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Davison reflects on best performances

26 Feb 2015
WITH VIDEO: Will looks back at his Championship challenges with v8supercars.com.au as he celebrates his 300th race this weekend.
3 mins by James Pavey

Looking back on his years in the V8 Supercars Championship, it may surprise you which season Will Davison counts as his most successful.Davison will notch up 300 race starts in a V8 Supercar at the Clipsal 500 in Saturday's second race - an event he won in 2012, the year he believes was his best shot at winning the Championship.

Davison finished fourth in the points that year and despite being a regular contender over several seasons - even finishing runner-up in 2009 with Holden Racing Team - the 32-year old believes 2012 was his best shot at toppling good mate Jamie Whincup for the title.

"I put 2012 down as my most rewarding season, I just lost some big points at crucial moments," Davison told v8supercars.com.au.

"2012 was probably my best shot at it, but I was only fourth.

"That year I had nine pole positions, eight race wins, 19 podiums - but I was fourth because a couple of the big races Bathurst, Sandown and even one of the Gold Coast races we didn't score points. We just lost 500 points and I was leading races at that time."

He agrees that on paper 2009 looked great, with a Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 win with Garth Tander, on his way to Championship runner-up, but he believes the intensity of the competition wasn't quite at the level it has been across the last few seasons.

"I think the Championship has taken on a couple of extra levels since 2009," he explained.

"I had a Bathurst win, Phillip Island win, second in Championship, Barry Sheene Medal - on paper, it's my best year, but it was just different ... I feel like everyone stepped up a level by 2012. It was a much more fiercely contested battle," he said.

"I feel like I've executed some really good championships the last few years and done all we could."

For Davison, the move to Erebus after his third place finish in 2013 was something he did because he wanted to help build a team up into a winner.

"I want to create that - I don't want to just jump into it," he explained.

"When you get there, you know where you've come from. That's what it's all about for me."

Davison is keen to push further towards the front after signs of improvement from Erebus across his first year with the team.

An ARMOR ALL Pole Position was a highlight from the last round in Sydney, and Davison was able to steer his Mercedes-Benz AMG E63 to the podium in Townsville, a few rounds after his teammate had scored Erebus' first V8 Supercars race win.

After the first 2015 hit-out at the sydney.com SuperTest earlier this month, Davison is keen to get out on the track and feels Erebus is in a better position after some tweaks to the E63s.

"I'm super motivated to get going, and hopefully take it up a level from where we were last year," he said.

"We were significantly different to how we ran the car all last year and I think we've clicked on something quite nice, I feel really good in the car."

An error in the ARMOR ALL SuperShootout saw him finish 16th overall - however he believes the car is capable of top 10 results.

"I'm still in the moment and feel as motivated as the first day I did a V8 Supercar race at Clipsal,'' Davison said, reflecting on the 300 races.

"I still feel like I've got another 300 in me. I'm certainly proud that I've come this far, I've achieved a fair few things I'm proud of but certainly have got a lot of other things I want to tick off the list.

"Hopefully the best years are still ahead of me."

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