David Reynolds didn’t reap the reward he hoped he would get from an ambitious tyre strategy in Race 17 of the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.

Reynolds had started from the front row but fell to third after banging doors with Shell V-Power Racing Team pilot Will Davison on Lap 1 at the first turn.

The #26 Ford Mustang occupied the final place on the podium in the early going and made his way to the lead when Monster Energy Racing driver Cameron Waters pitted with Davison in tow.

The Penrite Racing driver was the only front-runner to change all four tyres during his compulsory pit stop, dropping him to the back of the top 10.

Reynolds would dispatch a handful of cars, but only got as far as fifth despite the fresh rubber advantage over those ahead of him who changed fewer tyres.

“We ran four tyres and obviously my car is probably a bit faster on four tyres, so we did the fastest lap, but it just didn’t get the gain that we thought we would have got,” Reynolds said.

“We thought we could have challenged for a podium there. We ended up fifth. We’re losing a bit of time down the straight and it just adds up over 40 laps.”

Reynolds will have his hardest assignment of the weekend yet later this afternoon in Race 18 where he starts 12th.

In any case, the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner said he and Grove Racing will need to adjust its strategy to suit.

“The next race we start 12th, so it’s going to be a little bit difficult for me, but you know, we can finish in the top six,” he said.

“That’s a pretty big job, but we’ll have to re-think our strategy.”

Race 18 at Hidden Valley Raceway gets underway at 15:25 local time/15:55 AEST.