DJR Team Penske post best result of the season
June 20, 2015
HIDDEN VALLEY, DARWIN, NT, 20 June 2015: Scott Pye has posted the best result of 2015 for DJR Team Penske with a stunning fourth place in Race 2 of the Sky City Triple Crown. The result in the second race backed up a sixth positon from a P20 start in Race 1 to cement an excellent performance for the Shell Helix backed Falcon FG X.
Qualifying was split into two 10 minute sessions this morning and a P20 for the first race was improved dramatically for Race 2 with Scott placing the car in the Top 10. Race 1 proved to be a tough affair with a number of cars suffering damage on the opening lap. Pye kept a cool head and picked his way through the traffic to be inside the Top 10 by half race distance. With all cars on the Dunlop Hard tyre, Pye's progress was excellent considering the #17 Shell Helix Ford had shown better speed on the Soft option tyre.
Scott pressed on and at the flag had moved up 14 positions to finish P9, as well as scoring the third fastest race lap.
Race 2 was run on the Dunlop Soft Sprint tyre and Pye was on the charge from the word go. Once again a Safety Car was deployed on Lap 1 as the carnage continued up and down the field. When racing resumed Pye slotted the DJR Team Penske Falcon into P7. He then reeled off a number of great laps passing Caruso, Winterbottom and Courtney to move into P4. He held that position to the Chequered Flag to record the team's best result of 2015.
With the 200km race tomorrow a mix of both Dunlop tyre compounds the team is looking to cap of what has been a great start in Darwin.
SCOTT PYE – #17 SHELL HELIX FALCON FG X
"The goal here in Darwin was to back up the Winton result in the Shell Helix Falcon. We had a fantastic race car in the 200km race there and to do it again today in the Sprint races with two Top 10's is real progress. We got through the first race and we were pretty lucky in a few circumstances but with the third fastest race lap, we had a car that deserved to be in the Top 10."
"In the second race we probably had a car that deserved to be on the podium!'
"Although we didn't quite get there in the end, fourth place wrapped up a really good day. The soft tyre seems to be a tyre you can get away with a bit more. I felt like we had a great race car and had some cool racing with a lot of the top guys. For the guys in the team it is a huge pat on the back for all the hard work they have put in."
"I am really looking forward to tomorrow. We learnt a lot here today about tyre life so we will see how it all unfolds."