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Waters' car key to his success

30 Jun 2015
Gracie says the Prodrive Dunlop Series seat will be hot property if it becomes available and Waters elevates to the main game.
3 mins by James Pavey
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Renee Gracie believes V8 Supercars Dunlop Series drivers are queuing up for Cameron Waters' Prodrive Racing (Australia) seat, should he be elevated to the V8 Supercars Championship next year.

While the 20-year old praised Waters' talents, she suggested the strength of his Ford Falcon and the support provided by Prodrive were key parts of the Championship leader's success this year.

Waters - competing for his fourth year in the category - has won seven of the eight races this season, having clean swept the last round at Winton. The 20-year old leads veteran and two-time Dunlop Series winner Paul Dumbrell by 118 points, and a number of high profile pit lane personalities have stated he now deserves a drive in the V8 Supercars Championship.

Gracie featured on the Inside Supercars panel tonight - along with fellow Dunlop Series driver Jack Le Brocq - and when discussions turned to Waters and his dominance, both Gracie and V8 Supercars Hall of Famer Mark Skaife commented on the strength of his Ford Falcon.

"There's a lot of talk about his car," Gracie said on Inside Supercars.

"Everyone kind of wispersthat - I guess there's a bit of a bidding war for his car next year and what's going to happen next year...

"I definitely think Cam's as good as what he is [achieving]. He's got the equipment and he's got the ability as well, which just is a winning formula."

Skaife emphasised just how important years of experience in the Dunlop Series can be for young drivers.

"I think he's showing his real car speed now - a couple of years in this category have served him well, it's matured him," Skaife said of Waters on the Inside Supercars panel.

"There's no doubt being put in a seriously good car makes a huge difference to how you approach your weekend and as I said, he's maturing and [it's] evolving for him.

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"I think he deserves a ride - I think the best way for them to do it is for Prodrive to park him somewhere ... a little bit like they did with [Chaz] Mostert, I think that's the smart thing to do with him."

In her first year of the Dunlop Series, Fujitsu-backed Gracie emphasised just how difficult the change from the Porsche Carrera Cup to the V8 Supercar has been.

She is planning a multi-year attack on the series, in the hope of honing her talents as Waters has, and sees the 2016 season as the true opportunity to make her mark.

"A lot of the guys now have being doing it for three, some four years like Cam Waters, so hopefully I can stick around for that long," she said.

"It's definitely one of those things - I'm in my first year and I'm just holding on at the moment. I'm just learning as much as I can, doing as many laps as I can - next year will be the real test, I feel."

Gracie enjoys assistance from 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winner Paul Morris, who not only acts as a mentor but competes alongside her on-track.

She appreciates Morris' honest attitude and wants every piece of advice she can get to improve her performance.

"If you're doing good he'll you know, if you're not doing so good, he'll also let you know - so I like that," she said.

Gracie sits 16h in the Championship but is looking forward to heading to one of her favourite tracks on the calendar for the next round, with the Dunlop Series supporting the V8 Supercars at the July 10-12 Castrol EDGE Townsville 400.

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