Team 18 principal Adrian Burgess has acknowledged a critical error in fuel calculations that cost driver Anton De Pasquale a likely victory at the Bathurst 1000 on Sunday. De Pasquale was leading on the final lap of the race at Mount Panorama when his car ran out of fuel along Mountain Straight, allowing Brodie Kostecki to overtake and secure his second Bathurst 1000 win.

De Pasquale, who had been on course for his first Bathurst 1000 triumph, was unable to complete the final lap and was consequently classified as a non-finisher. His co-driver, Lee Holdsworth, also expressed disappointment as the team came agonizingly close to victory.

Burgess described the outcome as “gutting” for the drivers, the team, sponsors, partners, and fans, acknowledging that Team 18 had “dropped the ball” at the most critical moment. “There’s been an error somewhere in the fuel calculations. It’s pretty clear, there is no point glossing over it. We f****d up,” he said. Burgess emphasized that the team had done all the hard work throughout the race and the weekend but failed when it mattered most.

The team had hoped that a late safety car period, which was deployed after Chaz Mostert crashed at Forrest’s Elbow with five laps remaining, would last longer and allow De Pasquale to conserve enough fuel to finish the race. Instead, the safety car came in sooner than anticipated, contributing to the miscalculation.

Reflecting on the difficult moment after the race, Burgess said there were no words that could ease De Pasquale’s disappointment. He added that both drivers had driven clean races with no damage to the car, and the team knew they had one of the fastest cars on the track.

Despite the disappointment, Burgess remained focused on uncovering the exact cause of the fuel miscalculation as the team looks to learn from the costly mistake. The Bathurst 1000, one of Australia’s premier motorsport events, ended in heartbreak for Team 18 after a promising run throughout the race.