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Supercars All-Stars Eseries Race Report – Round 6 – Circuit of the Americas

Date:               May 13, 2020
Session:          Races 18, 19 and 20
 
No. 12 Shell V-Power Ford – Fabian Coulthard

R18 Starting Position: 20th
R18 Finishing Position: 17th
R19 Starting Position: 15th
R19 Finishing Position: 19th
R20 Starting Position: 20th
R20 Finishing Position: 19th

Notes:

• Coulthard again showed great race pace in tonight's Eseries races at the Circuit of the Americas. 
• He was the victim of other's incidents several times across the night, particularly at the start of the second race. 
• Battled an intermittant braking issue, thought to be related to his brake pedal set-up. This was not a predictable issue, and caught Coulthard without brakes at several points across the event.
• He passed plenty of cars, but unfortunately wasn't able to get a result to show it.

Quote:

“Our race pace is good and I’m able to move forward. Over the opening laps on the first and last races tonight I was able to avoid the carnage, which is always a positive. I’ve been having an intermittent braking issue during testing this week, we haven't exactly been able to pinpoint the problem, and that came back in the races tonight. That added another dimension to what's already frustrating not being able to showcase my pace. Unfortunately we keep getting caught up in other people's issues. Next week is a new week. We weren’t really able to do any testing for the Team Penske Verizon Pay It Forward event this morning and it's some of the best iRacing results I've had. Maybe that's the direction to go!”
 

No. 17 Shell V-Power Ford – Scott McLaughlin

R18 Starting Position: 3rd
R18 Finishing Position: 3rd
R19 Starting Position: 29th
R19 Finishing Position: 18th
R20 Starting Position: 5th
R20 Finishing Position: 3rd

Notes:

• McLaughlin again found his way to the Eseries podium this evening, taking third place in both the first and last races of the night.
• McLaughlin was taken out at Turn 1 on lap 1 of the second race of the night, pushing him to the back of the pack. He was forced into recovery mode, however the incidents continued with another spin after contact from Mark Winterbottom later in the race. 
• The final race of the night saw McLaughlin take contact from Lando Norris on Lap 1, however he was able to save a spin and continue with only a couple of positions lost. 
• Contact came again from Cameron Waters later in the race, who was forced to redress. This saw McLaughlin take the final podium place for Race 20.
• McLaughlin maintains his lead in the Eseries points, 47 points in front of Van Gisbergen.

Quote:

“Not too bad a night for us, we got turned in that last race but managed to get back up to the podium. It was a bit of a rollercoaster tonight, there are a few egos out there but it’s all fun in the end. I’m just trying to keep it consistent, some are out racing for sheep stations, but we’ve got to keep our eyes on the prize.”
 

No. 56 Ford Performance Mustang – Austin Cindric

R18 Starting Position: 25th
R18 Finishing Position: 23rd
R19 Starting Position: 10th
R19 Finishing Position: 22nd
R20 Starting Position: 26th
R20 Finishing Position: 15th

Notes:

• NASCAR Nationwide race winner Austin Cindric joined the team this week as a Ford Performance wildcard in the No. 56 Mustang.
• Cindric was frustrated by his qualifying performance, losing multiple lap times due to exceeding track limits. 
• He spent the night moving forward, while trying to avoid the carnage that has become a trademark of this Eseries. 
• He ultimately secured a Top-15 finish in the final race, and was happy with his Supercars Eseries debut. 

Quote: 

“I got a Top 15 in the final race, so I’m pretty happy with that. It’s not easy in this series, ultra-competitive so being up there is good. Thanks to everyone for having me tonight, great to race for Ford tonight. Hopefully I can race a Supercar for real sometime in the future.”
 

No. 66 Verizon Shell Mustang – Will Power

R18 Starting Position: 4th
R18 Finishing Position: 4th
R19 Starting Position: 28th
R19 Finishing Position: 16th
R20 Starting Position: 6th
R20 Finishing Position: 5th

Notes:

• 2018 Indy 500 Champion Will Power joined us for his second appearance in the Supercars All-Stars Eseries after a great showing at Bathurst three weeks' ago. 
• He again took the wheel of the Verizon Shell Mustang, qualifying very strongly with a fourth place result in the Top 10 Shootout.
• He grabbed two Top-5 finishes, with a 4th place in the opening race of the night and a p5 spot in the final event. 
• The reverse grid race was less kind, however he still made an impressive 12 places across the 11 lap race.

Quote: 

“It was great to again be a part of the Supercars Eseries at COTA this week. Took the Verizon Mustang to another shootout, and a couple of Top 5 results mean we’ve got to be happy with that.  That reverse grid race was pretty crazy, got taken out like three times in one lap! The level of competition is intense, so mixing it up the front with these guys isn’t easy. It was so much fun, except for getting up at 2:50am. Thanks again to everyone for having me."