Davison: It's time to step up and get trophies

Will Davison has identified a return to the podium as the next goal for Dick Johnson Racing amid a recent increase in qualifying speed for the Shell V-Power Mustangs.

Davison claimed his first pole position since 2022 in the Sunday shootout at Sydney Motorsport Park, whilst teammate Anton De Pasquale has featured in every shootout this season.

Davison hasn’t featured on the podium since the wet Saturday race in Taupo, where he finished second to Andre Heimgartner.

De Pasquale claimed back-to-back third places that weekend, and also hasn’t featured on the podium since.

Whilst Davison acknowledged the team has progressed, he admits that now is the time to convert qualifying speed into strong race results.

“We’re coming off a pole position in Sydney, a provisional pole position in Townsville, so our qualifying speed has been good,” Davison said.

“That’s going to set you up for a big weekend in Tasmania, so we’re certainly keen to try and capitalise on that qualifying speed and nail some big race results.”

The qualifying form of both Dick Johnson Racing cars should theoretically hold them in good stead for both races in Tasmania, as 11 of the last 13 races at Symmons Plains have been won from the front row.

With little room for error across a 50 second lap, and qualifying margins the closest they’ve ever been, Davison underlined how crucial qualifying will be this weekend.

“That’s Gen3, obviously we’ve had a lot of highly publicised changes in the off season, but we know how even the cars are now," Davison said.

“I think there’s still little strengths and little weaknesses which is pretty fascinating across the makes, and clearly the way each team is engineering their cars.

“It takes nothing to be hero or zero. I’ve been in the sport a long time, but in the space of a 15 minute session you can be quickest and then 15th just like that, it takes nothing to get the car in and out of the sweet spot.

Whilst the team has been steadily making their way back towards the top after a difficult start to 2024, now sitting fifth in the teams points, Davison admits it won’t be easy taking that next step.

“We can’t overcomplicate it too much, there’s no magic bullet. We’ve seen Triple Eight have dominated and then been 15th, 17th on the grid, we’ve seen Walkinshaw dominate races and then been in the 20’s on the grid in Darwin," he explained.

“That’s not because a component didn’t work, it’s just purely set-up and getting this car working on this tyre at any given circuit.

“The windows are small, I think being as consistent as we are is not easy to do, across all the shootouts as of late both of our cars were there, which is a big tick.”

Davison will be looking to carry momentum through the enduro season, where he teams up with teenage sensation Kai Allen, fresh off securing his full-time Supercars promotion with Grove Racing.

“We have to get a bit sharper in race trim, but it doesn’t take much, we’re not far away," Davison said.

“Bring on the unpredictable nature of this season, it’s time for us to step up and get some trophies.”

The NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint begins on Friday afternoon at Symmons Plains. Tickets are on sale now.