David Reynolds (racing driver)

2012

After widely reported rumours of the move, for the 2012 season Reynolds switched teams and manufacturers to join Rod Nash Racing to drive the #55 Bottle-O Ford FG Falcon prepared by Ford Performance Racing. He was rejoined by James Small, his engineer from the previous year. Reynolds' 2012 season was a step up from those previous, with consistent top ten qualifying positions and race results recorded throughout the year. Despite consistently performing at his new team, accidents, bad luck, and mechanical failures marred the season, with multiple promising race performances being compromised. Reynolds scored his first pole position at Townsville after numerous front-row starts, eventually finishing 6th. Reynolds paired with Dean Canto for the year's endurance races, and started from the front row start at the Sandown 500, finishing in 6th place. For the 2012 Bathurst 1000, the 50th running of the event, the Rod Nash Racing car paid homage to the 1967 Bathurst winning car of Fred Gibson and Harry Firth, with a livery closely resembling the winning car, a 1967 Ford Falcon GT. The team also changed the number to 52 for the race. Reynolds participated in the shootout and qualified the car 8th, and had a hard fought battle with eventual victor Jamie Whincup in the dying stages. He eventually crossing the line second, only 0.786 seconds behind Whincup, a record at the time. In his characteristic funny-man style, while the winning drivers Whincup and Dumbrell threw their racing boots off the podium into the crowd, Reynolds threw the microphone of then broadcaster of Channel 7 into the sea of fans below. Reynolds finished the 2012 season in personal-best 9th place.

2013

For 2013, James Small was switched to the #5 Pepsi Max car of Mark Winterbottom, with Nathaniel Osborne joining Reynolds as engineer of the #55. Reynolds' season started poorly, placing no higher than 14th in the first two rounds as well as a crash in Tasmania. Results improved as the season progressed, with Reynolds consistently recording top-ten qualifying and race results. At Hidden Valley, Reynolds scored two pole positions and had strong car pace. He finished on the podium in the final race of the event. For the endurance races, Reynolds was again joined by Dean Canto. For the 2013 Bathurst 1000, Reynolds qualified the car in 9th, and for most of the race the car was in the top ten. In the final laps of the race, Reynolds had just passed Bright for 5th position when he was told that the car didn't have enough fuel to make it to the end. A pit stop two laps from the finish relegated the #55 to 9th place. The regulations for co-drivers at the Gold Coast 600 were changed in 2013, with Reynolds retaining Canto for the event. Reynolds qualified on pole for the second race of the weekend, his first pole position in a shootout. After a strong race, Reynolds was in second place behind James Courtney in the #22 Toll HRT Holden VF Commodore with 20 laps to go. After the right front suspension of the #22 car broke, Reynolds inherited the lead of the race, which he maintained until the chequered flag to take his maiden V8 Supercars victory. In his characteristic irreverent style, he threw pot plants off the podium to his team, and as the podium presentation was being undertaken hit the Armor-All Man with his own foam hammer as well as co-driver Canto. In the final two events of the season, Reynolds experienced incredibly good luck. In the first race at Phillip Island, he was hit by an out-of-control Alex Premat at turn 4, but was only spun, suffering minimal damage at the rear of his car, while the car of James Courtney behind him took the full impact of Premat's car. Courtney was unable to race for the rest of the season as a result of his injuries. The luck continued as early in the first race of the season's final event in Sydney, Reynolds' car was vaulted up on two wheels after a bottleneck of cars on the tight circuit, caused by Mark Winterbottom spinning Craig Lowndes at turn 10. This often results in significant damage to the suspension or steering, but Reynolds continued on and finished 11th. In the final race of the season, Reynolds qualified in an uncharacteristic 17th place. However, through clever pit strategy and staying out of trouble at the treacherous circuit, Reynolds brought the car home in 4th position. Reynolds eventually finished the season in 9th place.

2014

For the 2014 season, Reynolds had his third season in the #55 Rod Nash Racing Bottle-O Ford. Reynolds season again started with mix results, following a trend of poor results in the two short 'sprint' races on the Saturday, but top ten results in the longer races on Sunday. Results improved after the Tasmanian event, where consistently finished inside the top 15 cars, but suffered numerous retirements throughout the season. For the endurance races, Reynolds was again joined by Dean Canto. At the Sandown 500 the pairing recorded a 9th place finish. The car was likely going to finish on the podium before Reynolds was given a drive-through penalty for a pit stop violation. The 2014 Bathurst 1000 looked promising from the outset for Reynolds and Canto, as the #55 was in the top three in all the free practice sessions, breaking the lap record in the final Thursday practice. Unfortunately, in the qualifying session Reynolds had a sizable crash at the top of the mountain, a result of going slightly wide of the racing line when going around the outside of a slower car. An exclusion from the session for teammate Chaz Mostert and the #2 HRT Commodore not taking part in the race due to crash damage from an earlier session meant that Reynolds and Canto started the race from 24th position. Consistent safety cars during the race and car pace that was equal to the lead group left them well inside the top ten by the middle of the race. At the red flag period on lap 61 for track repair, the #55 was in second position. The car continued in the top three cars until its retirement on lap 102, where during a safety car period and running in second place, mechanical issues forced the car to retire. Continuing the run of poor luck, at the final endurance event at Surfers Paradise, when running in the top five cars, Reynolds clipped a tyre bundle in the Beach Chicane. He drove on for two more corners before the right front suspension broke and Reynolds crashed the car heavily into a concrete wall. The car was repaired in time for the race the next day where he and Canto finished a respectable 6th. At the final round in Sydney, Reynolds recorded his first podium finish of the season with a third placing in the first race. Reynolds eventually finished the season in 15th position.

