Davison’s first impressions
After two hours testing at Queensland Raceway, TEKNO new recruit Will Davison says he’ll need to change his driving style to adapt to his new Holden Commodore VF.
Davison won Bathurst in a Commodore in 2009 but hasn’t represented the red lion since 2010, and has not raced a Holden in the car of the future era – until today.
There was a small setback early for the team during the test, but Davison confirmed a gearing issue had been sorted out.
After clocking 17 laps, Davison shared his impressions with v8supercars.com.au.
His best time today has been a 1min11.9851, 2.5268sec from the quickest lap set by the day’s current fastest man Jamie Whincup. Davison holds the practice lap record at the circuit, a 1min09.0593, which Whincup came tantalisingly close to this morning.
“The car has a very nice tight feel to it … the setup is very different,” Davison said.
“I’m finding straight away I’m going to have to adapt my style – that’s my initial reaction straight away, so we’ve got a bit more time to do it.”
The morning has been about helping Davison get comfortable in the car.
“I’ve only had a limited time but initial reactions were – instantly turned the pit limiter off and the basic response and crispness of the engine stood out.”
There were plenty of differences from the Erebus AMG E63 he raced last year.
“[I noticed] how nice the throttle progression and torque of the engine was – it was a pretty nice sound in the car.
“Just a lot of little things with the brake package, the steering weight’s incredibly different … it feels good, but certainly I’ll have to adapt my style a little bit.
“All the comfort stuff in the car you want as a driver – nice brake pedal, steering weight, gearshift – feels really nice, engine response and all that stuff feels really nice and tight … it’s a good start. It’s different!”
The Erebus cars ran the safety E-cell, which restricted visibility in the V8 Supercar.
“The doors in the E63 are much higher so you’ve got more visibility in the car, you can’t see much in the sides.
“The E-cell is great for safety but obviously your vision [is limited]. I could just see so much around me.”
It was a lot of difference for Davison, but ultimately, he’s happy.
“It’s just characteristics and the way they set the car up, suspension, the brake master cylinders, the brake pads – you’ve got to brake very differently.
“The feeling you get through the steering and the ergonomic stuff is really different.
“It’s nice, it’s well laid out … everything’s just nicer and more responsive.”
Davison was confident the team would get through a packed program this afternoon, and already had some issues on the checklist to resolve before the season opening Clipsal 500 next month.
“Today’s all about making sure we roll into Adelaide bang on,” he said.
“There’s a lot to get through today to be honest, but it’s a pretty good start.”
The TEKNO Autosports Commodore is running a plain black livery on track and Davison wouldn’t give any hints on how it would look for the season opener.
“There will be a livery and naming rights – but that’s not for me to reveal, I don’t want to get in trouble on day one!”
DJR Team Penske and Triple Eight are also testing today at Queensland Raceway, with a handful of Dunlop Series entrants sharing the track.
