Davison: Good to feel 'angry' over second place finishes
Will Davison says it feels good to be "angry" about his two second-place finishes in the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown.
Davison scored back-to-back ARMOR ALL Pole Positions at Hidden Valley on Sunday, but was unable to convert either start to victory.
In both races, Davison was beaten off the line by Shane van Gisbergen, who beat the Shell V-Power Racing Team driver to victory on both occasions.
Davison was frustrated not being able to convert either pole to victory, but he acknowledged it was an improvement compared to Saturday’s woes, when he qualified 24th for Race 12.
WATCH: TIGHT START TO RACE 13
"I sort of feel good that I'm angry," Davison said.
"Not angry, but it's just great to be back in this position.
"It's a tough game being up against the quality of our opposition. I'm loving it. Loving the challenge.
"It was a very rewarding morning after a really tough day yesterday.
"But all-in-all, the year's been really encouraging, and we're still learning all the time.
Back-to-back ARMOR ALL poles at Hidden Valley on Sunday
Davison put a tough Saturday behind him and came out firing for the first qualifying session on Sunday, scoring his first pole position since 2014.
The #17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Mustang was on rails, with the two-time Bathurst winner firing in a 1:04.9553s, breaking the qualifying lap record set by teammate Anton De Pasquale the day before.
He went back-to-back in the following session, marking his first consecutive poles since Abu Dhabi in 2012.
It was the turnaround the 19-time race winner needed, admitting the tough Saturday played on his mind.
"We worked really, really worked hard last night," he said.
Davison holds off Whincup for P2
"I didn't sleep much because I had such a bad day, and I was just a bit unsure what was going to happen this morning.
"It's very rewarding when you hook the car up and nail a couple of poles."
Despite its impressive one-lap pace, the #17 Shell Mustang was unable to match van Gisbergen off the line in both races on Sunday, twice having to concede to the Red Bull Ampol Racing driver by Turn 1.
By lap 13 of the finale, van Gisbergen capitalised on clean air out in front and had gained a 2.1s lead over Davison.
Van Gisbergen maintained the lead through the 38-lap race, with Davison's team attempting an undercut strategy on lap 15.
Davison scored two podiums on Sunday
It didn't pay off, with Davison's charge undone by the Red Bull Ampol squad two laps later.
Davison applied pressure on the series leader throughout, but was unable to pass van Gisbergen.
The end margin was 2.3s, with Davison holding off Jamie Whincup by just 0.7s.
"I just couldn't quite match Shane off the line," Davison said.
“It's as simple as that. I mean, I think the pace of the car was pretty strong all day, but it was tough in the dirty air.
WATCH: SVG BEATS DAVISON TO TURN 1 IN RACE 14
"There was nothing between us, but track position was really key at the start. The team did an exceptional job, and our stops were good. Overall, it was a good, clean day."
Davison moved up to fourth in the standings, with the Shell V-Power Racing Team second in the team's championship.
The Repco Supercars Championship field will return to North Queensland for the NTI Townsville 500 across July 9-11. Tickets are available here.
The event will be broadcast live on Foxtel and will be streamed on Kayo, and will be broadcast live and free on Seven.
