David Reynolds has delivered a stunning performance at the NTI Townsville 500, securing a surprise pole position for Team 18 despite battling a severe flu and a challenging start to the season.
Reynolds, the 2017 Bathurst 1000 winner, entered the weekend languishing in 19th in the Supercars Championship standings and without a podium finish since the 2023 Adelaide 500. Yet in a dramatic turnaround, he strung together a near-flawless lap during the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout to take pole—his first since Newcastle 2023 and the 17th of his career.
“I made my day a lot easier. I’m actually not too well, I’ve got the man flu—this flu would kill a normal man I think, so luckily I’m strong,” Reynolds joked after his session. “Thanks so much to my team, they did an awesome job overnight, my car wasn’t the best yesterday and they really tuned it up.”
Now freshly 40, Reynolds and his Tradie Energy Racing Chevrolet Camaro became the ninth different driver to claim a pole in the 2025 season, adding another layer of unpredictability to the championship battle.
He will start from the front row alongside provisional pole sitter and former teammate Matt Payne, with current championship leader Broc Feeney and Jack Le Brocq occupying the second row.
“Can’t wait for the race,” Reynolds added. “Just want to thank everyone at Team 18 and Tradie Energy Racing, they’ve been so supportive of me. It’s been such an average start to the year, so I’m happy to get this for them.”
The performance marks a welcome morale boost for Team 18, who have endured a up and down run so far in 2025. For Reynolds, the pole represents a lift and hopefully the beginning of a resurgence.
Feeney continues to lead the Supercars Championship by 183 points over Kiwi driver Matt Payne, heading into Race 21 of the NTI Townsville 500. The 200km contest is scheduled to begin at 3:00pm AEST.
Fans can catch all of today’s action live and ad-free on Fox Sports and Kayo, or free-to-air on the Seven Network and 7plus from 12pm local time.