2015

For the 2015 season, Reynolds had his final year in the #55 Rod Nash Racing Bottle-O Ford Falcon, and his most successful season to date. During the offseason, Ford Performance Racing were renamed Prodrive Racing Australia after Ford Australia chose to conclude factory support for the team. Despite this, the team introduced the new FGX Falcon that would initially be driven by Pepsi Max drivers Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert, with the other two cars of Reynolds and Andre Heimgartner would be upgraded later in the season. Reynolds' engineer Nathaniel Osborne moved into a different position within the team, with Brad Wischusen becoming the engineer of the #55. Reynolds recorded poor results in the first round in Adelaide while still running the older FG Falcon, the one likely top ten result being undone by being spun by Michael Caruso at turn 9. At the next round in Tasmania, Reynolds received the updated FGX Falcon, and the new car brought with it an upturn in results. He qualified in the top 5 for all three races, and finished the two Saturday races in 6th and 4th respectively. For the Sunday race, Reynolds started on the front row alongside Craig Lowndes. Reynolds made the better start of the two cars, but Lowndes spun the #55 at the second corner, with Reynolds eventually finishing 11th. From this point forward in the season, Reynolds consistently recorded top ten qualifying and race positions. For the Sunday race at Hidden Valley, Reynolds qualified on pole. Reynolds took his second career victory and first solo victory in V8 Supercars racing after capitalising on a mistake from early leader Fabian Coulthard, and avoiding a penalty from running straight ahead at turn 5 while avoiding a lapped car. After the podium presentation, Reynolds performed a 'shoey' on the podium, drinking champagne from his race boot, a move subsequently made world famous by Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo. Reynolds continued the good qualifying and race results throughout the rest of the season, finishing outside the top ten cars on only one occasion until the end of the season, highlighted by dual podium finishes in Townsville, taking pole position at Bathurst, a podium finish on the Gold Coast, a podium finish and a race win at Pukekohe, and a podium finish at the final event in Sydney. The only non-top ten finish was as a result of Shane van Gisbergen in the first race at Phillip Island, in which he spun Reynolds at the fast Hayshed turn while only a few inches up the side of the #55. The car didn't hit anything while spinning at high speed, but the incident resulted in a 25th place finish. Reynolds finished the season in an excellent third position, which, had it not been for being spun by other drivers throughout the season, may have been higher still. Despite the competitive results throughout the season, and subsequent high championship position, Reynolds was not retained by Prodrive Racing Australia for the 2016 season, and announced in November 2015 that he would leave the team to drive for Erebus Motorsport for the 2016 season.

2016

For the 2016 season, Reynolds switched teams and manufacturers to drive the #9 Erebus Motorsport Holden VF Commodore with title sponsorship from Penrite Oil. In the 2015-16 offseason, Erebus Motorsport went through multiple significant changes. The team elected to cease their Mercedes E63 AMG program, and instead purchased two older model Walkinshaw Racing Holden Commodores that they would prepare with their own in-house designed and fabricated componentry. The team also relocated from Queensland to Melbourne, Victoria, and had to build up a near entirely new group of staff, including new mechanics and engineers. As a result, the team, and Reynolds, struggled at the beginning of the season. The team were inexperienced, and the dated Walkinshaw Racing Holdens were not up to the technical specifications of the front-running cars. The early part of the season was highlighted by a top 5 finish in the wet Sunday race at Adelaide, where through good car pace, careful driving in the treacherous conditions, and a clever strategy from the team with a time-certain race finish and required fuel drop, propelled the #9 car to the front of the field. Despite the development of the team and the car, Reynolds mostly ran around the middle to the back of the field for the duration of the season. Highlights included an admirable 6th place finish in the Sunday race at Winton from a lowly 17th place qualifying position, through nothing other than a fast car (shown by Reynolds recording the fastest lap of the race), as well as recording the fastest race lap time at Bathurst, and shootout appearances in Townsville, the Gold Coast and Sydney. Good race results at Townsville and the Gold Coast were street circuits were undone by either incorrect strategy calls or the #9 being involved in incidents during the races. For the endurance races, Reynolds was partnered with Craig Baird, although the pairing failed to garner notable results. From Bathurst onwards, former Walkinshaw Racing engineer Alistair McVean joined the team as lead engineer on the #9 car. The best event result for Reynolds came at the season's final event in Sydney, also being the final ever event at the circuit. Reynolds qualified in 7th position for the Saturday race, but was excluded from qualifying because of a regulatory violation in parc fermé after the session. Despite starting in last place, he brought the #9 Penrite car home in 10th place. The highlight of the entire season for the team came in the last race of the season the next day, with Reynolds making the shootout and qualifying in 4th. Reynolds made his way up to third place during the race, and endured a long battle with Jamie Whincup in the closing stages for the final podium spot. Reynolds was able to hold off Whincup as he and his Erebus Holden were formidable in the heavy braking zones of the circuit, which were the main passing opportunities. He crossed the line in third for Reynolds' and Erebus Motorsport's first podium of the season. Reynolds finished the season in 16th place in the championship.

