DJR CEO: Taupō performance 'only the start'
DJR jumped from 10th to fourth in teams' points in Taupō
Anton De Pasquale won Jason Richards Memorial Trophy
DJR CEO says Taupō "only the start of where we want to get back to"
The Shell V-Power Racing Team's return to form in New Zealand is "only the start of where we want to get back to," says CEO David Noble.
Anton De Pasquale claimed overall round honours in Taupō on a weekend Dick Johnson Racing scored its first double podium of the Gen3 era.
It was a marked improvement on the form that left the Ford squad 10th in the teams' standings after the first two rounds, with a DNF and DNS in Melbourne leaving De Pasquale outside the top 20.
Come New Zealand, and both DJR Fords were fast from Friday practice, save for a head-scracthing run to 19th in Sunday's race for Will Davison.
However, despite leading the way in what was a mixed weekend for other front-running teams, Noble wants DJR to continue to carry on its theme for 2024 and "hunt down the opposition."
“To get some reward and get some nourishment for our effort is really good,” said Noble, whose team last won in Townsville last July.
“For us, it’s only the start of where we want to get back to. We said at the start of the year, we wanted to hunt.
“That was our theme — we wanted to hunt down the opposition this year, and we have got more work ahead of us.”
The Live Pit Lane rule provided a visual reminder of how far DJR had fallen after the first two rounds, the team towards the rear of the lane in Taupō. However, in one fell swoop, DJR will be fourth in the queue at the next round in Perth, and is nine points behind Erebus Motorsport.
Noble suggested being towards the back of the lane in New Zealand was a "motivator" for the team, and that it was an opportunity to "embrace" to challenge of fighting back.
“It’s not about complaining where you are — you’re there for a reason. Sometimes the sport tells you where you are, and that’s where we landed," he said.
“So for us, it’s about getting back to work, staying positive, staying really aligned as to what our beliefs were, and getting these guys a car that could actually do something out on the track."
Davison and De Pasquale are ninth and 12th in the drivers' standings heading to Perth on May 17-19. Tickets for the event are on sale now.
