Klimenko disappointed, but looking forward

Erebus team owner Betty Klimenko was disappointed the Stewards this morning dismissed the team's appeal over an incident between driver Will Davison and James Courtney when challenging for the podium, at the Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint.

The team believed the incident, played frame by frame, showed the Holden Racing Team Commodore tap Davison before any contact from behind - and Courtney's behaviour when approached by Davison further upsetKlimenko.

Courtney telling his competitor to 'have a cry' was unacceptable, in Betty's books.

"I was very proud of Will and the way he restrained himself and what he said," she told v8supercars.com.au.

"You don't tell someone to go and cry about it. That is ridiculous and very, very juvenile. You say, 'sorry, mate' - that's what you say.

"Whether you're in the right or the wrong, you say 'sorry mate, I know it cost you a podium'. Because if Will had stayed where he was, he would've been on the podium.

"And that's what hurt more - that Courtney got the podium, got the commercial [exposure] and didn't even have the decency to come and see me, the owner, and say, 'look, I'm sorry Betty, it was an incident, it happened, I'm sorry'.

"There's a difference between a driver and a gentleman, and Will's a gentleman."

It seemed the situation was made worse by the fact that Shane van Gisbergen, after hitting Erebus' other driver Ash Walsh, apologised after yesterday's qualifying session and took his two grid spot penalty on the chin; and that Lee Holdsworth was immediately penalised after causing a spin at the same corner.

"I have to be diplomatic about this. The appeal's gone through ... and we didn't get what we were looking for, which was justice," she said.

"Yesterday Shane ran into Ash, Shane got out of his car, nicely walked down here, said to Ash, 'are you right mate, everything ok, I'm really, really sorry, I got a little over-excited'. We did nothing. He still got a two grid penalty. Lee got a drive through.

"But Courtney seems to have a halo over him and he got nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"And the way he spoke to Will - to me that was ridiculous. You know, I find it very - I'm still trying to be diplomatic here - very apt the fact they've put five garage distances between the team ... that should say it all about how they treat us."

While there was still some sting in the outcome, Klimenko and the team have switched focus to today's racing, which kicks off with a short practice session, ahead of qualifying and 200km of on-track action.

Both car speed and strategy will be key factors today, with teams requiring at least two pit stops to manage the minimum fuel requirement, and have one set of soft Dunlop tyres to bolt on during the race.

"It's [the appeal] been done, they've given their answer and we've got to accept it and that's motorsport, we keep on going, it's another race, it's another day," Klimenko said.

"Will - you know what, he's in his zone with the car. The car and him are in their zone together and they're happy little Vegemites. And hopefully we'll see big things for him soon - if he doesn't keep on getting punted."

Davison finished fourth here at Symmons Plains last year in Sunday's race and is gunning for the podium again today after featuring near the top of most sessions at the track this weekend.