Newcastle, NSW Australia June 17th, – Will Davison endured an up and down weekend in Darwin, as the Pepsi Max Crew FPR driver continued to accumulate points in the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship title chase.
The unfortunate victim of a first lap pile up in the second leg of the Saturday 60/60 format race, Davison’s car was completely rebuilt overnight for the Sunday races.
Davison showed promising form in the second of three heats, sitting in second position for much of the race before the soft compound tyres faded toward the finish.
That fourth place result was backed up by a seventh position finish in the finale.
Despite the roller coaster weekend, Davison remains in third position in the title chase heading to Townsville in three weeks time.
FRIDAY
· Standard hot Darwin weather all weekend long made for hard work behind the wheel
· Davison finished the three practice sessions in 22nd, eighth and 24th
· Despite being 25th quickest overall for the day, Davison saved his tyres bank for the remainder of the weekend
“I am quite confident of being much better tomorrow, but it was a pretty painful day as the pre-marked tyres we brought weren’t the best as we’ve tested recently,” said Davison.
“The top 13 cars ran softs whereas we didn’t, so the timesheets don’t look favourable, but I am sure it will all swing around tomorrow when we use fresh rubber.
“It was a very low grip day, but the balance of the car is great so without being too confident, tomorrow will make a lot more sense.”
SATURDAY
· The all-in qualifying session saw Davison set the sixth best time
· An improved run in the top-ten shootout saw Davison start from third place for the 60/60 Super Sprint format race
· A solid run through the first 21 lap segment saw Davison finish in fourth position
· The unfortunate victim of a leg two, lap one pile up, Davison retired to the pits with substantial front and rear damage
“The incident on the restart did a lot of damage to the bodywork and the engine, which dumped all its water after the big hit I took,” said Davison.
“I was being really conservative and there was a big gap behind me, but the next thing I knew I was turned around and getting battered.
“It was unfortunate as we’d changed the car from the first leg and had great tyres, but the upside is that we saved a set of tyres which should help us tomorrow.”
SUNDAY
· With a new engine installed overnight, Davison set the third and seventh best times for the respective qualifying sessions
· Race 18 saw Davison sit in second position for much of the race behind teammate Mark Winterbottom
· Lost grip late in the run, fading to fourth place at the finish
· The wild final heat was shorted due to a lap one accident, with Davison taking several hits throughout the raceBattled with car setup to cross the finish line in seventh
“We scored a few points today and while the car felt good in qualifying trim we didn’t quite have the pace, particularly in the second race,” said Davison.
“We made some changes that didn’t quite work but I took a few whacks which hurt the car, and we just did what we could from there.
“The team is showing strength overall, but I just need to make sure I am the one standing on the top step next time.”
Championship Point Standings after 19 Races
1. Jamie Whincup- 1423 points
2. Craig Lowndes- 1264
3. Will Davison- 1148
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