Qualifying key for Davison in Tassie

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: August 10, 2024

Will Davison believes it will be vital for Dick Johnson Racing to carry on its strong qualifying form at Symmons Plains.

One lap pace is always key, but especially at the 2.4km in Tasmania, which is the shortest of the year.

Qualifying is usually very close at Symmons Plains with just 0.0029s and 0.0183s the difference in Sunday’s two qualifying sessions last year.

Looking to be leading the fight for pole is Davison, who has been one of the most consistent qualifying contenders in recent rounds.

After not being able to secure a top five grid position in the first 13 races, Davison has hardly missed out since with the #17 being in the first three rows in each of the last five races.

The latest performance was the best as Davison ended a two-year drought between poles.

DJR teammate Anton De Pasquale is also in strong form having qualified in the top 10 in the last nine races.

Being the last sprint round of 2024 and final stop before the enduros, it is a vital part of the 2024 season.

Davison is buoyed by DJR’s one-lap pace and knows carrying on this momentum will be vital to his hopes of adding to his Tasmanian wins tally in 2012 and 2016.

“It is an important time of the year being the last sprint round before we go enduro racing,” he said.

“Tassie is a unique one, it creates an interesting race each year and is a real little bullring.

“One of the shortest most technical tracks we go to and with how close the cars are at the moment qualifying is going to be absolutely insanely tight.

“We are looking forward to it coming off a pole position in Sydney and provisional pole in Townsville so our qualifying speed has been good and that is going to set you up for a big weekend.

“We are certainly keen to capitalise on that and nail some big results.

“We know how close the cars are now, we still have little strengths and weaknesses which I think is fascinating whether that is across the makes and how the individual teams are engineering their cars.

“It takes nothing to get the car in or out of the sweet spot and be hero or zero, in the space of a 15 minute session you can go from first to 15th just like that.

“That is why we are still on our toes going into each weekend because you just don’t know what is going to unfold.”

The Tasmania SuperSprint is on next weekend.

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Qualifying key for Davison in Tassie

After not being able to secure a top five grid position in the first 13 races, Davison has hardly missed out since with the #17 being in the first three rows in each of the last five races.

“It is an important time of the year being the last sprint round before we go enduro racing,” he said.

“We are looking forward to it coming off a pole position in Sydney and provisional pole in Townsville so our qualifying speed has been good and that is going to set you up for a big weekend.

“It takes nothing to get the car in or out of the sweet spot and be hero or zero, in the space of a 15 minute session you can go from first to 15th just like that.

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