Courtney: Tickford morale high despite luckless start

James Courtney maintains morale at Tickford Racing is high despite a luckless start to the 2023 season.

Courtney has finished three of the six races so far this year, but has shown strong pace in his #5 Snowy River Caravans Mustang.

In his three finishes, Courtney has crossed the line eighth, ninth and second.

He lost his Race 4 podium at Albert Park due to a penalty over the incident that saw David Reynolds buried in the Turn 1 gravel trap.

Regardless, Courtney has been fast, but has competed without luck after crashing in the Sunday Shootout in Newcastle, and the Melbourne fire.

Twice in as many rounds has Tickford been forced to repair Courtney’s car, but the 2010 champion said his team is remaining confident.

“These guys work ridiculous hours,” Courtney told Supercars.com.

“Over Christmas, they did an amazing job getting four cars ready, then the rebuild after Newcastle.

“Now this — as a team, we’ve been kicked in the face plenty of times.

“Morale within the team — considering everything that’s gone on — is quite good.”

Tickford has had several bright spots amid the drama; notably, Cam Waters is listed as a race winner in Newcastle, and led the championship.

Thomas Randle was seventh in the points for the round in Melbourne, with rookie Declan Fraser also scoring his first top 10 result.

Then, there’s Courtney, who despite the penalty, did manage to celebrate a podium with his crew at Albert Park.

Courtney's next stop, at Wanneroo Raceway, also featured a run to second last year.

Tickford CEO and Team Principal Tim Edwards reiterated that having car speed and motivated drivers has kept his team inspired through the drama.

“We’ve started the season with good car speed,” Edwards told Supercars.com.

“We always want more, and there are things going on in the background to help that case.

“If you’d been trundling around in 25th and had a fire like this or an accident, it’s hard to keep the morale up.

“We’re all competitive in this business — you feel like it’s worth putting in the effort when the opportunity to do well is there."

Waters is sixth, Randle 14th and Fraser 22nd in the points heading to the next round in Perth.

The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the Bosch Power Tools Perth SuperSprint on April 28-30.