2017

For the 2017 season, Reynolds remained at Erebus Motorsport, and the team retained the backing of Penrite for the #9 Commodore. In the 2016-17 off-season, the team embarked on building a new car for Reynolds from the ground up, built to Reynolds' and Erebus Motorsport's specifications, as opposed to the Walkinshaw Racing car that they were working with previously. However, the team elected to continue using the well-rounded Walkinshaw Racing engine package. Reynolds endured a lacklustre opening round in Adelaide. Despite featuring in the shootout for the Saturday race, he didn't have a car to challenge for the top positions, and this was compounded with receiving a drive-through penalty for exceeding track limits too many times, resulting in an 18th place finish. Another finish outside of the top ten followed on Sunday. However, from Tasmania onwards, results improved, with Reynolds and Erebus Motorsport consistently being in and around the top ten cars in qualifying and races. The combination of Reynolds, engineer Alistair McVean, and a brand new car with quality componentry developed by Erebus entailed strong results in nearly every session that the team participated in, albeit with the car regularly struggling with pace over longer stints in races. Highlights included a podium finish at Phillip Island, another stirring drive at Winton with a 4th place result after a 14th place qualifying position, as well as top five qualifying positions at Hidden Valley and Townsville. For the endurance races, Reynolds was partnered with Luke Youlden. At the first endurance event at Sandown, stated as being a retro round, the #9 Penrite Holden ran a tribute livery to the Holden Torana L34 ran in 1976 by Peter Brock and Phil Brock. The event started well for Reynolds and Youlden, with Youlden winning the first co-driver qualifying race, and Reynolds finishing the second qualifying race in third. After starting from third, the car suffered from a tyre delamination mid-way through the race and eventually finished in 17th. At the 2017 Bathurst 1000, the #9 car was consistently among the top few cars in the free practice sessions, and Reynolds qualified the car in second for the shootout. In the shootout, Reynolds consolidated the speed shown from the car and recorded a lap time quick enough for second place on the grid. Despite the weekend having been run in dry conditions up to that point, nearly the entirety of the race was run in wet conditions. Reynolds and Youlden kept themselves in contention for victory throughout the day, making minimal mistakes and keeping themselves within the top three cars for the duration of the race. Late race safety cars and fuel strategy complicated the complexion of the race in the dying stages. At a late-race restart, Reynolds was positioned just inside the top ten, fuel strategy having taken the #9 out of the top few cars. Another restart soon after with subsequent strategy plays from other teams left Reynolds in fourth position, but a light sprinkling of rain on the pit straight caused the two leading cars of Shane Van Gisbergen and Garth Tander to run off at the final corner, leaving Reynolds in second position behind Nick Percat. Reynolds had superior car speed over Percat, and quickly passed him, but had to conserve fuel in order to make it to the end. Subsequent safety car periods eased the emphasis on the amount of fuel remaining, and Reynolds was able to guide the #9 Erebus Penrite Commodore to victory on a treacherous drying track, setting the fastest lap time of the day in the final laps of the race. It was the maiden Bathurst victory for Reynolds, Youlden, and Erebus Motorsport, and the first independent Australian team to win the Bathurst 1000 since Garth Tander and Jason Bargwanna won the 2000 Bathurst 1000 for Garry Rogers Motorsport in similar conditions. The remaining endurance event at the Gold Coast didn't yield similar results, with damage on the car hindering the driver change and subsequent race result in the first race, and a mistake and resulting crash by Youlden taking the pairing out of a top ten position in the Sunday race. Reynolds ended the year with a third place finishing in the Sunday race of the inaugural Newcastle 500, finishing 7th in the championship.

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  The Holden VE Commodore of David Reynolds at the 2011 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
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  The Ford FG Falcon of David Reynolds at the 2012 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
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  The Ford FG Falcon of David Reynolds at the 2014 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
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  The Ford FG Falcon of David Reynolds at the 2015 Clipsal 500 Adelaide