The Team 18 driver qualified 17th for the season-opener and only made up two places to 15th by the end of the 26-lapper.

Reynolds began Race 2 from the pit lane after replacing an O-ring in the fuel system minutes before the contest began.

Making matters worse, Walkinshaw Andretti United driver Ryan Wood stalled on the grid, which meant Reynolds had to wait until the Kiwi blew by pit exit before he could leave.

Reynolds wound up 22nd from 20th on the grid and was 20th again from ninth in Race 3.

“The first round of the year was a disaster for me. There’s no other way to put it,” said Reynolds.

“So many things went wrong on our side of the garage, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t catch a break.

“We rolled out first and second in practice, but we knew that wasn’t a true reflection of our pace.

“When qualifying started, we realised we had some work to do.

“The team did an amazing job analysing everything, and we made big gains on Sunday morning, which got us into the shootout.

“But in the races, it just didn’t come together. I finished 15th in the first one, and then basically last in both of the others.”

The team noted car balance issues for the #20 Tradie-backed Chevrolet Camaro.

“We had a stack of issues that I won’t even begin to explain, but the good news is that I love working with this team. They’re an awesome bunch of people, and we’ll bounce back,” he said.

While there was trauma on one side of the garage, there were smiles on the other.

Team 18 newcomer Anton De Pasquale enjoyed three top 10 finishes in his DeWalt-backed entry, claiming eighth, seventh, and seventh again across the three races.

“It’s been a solid start, with plenty of ups and downs, but a lot to take away and learn from,” he said.

“Qualifying wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but our race pace was strong, and we moved forward in every race.

“We made some big setup changes overnight, and while qualifying improved, we just missed the mark on the final run.

“There are a lot of positives, though—we showed great tyre life, and the car felt strong across the stints.”

“The last race was hectic with rain coming down in the final laps, which made things stressful, but it was a lot of fun.”

De Pasquale sits seventh in the drivers’ championship while Reynolds is a lowly 22nd.

The Repco Supercars Championship resumes on March 13-16 at the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.

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