HISTORY says David Reynolds collected a measly 66 points from the 2012 Gold Coast 600, but that’s not how he remembers that particular weekend.
The then 27-year-old had the enviable assignment of pairing up with Nick Heidfeld for what turned out to be Supercars’ last international co-driver edition of the Surfers Paradise street race.
Heidfeld had stood on a Formula 1 podium barely 18 months earlier.
Having all up tallied 13 podiums and a pole position across a F1 career spanning more than a decade, the German had Reynolds starstruck.
“I grew up watching Nick in Formula 1; like superstar driver, superstar person,” Reynolds reflected to V8 Sleuth.
“Every kid’s dream is to race Formula 1 when you start racing so when you meet someone who has actually been in the sport… he was real calm, real relaxed and super competitive.
“He just wanted to know about the car, how to drive it better, and it was weird because you look up to these guys but they don’t know how to drive your car so you’re teaching them.
Pic: an1images.com / Justin Deeley
“It’s like ‘man, you’re a Formula 1 driver, surely you’d know’ but really they don’t because they’ve never driven a Supercar before with a locked diff and terrible tyres and heaps of horsepower.
“But just with their raw talent and skill, they get up to speed pretty quickly.
“We had a really good test day and then a really good weekend together… just the experience of being with someone of such a high profile and had done what I wanted to do as a kid and raced Formula 1 and been part of that BMW F1 program, it was so cool.
“I was in awe the whole time, like walking on a cloud. It was a weird feeling.”
While race results went begging, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Heidfeld rolled straight out with fourth in the opening co-driver practice session.
Reynolds went on to win at the Gold Coast the following year, alongside co-driver Dean Canto.
Heidfeld hadn’t been his first foreign offsider, however.
“I suppose my whole international experience with drivers started with Andy Priaulx in 2009 when he was my co-driver,” said Reynolds.
“Three-time world champion, just a ripping guy, awesome, really dedicated and real professional. I realised, I’m just a V8 Supercar driver.
“I was really young, it was my first year, and I just learnt a lot off him in how he conducted himself and how he spoke to people. It was a bit of an eye-opener.
“2010 I was with (Fabian) Coulthard and then the next year I had Alex Tagliani, the IndyCar driver.
“He was just a completely different personality, like really crazy, so full-on, so intense, but awesome to hang out with and just a lot of fun.
“He was a hardcore left-foot braker, so going down the back straight he was trying to turn into Turn 11 and he was like 100 percent throttle and 100 percent brake and was like ‘it won’t turn!’ Yeah mate, it’s not an IndyCar, you can’t do that!
“But I had such a cool experience with him.”
Reynolds will contest the 2025 Ryco Enduro Cup for Team 18 with Lee Holdsworth.