Drama filled day at Sydney SuperSprint
August 23, 2015
EASTERN CREEK, SYDNEY, 23 AUGUST 2015: The MAN Truck and Bus Ford Falcon FG X of Scott Pye was in a very good position to capitalise on an excellent P5 grid position in the 200km final race at SMP today. Pye started well, but a Safety Car intervention on Lap 1 threw many teams plans out the window as the bulk of the field dived for the pits.
DJR Team Penske share a pit ‘boom' with Tekno, and it was their driver, Shane Van Gisbergen, who took the first pit service leaving Scott to spend an extra 13 seconds in Pit Lane dropping him back 12 places when he re-joined.
A second stop was called by the team on Lap 23, and as Scott left the Pit Lane the rain arrived. He was back in the pits one lap later for wet weather tyres thus effectively ending his chances of moving back up the field.
He soldiered on to finish in P17, on a day which promised far more than was ultimately delivered to DJR Team Penske.
The next V8 Supercar Championship round is the Sandown 500 in three weeks' time.
SCOTT PYE – #17 MAN TRUCK & BUS FALCON FG X
‘Today should have been a celebration for the DJR Team Penske guys but nothing really went our way. Our Qualifying went really well with a P5 starting position. The MAN Falcon started well but the Safety Car on lap 1 saw the whole field head to the pits. I backed up as best I could but Van Gis was in the pit box and I had to double stack. I think we dropped about a dozen spots then we got caught by one lap when the rain came.
"That really was the end for us. I was chasing Frosty and Whincup but P17 was not what we came for here today.
"Today's result is frustrating as we were really getting on top of the car this weekend. The #17 Falcon was a genuine Top 10 car every time we took to the track."