Tander: Davison recovery 'seriously impressive'

Will Davison’s ability to shrug off a cockpit fire and set a lap record was "seriously impressive", says Garth Tander.

Davison was hamstrung by a smoking cockpit at the end of Race 25 qualifying on Sunday.

A short led to an electrical fire, which filled the #17 Shell V-Power Mustang with acrid smoke.

Davison, in a bid to avoid a red flag, brought the car into pit lane.

He was unable to return to the session, and was bumped from 11th to second.

Just minutes later, Davison returned for Race 26 qualifying after a quick fix.

The 39-year-old showed the incident had done little to distract him, Davison setting a new practice/qualifying lap record to score pole.

It armed Davison with a chance to win a second race in as many days, before just missing out to Shane van Gisbergen.

While glowing of both drivers’ efforts, Tander was particularly impressed by Davison’s quick bounce-back.

“That lap record that he did in qualifying, after the thing being on fire,” Tander said on Supercars Trackside.

“He had to jump out, basically put himself on oxygen to clear the body out with all the burning smoke inside the cockpit.

“To compose himself, jump back in the car and lay down a lap time like he did.

“I thought that performance as a driver was seriously impressive.”

Davison and van Gisbergen were the runaway form drivers of the weekend, sharing all wins and poles.

Van Gisbergen overhauled Davison early on in the finale, and raced to victory by just 0.4s.

Davison ran long and closed to the rear of the #97 Commodore, but van Gisbergen held on.

Van Gisbergen later praised Davison’s performance, having admitted a day earlier he had no answer.

Davison wasn’t a fixture in the first Sunday race due to the low grid spot and eventual penalty.

All the while, van Gisbergen’s car was tuned up and he ran away from the field from pole.

It set up a blockbuster finale, and both drivers delivered in a thrilling battle.

“That’s what made this evening’s race so good,” Tander said of the finale.

“Will won yesterday by eight-and-a-half seconds, Shane won the midday race by eight-and-a-half seconds.

“Put them both on the front row for the final race, there wasn’t more than a bumper between them.

“The pit stop cycle, it opened up again; by the end of the race, they were right back together again.

“Shane and Red Bull probably won the race on strategy.

“But I think Will and the Shell V-Power car was the fastest car here this weekend."

Van Gisbergen and Davison are first and third overall heading to Pukekohe.

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