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Davison now pushing first-year team harder

06 Jun 2018
'To take the next jump, it's a big one'
3 mins by James Pavey

Supercars veteran Will Davison says he is now asking Milwaukee Racing to expect more from itself, as the first-year squad grows.

Davison joined Phil Munday’s new 23Red Racing, which has effectively replaced Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport in pitlane, in 2018.

Munday moved the operation into a new workshop, scaled back to one car, switched from Holden to Ford and recruited a host of personnel including Davison and team manager Rob Crawford.

In an ex-Tickford Falcon, Davison started and finished eighth in its first race in Adelaide, one of five top-10 results from the year’s opening 18 races.

Sitting 16th in the points, the two-time Bathurst winner says the bar is now being raised within the team, and in its pitstop partnership with Preston Hire Racing.

“We’re getting to that point now where I’m starting to push them a bit harder because we’ve got to a certain level,” Davison told Supercars.com.

“And now to take the next jump, it’s a big one and it requires a whole new level of preparation, but they’re willing.

“We started the year well, set our platform, and now we’re starting to try to dig deep to try to take the next step as a team.

“That’s what we’re pushing hard for and everyone here’s pushing equally hard and we’re starting to get a bit harder on ourselves with our mistakes as well.

“The first few rounds, we sort of let a lot of those go. We’re starting to, just bit by bit, ask a bit more of ourselves.

“I think Perth and Winton, although the end results, 11th and 13th, don’t look spectacular on paper, there’s absolutely nothing in it.

“Now we’ve got to really start perfecting the other little things that go with just a fast car. I reckon we’re making really good inroads.”

Munday’s operation effectively came together in January and February, with pieces still being put in place at the Sydney Motorsport Park pre-season test and even Adelaide opener.

With the first six events contested within a two-and-a-half month window, Davison says the break between Winton and the CrownBet Darwin Triple Crown has come at a good time.

“Our guys hadn't really had a holiday, setting it up with a new factory, literally building everything you can see in the garage in the shop and getting the car,” he said.

“It’s been full-on. I think we’ve really improved the last two or three events, taken some really big steps forward.

“A lot of it you don’t see directly on the timesheets and race results, but just on the way we’re working as a team, we couldn’t be more positive.

“We know we’ve got to be better in a lot of areas, but we’re attacking it well and bit by bit hopefully we can keep tidying up some of our weaknesses in the second half of the year.

“We’re getting a little bit more consistent, I reckon, which comes from a lot of other process stuff - the way we debrief, the way we work and the way we understand the car to be consistently quicker.

“It's good to have a break now, recharge a bit and go again.”

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