Karl Reindler was left with mixed emotions after finishing a strong 15th alongside co-driver David Wall in the 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

While the result met Reindler's pre-event goal of a top 15 finish, the West Australian was disappointed not to have placed higher after running among the leaders for much of the day.

The #21 Fair Dinkum Sheds Commodore was fast from the outset of the 161 lap race, with Reindler just the third driver in the field to dip into the 2m09s during an opening stint that saw him pass, among others, the #2 Holden Racing Team Commodore driven by Cameron McConville.

Proving the car's strong fuel economy, Reindler ran until Lap 26 before pitting to hand over to Wall - by which time he'd climb from 22nd on the grid to fifth. Wall then made the car's second pitstop on Lap 52, but stayed in the car until pitting again under Safety Car just six laps later.

Impressive pace and fuel economy saw the Fair Dinkum Sheds Commodore move steadily through the field in the middle part of the race, with Reindler taking the lead before switching back to Wall on Lap 84. Wall then drove the car through to Lap 110 (by which time he was placed fifth), when the team undertook a brake pad change in addition to new tyres, fuel and a driver change.

The car's final stop occurred on Lap 135, again under Safety Car. Restarting seventh, predictions indicated that Reindler may have been the only car in the field not to have needed another splash of fuel before the end of the race - thanks to the car's superior economy. Unfortunately for the Fair Dinkum Sheds squad, a subsequent Safety Car for Will Davison's crash on Lap 153 negated their advantage. By that stage however, Reindler had slipped to 16th with an ill-handling car.

"It's a hard feeling to describe," said Reindler after crossing the finish line in 15th.

"Part of me is really happy with a top 15 performance as that was our goal this morning, but it hurts to be running sixth with less than 30 laps to go and end up 15th.

"The team did a great job all day, making the right calls on strategy and giving us fast, efficient pit stops. David drove superbly all weekend too - he didn't put a foot wrong.

"It's just a shame that, during the last stint, the tyres went away really quickly, which made us a sitting duck after the restart.

"We adjusted the (anti-roll) bars in the car but we couldn't make it any better, and our pace in the final stint was over a second a lap slower than in my previous stint.

"The problem was made worse by the fact that we didn't have a left hand mirror on the car by that point. It'd been damaged during the race, and it meant I had to be extra cautious.  If I'd turned across another car, it would have destroyed our race, and destroyed all our hard work to that point."

Even so, Reindler believes the 2010 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 will go down as a turning point in his rookie season.

"We showed that we can race against the best cars and best drivers," he said.

"This weekend has been a turning point for us, no doubt. I've always believed that I can do the job in this category, but you can never be sure until you actually get in there and do it.

"We had great pace, and at one stage James Courtney emerged from the pits behind us and couldn't make any inroads. That was a big moment for me personally."

Earlier in the weekend, Reindler had gained great confidence from the practice sessions - but was disappointed with qualifying.

"The way the early part of the weekend unfolded gave me great confidence," he said.

"To do a 2m07s lap and be inside the top 10 in practice really gave the whole team a boost.

"Qualifying was a major disappointment - ending up 22nd and nearly a second slower than we'd been in the morning.  In the end it was just inexperience that caught us out. Myself and my engineer Andrew (Edwards) didn't make enough changes to suit the changing track conditions. We weren't bold enough on that and we paid the price."

With a strong Bathurst showing under his belt, Reindler can't wait to race again at the Armor All Gold Coast 600 in two weeks time.

"This weekend really gives us good momentum heading into the final three events of the season," he concluded.

"I just can't wait to get back in the car again - the Gold Coast event can't come around quick enough."

Karl Reindler is proudly supported by Brad Jones Racing, Fair Dinkum Homes & Sheds, No Fear, Wilson Security, Oakley, Biante, Thomson Aviation, Winston Mines and National Tyres.