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UPDATE: Scott Pye will miss Practice 3 as damage to his #20 Dewalt Racing Commodore is repaired following a suspected suspension arm failure in Practice 2.
Replays suggested that a mechanical failure caused the new Team 18 driver’s DeWalt ZB Commodore to understeer as he attempted to turn onto Bartels Road, suspicions now backed up by Schwerkolt.
“It looks like it’s broken a bottom arm,” Schwerkolt told Speedcafe.com.
“He’s hit a kerb at some stage or for some reason the arm has broken and he’s lost steering and put himself into the wall.”
With Practice 3 scheduled for 18:00 local time/18:30 AEDT, Schwerkolt is sceptical about the team’s chances of turning Car #20 around for that session.
“There’s a bit of work to be done,” he added.
“He hit a concrete wall. Anytime you hit concrete it’s never any good.
“The main rails look okay (but) I’m not sure that we’ll be out for the second session. We’ve got to get it right.”
The crash was the downside of a mixed session for Team 18 in its first race meeting as a multi-car operation.
Mark Winterbottom, in the sister Irwin Tools car, had grazed the wall at the Turn 8 Sweeper minutes before Pye’s mishap but just made the top 10 to earn direct passage to Part 2 of Qualifying for Race 1 tomorrow.
On Pye, Schwerkolt stated, “He’s confident with the car, he likes it, and it’s quick. It’s just one of those things.
“Disappointing, but we’ll be ready for tomorrow. No dramas at all.
“Mark is happy, he needs a couple of little adjustments. It’s quick and he made it into the top 10 so that’s good.
“He had a nervous moment, just grazed the wall. He’s all good though.”
Pye was officially 20th fastest, 10 spots behind Winterbottom.
