We Wanted Will to Stay!
Ford Performance Racing co-owner Rod Nash has revealed the factory operation made a last minute bid after Bathurst to retain Will Davison's services by "substantially" raising its renewal offer.
The move proved to no avail, as Davison, who is still in with a shot at the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship, is moving on from the Pepsi Max sponsored team at the end of the season after a three year stint.
His place alongside Mark Winterbottom, who has recently extended his deal with FPR out to the end of 2016, will be taken by rookie sensation Chaz Mostert.
Davison’s new racing home has yet to be announced.
“We were serious about keeping Will,” Nash told v8supercars.com.au in a wide ranging interview. "Straight after Bathurst we met with Will and ... post that meeting we upped our offer again and they are the facts."
Nash was responding to pitlane speculation that FPR had not been that keen to keep Davison and his expensive salary when it had the exciting and cheaper Mostert already under contract.
“We are not talking about the details, but we substantially upped our offer so that showed we did not have any grand plan behind the scenes ... that Chaz was going in that car.
"The grand plan was to renew with Will and we tried also to get Will to understand we felt his best interest lay with this team because he had done so well and brought a lot of wins to the team in the last three years."
It is understood FPR’s first offer to Davison was below his current salary, reflecting uncertainty about Ford renewing and question marks over other members of the team’s sponsor base.
But by the time negotiations had concluded in the week after the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and Davison had elected to leave, it is believed the final offer had been ramped up to fundamentally match his old salary.
“Drivers have their own reasons why they move and obviously he sees opportunity for himself and it's up to him to explain that," reflected Nash.
While regretting Davison’s decision, Nash also made it clear that there were high expectations on Mostert, who has been groomed through the development series by FPR and sent on loan to Dick Johnson Racing in 2013 where he won a race at the Coates Hire Ipswich 360.
“He is definitely talented, there is no doubt about that," said Nash. "He has his own aura about him; he has a really happy style of dry humour too. I think he is ready for it.”
Nash also painted a financially solid future for FPR. He confirmed long-term sponsor Orrcon Steel had renewed, although Westrac was ending its association with the team.
As part of a restructure of its commercial operations the team will also take over its own merchandising sales in 2014.
Nash and Rusty French bought FPR from British motorsport and automotive engineering firm Prodrive this year. The Bathurst win by Winterbottom and Steve Richards was the first for the operation in its 11year history and it could also break through for its first ever V8 Supercars Drivers’ Championship with either Winterbottom or Davison this year too.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Prodrive owner David Richards taking some of the credit, Nash revealed.
“David Richards sent me an email after Bathurst congratulating us on the win, but the second part of the email reminded me that FPR over all the preceding years had been working up to that win,” Nash revealed.
“The ownership change had nothing to do with it; the guys were doing exactly what they had been doing for some time.”
Nash admitted to feeling “battered and bruised” by the experience of the 2013, in which FPR had been the subject of significant media criticism and pitlane speculation.
“But it’s like anything, you can throw yourself in the gutter and start kicking and screaming or you can use the challenge to be bigger and better.”
Nash is also riding high on the pleasure of seeing David Reynolds break through for his first win in the category at the Gold Coast, driving the Bottle-O Falcon that is underpinned by RNR Racing Entitlements Contract Nash has campaigned in the championship in one from or other for 16 years, the last four with FPR.
“My allegiance is with the Bottle-O,” admitted Nash. “I am very proud to win, but it’s still good for the FPR boys too, because Davey’s win as special for them too.”
