DJR enters Gen3 with familiar look
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 6 February 2023
The famous Dick Johnson Racing team steps into the new Gen3 era of Supercars with a revised livery on its two new DJR Ford Mustangs.
It is the latest evolution of a style of livery the iconic Ford squad has campaigned since 2017 when Scott McLaughlin first arrived at the team, with it now being seen on the Gen3 Ford Mustang.
DJR joins fellow Ford squads Blanchard Racing Team and Grove Racing as the three teams to show off their 2023 warpaint. Erebus Motorsport has confirmed it will pull the covers off on Wednesday.
DJR is the Ford homologation team of Gen3 and its new car is expected to make its on-track debut at Queensland Raceway tomorrow.
Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale remain in cars #17 and #11 respectively and are both hoping to drive DJR forward to make it the team to beat once again.
Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale with their 2023 DJR Ford Mustang. Image: Shell V-Power Racing Facebook
Since scoring a championship three-peat from 2018 to 2020, DJR has stepped aside as Shane van Gisbergen and Triple Eight Race Engineering have reclaimed the high ground.
Davison is on a high after returning to victory lane for the first time in six years, while a win remained elusive for De Pasquale, but he still registered a career-best championship results.
DJR hopes its new look in the new era of Supercars is a winning one.
Aside from the obvious body shape change between the Gen2 and Gen3 era Ford Mustangs, there are some subtle differences to the familiar colour scheme.
Will Davison at the 2022 Tasmania SuperSprint. Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images
The 2023 car carries a lot more yellow than its predecessor, with the splitter becoming yellow for the the first time since 2020 when Fabian Coulthard last drove for the team.
Yellow continues across the entire bottom of the car, being seen on the side skirts and rear-end, which has been all white in the last two years. The colour is also spotted on the mirrors.
The red front end which stands out on TV has been retained, while the all-white which spreads from the front wheel arch and beyond has also remained.
Interestingly the entire front splitter has been covered in red, including the purely aesthetic inlets either side of the air intake which are there to model the road car and have remained black on the BRT Mustang. DJR elected to cover it up to keep its red style.
The team revealed the new look on TV and Davison was immediately impressed with its “tough” new look.
The red and white colours first appeared on a DJR Ford in 2017 campaigned by Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard. Image: Motorsport Images
“The car looks fantastic, it’s different – as soon as you see it, it looks tough, it looks fast, it looks slick,” he said.
“With our cars built here we’ve been able to really refine the build and now it’s time for us to get in and get comfortable.
“There’s a lot of new things ahead of us that we need to understand, but we’re all pumped to see it on the track and get the year underway.”
De Pasquale is thrilled to see DJR’s “iconic” look continue for another year.
“I’m super excited for this new generation of Supercars, it’s a different look for our team,” he said.
“The livery is a little bit different but still looks as iconic as we know the Shell V-Power colours are.
“Everyone in the workshop has been working super hard, so I’m looking forward to that first day the cars roll out and hopefully it brings us a lot of success along the way.”
The white rear end was an addition to the 2021 DJR Ford Mustang.Photo by Mark Horsburgh / LAT Images
For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of AUTO ACTION.
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