Top 10 Supercars drivers of 2024: Will Davison
As 2024 winds down, Supercars.com is ranking the top 10 drivers of the 2024 Repco Supercars Championship, starting with Will Davison, who comes in as our #10.
Amid a 2024 season that was well below the lofty standards of Dick Johnson Racing, the steady hand of Will Davison steered the ship to some solid results.
After a 2023 season that was marred by the parity deficit for Ford teams, 2024 presented a fresh start for the Blue Oval after a strong end last year, however the Ford homologation team continued to struggle with inconsistency.
Through all of that, there were still enough highlights for Davison this year that Shell V-Power Racing opted to re-sign the 42-year-old for next season as they go into a brave new era, and despite an inconsistent season, there were enough flashes of a promising future to warrant a spot in our top 10.
Will Davison's season stats
Championship position: 9th
Best finish: 2nd (New Zealand)
Average finish: 11.58
Race head-to-head with teammate: 14-10
Podiums: 1
Best start: 1st (Sydney)
Average start: 12.75
Qualifying head-to-head with teammate: 10-14
Why we picked him
The numbers alone might not make for amazing reading, but it is important to note that Dick Johnson Racing once again were struggling in the midfield for the majority of the season, save for the odd weekend of speed. Whilst teammate Anton De Pasquale had his measure in one lap pace, and claimed the team's only major silverware of the season in the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy in Taupo, Davison stood up when it mattered most in the races. His drive to second in Taupo was the team's best race result all year in their first winless season since 2016, and also recorded top five finishes in Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, and Adelaide. At the other end of the inconsistent scale, a poor run of form across Sandown, Bathurst, and the Gold Coast did much more harm than good for his championship run. Though 12th at Bathurst mightn't sound like much, it was a gutsy drive after his nasty crash in Friday qualifying, and should be commended.
What we expect next season
Next year Dick Johnson Racing are throwing everything but the kitchen sink at turning around their Gen3 fortunes, making some big moves in the silly season. 2023 champion and reigning Bathurst winner Brodie Kostecki joins the team from Erebus Motorsport, and brings engineers George Commins and Tom Moore with him, as well as Erebus-built chassis. Whilst Davison's partnership with Dr Richard Harris comes to an end, and a settling in period with Moore can be expected, the engineer comes highly-rated as one of the best in the pit lane. Whilst it might not mesh straight away, all of the ingredients are there for Davison to cash in and return to the top step of the podium later in the season.
