Renewed Davison shows value of fighting spirit

"There’s no better feeling than succeeding in this sport."

Will Davison knows that feeling, even if wins have been at a premium of late.

Few drivers have been as consistent a performer than Davison in recent years.

Additionally, few drivers have been as critiqued as Davison, who has raced for the biggest teams in pit lane.

Davison, who is a two-time Bathurst winner, recently signed a new deal with the Shell V-Power Racing Team.

It ended weeks of speculation over the veteran’s future, with questions following Davison at every turn.

Round after round, Davison politely batted away questions over his future.

A year ago, he did the same as he toiled through a winless drought that stretched back to 2016.

In the afterglow of Scott McLaughlin’s success, Davison knew scrutiny would follow.

In the face of steep pressure and an all-conquering Shane van Gisbergen, Davison and teammate Anton De Pasquale have been impressive.

In 53 starts since the start of 2021, Davison has scored 20 podiums. Only van Gisbergen (42) and De Pasquale (22) have scored more.

The sticking point has been the remarkable form of van Gisbergen, with 28 of his 42 podiums wins.

"You come to a team of this calibre, it’s easy to get critiqued," Davison told Supercars.com.

"There were Penske tags, Scotty tags. But we have always been focused on our own job.

Davison has been a fixture at the front for over a decade

"We’ve been competitive ever since we started. Lots of podiums, very few mistakes.

"But the sport is so different to how it was when I started.

"The level of performance and execution, especially at the top, is the best it’s ever been.

"Even the amount of podiums we’ve had, in any other year, they’d be wins."

Davison had been to hell and back from his 2016 Bathurst win to his breakthrough in Perth in May.

The third-generation racer left Tekno Autosports, joined 23Red Racing and began to hit top form.

Then, the rug was swept from underneath him when COVID-19 forced 23Red to close its doors.

A lifeline came in the form of a Tickford Racing co-drive with Cam Waters, and they duly finished second in Bathurst.

In a cruel twist of fate, it was a battle with Waters that led to Davison’s first win in six years.

However, plaudits for another flawless Davison performance was cast aside due to Waters and Tickford’s fury over the post-race penalty.

Davison was delighted to take victory, but admitted it left a sour taste.

The win was something he had worked so hard for, but for a time, it seemed an afterthought.

The contract talks were the same; Davison’s performance had never waned, yet his future in the sport was being questioned.

At the middle of it all was Davison, who knew best of all the level of performance within his reach.

Finally: Davison wins in Perth

"It was nice, no doubt about it," he said of the Perth win.

"I was annoyed about the aftermath, to be honest. I drove well, I put a good pass on Cam.

"The win was a relief, no doubt; it had been a while. But all the drought questions had become tiring.

"It was being built into something that was bigger than it was. This contract talk was the same.

"It got blown out of proportion; I’d won lots of races before, even if it had been a while."

Perth was the culmination of a long line of misses, many of which were out of his control.

Notably, Davison lost wins due to an airbox fire at Tailem Bend racing McLaughlin in 2019.

Davison could have won as long ago as 2019

Last year, he was cruising in Sydney before an electrical drama gifted van Gisbergen victory.

Time and again, victory eluded Davison, who rarely left anything on the table.

"I’ve always said that if you put yourself in contention, wins will naturally follow," he said.

"The difficult thing was I’d been doing that, but hadn’t been winning.

"Initially I was like, ‘Wow, okay’. But that’s the nature of the sport now, it’s so competitive.

"No doubt a few have gone begging. Even with 23Red, I was leading at The Bend and had a airbox fire.

"Last year in Sydney, leading again and then had the electrical issue.

"I’d never been so consistent, never started on the front row as much, yet hadn’t got a win.

"A win would’ve quietened the noise. But I want to earn them."

Davison has always maintained that he has yet to hit his peak, a frightening statement for his rivals considering he will turn 40 in a fortnight.

Perhaps the greatest display of his high level of performance was when he sailed to pole for his 500th race in Darwin in June.

While he missed out on the win, Davison again proved that, given the right widget, he could put his rivals to task.

It was something Dick Johnson saw in him from the very start in 2005, even if it took two years for DJR to give him a winning car.

Davison won his first race at Eastern Creek in 2008, and he added a second at Winton.

The likes of the Holden Racing Team and Ford Performance Racing came calling, only furthering Davison’s stocks.

What Johnson saw in a 22-year-old Davison in 2005 was the same nearly 20 years later, with Davison effectively replacing McLaughlin last year.

Back then, Johnson labelled Davison the "most exciting young driving talent" in Supercars since Ambrose.

Victory No. 1 in 2008

Be it age 22 or 39, Davison’s standards have never dropped; in his own words, he is his "own harshest critic".

Come Gen3, given his experience in low downforce cars, and Davison could yet show the best of how good he can be.

"I still put a lot of pressure on myself," Davison said.

"I’m not thinking about the end of my career. But the reality is, 16 years have flown by.

"This has been my life for so long. I enjoy it so much more now. I love the pressure cooker.

"But I wouldn’t keep racing if my intensity level dropped.

"I’m my own harshest critic. There’s no better feeling than succeeding in this sport."

Davison is fourth overall heading to this weekend's Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint.

Cars will hit the track at Sandown on Friday. Purchase your tickets now.