Penrite Racing driver Anton De Pasquale has mooted a format change to the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries that could curb carnage and improve racing.
De Pasquale was tipped as an early favourite for the Eseries but has been caught up in incidents on several occasions in the reverse grid races.
It’s been a recurring theme for the 24-year-old, who was taken out of the running while trying to make headway in Race 12 at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
He noted that the drivers who usually crash out in the first race of the night then find themselves at the front of the field for the subsequent reverse grid races, which have caused chaos.
To avoid that, De Pasquale believes reverse grid races should only reverse a select portion of the positions.
“The first race of the night everyone is loving it, the racing is really close, and we have some really good battles,” De Pasquale told Speedcafe.com.
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“The second race of the night generally turns into a bit of a crash fest. Sometimes you get through, sometimes you don’t.
“There’s a lot of luck involved. I think we could do something a bit more sensible like a random reverse grid.
“It could just be a random number, maybe eight, or 10, maybe full grid. That would be cool. It keeps everyone on their toes so they don’t sandbag to the back of the field to get pole.
“That would probably fix it and encourage everyone to go for the best position because they don’t know if they’ll get a reverse grid or not or how much it’ll be.
“At the moment, the racing is really good. It’s just a couple of crashes in those reverse grid races that ruin it for everyone and takes the spectacle off it.
“There’s something in terms of format that could be looked at, but I’ll leave that up to the guys running the show. I’ll just rock up and try to get the best result for our team.”
De Pasquale has streamed his Eseries endeavours via Twitch, where he can chat with fans and give them another perspective of the racing.
After the two biggest pile-ups at Autodromo Nazionale Monza and Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, De Pasquale said the response he’s had is that fans have had enough of the big crashes.
“Most people just want to see a good race and battles, rubbing doors and not crashing,” he said.
“I think that’s what the real fans want to see, that’s the feedback I’m getting.
“The first race in Canada was really good. We rubbed doors into Turn 1, then there’s a bit of pit strategy involved, the last lap we were all nose-to-tail.
“That was pretty cool, that’s what I think people want to see.”
The Eseries is currently led by Shell V-Power Racing Team driver Scott McLaughlin who has three wins to his name after Round 4.
Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters sits second and Shane van Gisbergen third for the Red Bull Holden Racing Team.
De Pasquale sits further afield in sixth and a little over 300 points away from McLaughlin heading into Round 5 next week.
The Penrite Racing driver said he’s enjoyed the Eseries to date.
“I love my racing, whether it’s virtual or real,” he said.
“Racing is fun and to get on track and go as quickly as possible is always what we’re doing.
“There’s an element of seriousness to it because of the fact you’re racing, there are lap times, and there are championship positions. It’s hard not to be competitive.”
The BP Supercars All Stars Eseries continues on May 6 at 18:00 AEST with three races at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.
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