news

1/08/2009  | Davison's beaming grandmother says it all

Toll Holden racing Team’s Will Davison looked to the grandstands to see his 83-year-old grandmother Diana beaming from ear to ear after the “perfect day” at the Norton 360 Challenge at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne today.


It was 34 years ago that Davison’s grandfather Lex, an Australian Formula One Champion, was killed at this very track before the young prodigy was even born. The family history made Davison’s first win for the Holden racing Team all the all the more sweeter for the gun V8 Supercar youngster.


“She was waving the scarf and looked pretty happy,” Davison said. “To see the smile on her face was just fantastic.”


He put it down as a very personal victory. His dad Richard, who also used to race at the track, was on hand to witness the breakthrough along with fiancée Riana Crehan and little brother Alex, driving for Stone Brothers Racing.


Davison comfortably beat Jim Beam Racing’s in-form James Courtney, also a first time winner at the last event in Townsville, and TeamVodafone’s Craig Lowndes, at the same time making up 48 points in Championship leader Jamie Whincup.


“What a perfect day. We’ve really worked together for this one,” Davison said.

“It’s hard to explain but it feels like the best win of my career. It’s a massive year for me this year and the transition has gone perfectly.


“It was getting to that phase where I was putting pressure on myself to start winning races. It’s an unbelievable team and we are striving pretty high.


“They are the races you dream of and I certainly wasn’t relaxed out there but the car speed was fantastic. This sport keeps you on your toes but there’s no magic to it, you just work hard.


“I now know that it’s come to that time of the year that if I am going to win this Championship I can’t keep sitting behind him (Whincup) in second position. He got me off the start line but I wasn’t going to settle for it (second).”


Davison set up the day with pole position, also his first in V8 Supercars, but Whincup nabbed him from the start finish line before giving up the spot in the opening laps with a great passing move on his good mate.


Whincup’s team-mate Lowndes was the big mover amongst the field with a very fast car as he tore through the field. Lowndes and Davison were easily the best on track in the first half of the race as rain clouds moved in.


But Lowndes suffered at a pit stop when he came out in traffic to lose track position to Courtney on cold tyres with a lot of work to do. Whincup suffered more so from his pit stop when the team had trouble with his left front tyre.


Whincup went from a comfortable second to come out in seventh and then get passed by Jack Daniel’s Todd Kelly and Garry Rogers’ Michael Caruso to end up in ninth position on the track and back in a battle for positions.


It offered Courtney second place and the opportunity to challenge Davison for the lead.


At the back of the field Davison’s Toll Holden Racing Team team-mate Garth Tander was waging his own battle against the backmarkers having been disqualified from qualifying and starting at the back of the grid.


Tander quickly moved into 13th place by lap 20 in the shorter Saturday sprint race. He finished 17th so lost ground on Whincup in the Championship.


The Norton Sandown 360 Challenge continues tomorrow with a 20 minute qualifying dash in the morning followed by the longer 200km race in the afternoon.

 

Back to news summary