hero-img

Davison looking for more podiums

30 Jul 2014
Erebus star spurred on from positive test and Townsville third place, and vows he will "go for it" when he sees a gap.
Advertisement

A third-place finish at the last V8 Supercars event in Townsville delivered Will Davison his first podium result with Erebus Motorsport - and the seasoned racer is sure there is more to come.

Pleased to be back at the front, Davison has vowed he will "go for it" if there's a gap - particularly as he is in a different position to the past few years, where risk management was incredibly important as he was collecting points to challenge for the Championship.

"At this stage now, there are no Championship points in my mind - we're going for race speed and when we've got speed, I'm going for results," Davison told v8supercars.com.au.

The 31-year old sits 13th in the points, with teammate Lee Holdsworth 14th, and after Holdsworth's first Erebus win earlier this season, both are confident they can push closer to the front at this weekend's Coates Hire Ipswich 400.

"I know I belong there," Davison said, referring to the front of the field.

"(The podium finish) was very rewarding - six months go by and you're not winning races, but I feel like I'm driving as good, if not better than ever. And I'm proud of where we've come in six months.

"I know how much more we've got to come and certainly I won't be forgotten about for long - because if I get more opportunities like that I'll be racing just as hard.

"It was a good feeling to be up the right end of the grid again."

Davison emphasised that ultimately results were about being smart - knowing when to take risks, and knowing when to bide time.

"I'll always race calculated, but every single day, if I've got a car capable of running up the front and there's a gap there and I feel it's on, I'll be going for it. I don't think twice about it," he said.

"But other days when you have to be calm and calculated I'll do that - and I think I've proved that in the past four or five years, being consistent top four or five in the Championship. You've got to know when to be aggressive."

Davison admits that even though he and the Erebus team scored the podium finish in Saturday's first 125km race at the Castrol Towsnville 500 - Driven by TAFE Queensland, it wasn't a mistake-free run.

Advertisement

"It wasn't a perfect weekend - still too many errors. But certainly my most competitive outing for the year ... probably in the opposite races than I expected, with eighth to third in the first one and then starting third in the second one and getting nothing!

"Even when we had problems and would go to the back of the grid, just our ability to race through and pass a lot of cars was still enjoyable.

"It's nice just to generally have good speed and even when races weren't going to plan we were always moving forward. That's the feeling as a driver you love and it was good to get a small taste of that."

While Davison's run to the podium was scrutinised after the Erebus driver was involved in two incidents, with Craig Lowndes and then Scott McLaughlin, Davison described them both as circumstantial and a bit awkward.

He said the Red Bull cars were the last competitors he'd want to be caught upwith. And with the Volvo - Davison took his chance to pass when he had it, but having lost his rearview mirror in the cockpit, as well as having no side mirrors, made it hard to gauge the positioning.

However, he described the battle with McLaughlin as a "really great exchange".

"It was intense... I try and race the same, try and be calculated and grab opportunities when they're there. I'm all for giving racing room. When I get room, I'm all for giving it in return and I thought it was marginal."

All in all, after the positive test day last week and strong race finish earlier this month, Davison is looking to power on at the weekend's Coates Hire Ipswich 400.

Queensland Raceway is a circuit he has claimed two ARMOR ALL Pole Positions, as well as a race win in 2009, with previous teams. He wants to now get the job done with Erebus.

"For me, it's just so encouraging to show such good signs when I know we've got so much more to come.

"I've been saying that for a while ... and we are just having to be patient and keep maximising what we've got and make sure we understand our car and setups from circuit to circuit, find that bit more consistency. So then when we improve our engine package, we are going to be winning races.

"We're not far away now."

Related News

Advertisement