overwhelmingly positive. It is very cool that we get to launch the car at this awesome brewery, it’s just a win-win.”
Reynolds carries momentum into the season, having finished on the podium in each of his final four races with Grove Racing last year.
“I’m so thrilled to join Team 18. I’ve worked with some of the guys before, especially Mark Winterbottom. Last time we worked together (in 2015 at Prodrive Racing Australia), we finished third and first in the championship,” he said.
“Some of the other guys I’ve also known for many years from previous teams.
“Every time I walk into the workshop, I get this huge burst of energy and I walk away with a big smile on my face. I’m excited to see what we can mould together for the year.
“We’ve got our first test day tomorrow and I’m really excited to drive a Camaro for the first time to figure out how different it is to the car I was in last year.
“We’re going to run through a lot of changes, a lot of set-up ideas and testing. The aero package is going to change slightly for this year, so we’ve got to evaluate that too.
“I love testing though and making all the various changes to find the perfect set-up.
“They’re definitely one of the hardest days of the year though because you’re literally in the car from 8:30 in the morning until 5pm giving constant feedback to the team so everyone can do what they do best. It will be full on but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Team 18 yesterday trumpeted the recruitment of Geoff Slater as its new technical director, while ex-Supercars guru Som Sharma has come aboard as Winterbottom’s engineer. Richard Hollway will continue on the #20 entry, which Reynolds takes over from Scott Pye.
“We’re thrilled to unveil David Reynolds’ Tradie Beer Racing Camaro for the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship,” said Schwerkolt.
“Partnering with Tradie Beer alongside Bluestar Global Logistics marks an exciting new chapter for Team 18.
“David Reynolds is a fantastic addition to our line-up, and with the support of our returning and new partners, we’re ready to give it everything we’ve got this year.
“We’ve made some key performance recruitments in the off-season with the likes of Adrian Burgess and Geoff Slater coming onboard.
“Their wealth of experience and expertise will help lift the team to a new level this year and we couldn’t be more excited to go racing.”
