The Repco Supercars Championship makes its debut at Taupō International Motorsport Park this weekend, and 2017 Bathurst 1000 Champion David Reynolds will make his 200th career round start.
Reynolds, now driving the Tradie Camaro for Team 18, sits fifth in the Champion standings heading into the third round of the 2024 season, which begins with an historic opening practice session at the Waikato circuit on Friday.
The multi-million dollar shipment of 24 Supercars and equipment was loaded up at Avalon airport over the weekend and will make its way to Auckland today, before the near four hour journey south to Taupō International Motorsport Park for the inaugural ITM Taupō Super400.
Reynolds this weekend becomes the fourth active full-time driver to join the ‘200’ club.
Reynolds joins former series champions Mark Winterbottom and James Courtney, as well as two-time Bathurst winner Will Davison on 200 or more rounds.
Team 18 teammate Winterbottom will bring up his 278th round in New Zealand, while Ford veterans Courtney and Davison will notch up 248 rounds.
The popular eight-time Supercars race winner becomes the 21st driver to achieve the feat, some 17 years after he debuted in the 2007 Sandown 500 as a co-driver.
A Walkinshaw junior, Reynolds made his Supercars race debut alongside Cameron McConville at Sandown, in the year he scored the Carrera Cup crown for the Sonic team.
Reynolds’ first full-time season came with Walkinshaw in 2009, before he returned in 2011 with Kelly Racing.
However, a short-lived relationship led to a move to Ford Performance Racing in 2012, with Reynolds claiming his first pole (Townsville 2012), podium (Bathurst 2012) and win (Gold Coast 2013) with the Ford team.
He finished third overall in 2015, but had already set sail to Erebus Motorsport, where the Albury-born driver delivered an emotional Bathurst win.
Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Will Brown leads the Championship by 17 points from teammate Broc Feeney heading into this weekend.
Defending Supercars Champion Brodie Kostecki will be one to watch – making his 2024 debut with Erebus after missing the opening two rounds of the year.
On-track action at the ITM Taupō Super400 begins Friday with practice, before Supercars holds two 200-kilometre races across Saturday and Sunday.
While grandstand and general admission tickets have sold out for Saturday and Sunday, Friday tickets and weekend corporate hospitality options remain available via Supercars.com.
Live coverage of Supercars’ first ever event in Taupō can be found on Sky Sport in New Zealand.
ITM Taupō Super400 Supercars Schedule
| All times NZST | ||
| Friday April 19 | ||
| 1255-1425 | Supercars | Practice 1 |
| Saturday April 20 | ||
| 1020-1035 | Supercars | Race 7 Qualifying |
| 1200-1240 | Supercars | Top Ten Shootout |
| 1505 | Supercars | Race 7 (60 laps) |
| Sunday April 21 | ||
| 1045-1100 | Supercars | Race 8 Qualifying |
| 1225-1305 | Supercars | Top Ten Shootout |
| 1505 | Supercars | Race 8 (60 laps) |
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