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DJR eyeing next step after JR Trophy success

De Pasquale DJR

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: April 23, 2024

Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) is hoping its Jason Richards Memorial Trophy success can be the boost it needs to return to the front of the grid for good.

On a tough weekend at Taupo which threw up two extremely contrasting races and challenges in the wet and dry, Anton De Pasquale was one of the few to perform consistently across the weekend.

A pair of third places was enough for De Pasquale to win the coveted Jason Richards Memorial Trophy for the first time, being the only driver to stand on the podium twice.

It was a massive return to form for the #11 driver, who struggled in the first two rounds but used NZ as a platform to rise from 21st to 12th in the championship.

It was also the first time De Pasquale has scored two podiums in the one race weekend since Hidden Valley 2022.

The importance of the bounce back was not lost on De Pasquale, who was delighted and thrilled by the turnaround.

“To go from a DNS to winning the next round is pretty cool,” he said after being DJR’s first JR Trophy winner since Scott McLaughlin in 2018.

“We got a heap of points this weekend. Obviously, we’ve been struggling at the start of the year to execute in races.

“We’ve qualified in the top 10 in nearly every race after but we haven’t had many finishes there so to get a couple of podiums is really cool.

“It is a completely different style of track here, but I think this suits us more than where we’ve come from. 

“To win the round and to win the JR Trophy is really, really special.

“I know how much it means to everyone and it means a lot to us too. 

“We are very honoured to be able to win it after an awesome weekend at the first race here, which I think was a big success.”

It was not only De Pasquale, who made a big jump with DJR also shooting from 10th to fourth in the teams standings only behind Triple Eight, Grove Racing and Erebus Motorsport.

DJR CEO David Noble said it is pleasing to see the work behind the scenes pay off.

“We have been working hard and were around the mark through quali but not able to deliver in the races,” he said.

“To be able to move back up and pick up some points is great. For our team that has worked really hard internally to get some reward and nourishment is really good.

“For us it is only the start of what we want to get back to.

“At the start of the year our theme was to hunt down the opposition and we have more work ahead of us.

“It is about your position and how you embrace that challenge.

“Sometimes the sport tells you where you are and it’s about getting back to work and staying aligned as to what our beliefs were.

“Giving these guys a car they can do something with on the track.”

Image: Mark Horsburgh

Taupo Super400 schedule (all times AEST)

Friday, April 19

Practice: 1: C. Mostert 1:26.4937 2: M. Payne +0.0318 3: W. Davison +0.0508

Saturday, April 20

Qualifying Race 7: 1: M. Payne 1:27.9684 2: A. De Pasquale +0.0940 3: C. Mostert +0.1669

Top 10 Shootout: 1: C. Waters 1:34.7415 2: W. Brown +0.5011 3: A. Heimgartner +0.5374

Race 7 (60 laps): 1: A. Heimgartner 2: W. Davison +1.1012 3: A. De Pasquale +2.5641

Sunday, April 21

Qualifying Race 8: 1: A. De Pasquale 2: C. Mostert +0.0272 3: W. Brown +0.0292 

Top 10 Shootout: 1: M. Payne 1:26.8173 2: B. Feeney +0.0126 3: B. Kostecki +0.0306

Race 8 (60 laps): 1: W. Brown 2: B. Feeney +3.3585 3: A. De Pasquale +14.2612

Don’t forget the latest issue of the free digital version of Auto Action is out now!

Or subscribe to the print edition here or at selected outlets. For more of the latest motorsport news, subscribe to AUTO ACTION magazine.

Podcast: We’re going to Taupo… Tow Paw… Whatever. Supercars is back!

After a break that feels like months, the Supercars Championship is back and headed across the ditch to Taupo in the middle of the North Island. And yes, Brodie Kostecki will be there! As will the rain.

Somehow, the rain will also be in China for F1’s return to 中国. Philip Island was stunning on the weekend, just gone, if a little cold, but we chatted about whether Supercars should return to the land of penguins.

Plus, there’s more… all the news in the way only the Auto Action RevLimiter can deliver.

Listen to our latest episode on your podcast app of choice or here

    

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