CHAMP WITH NO DRIVE
Blow for Ford star as Supercars lines up for new-look series
MOTORSPORT: Two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Will Davison has sensationally been left without a full-time Supercars drive after the demise of team 23Red.
The leading Ford team pulled out of the championship ahead of the Supercars season’s resumption in June after losing a major backer amid the coronavirus shutdown.
Veteran driver Davison is looking at his options but has already been linked to an enduro co-driver gig with Tickford Racing this year, replacing US-based Alex Premat.
“It’s been a pretty tough thing to take. It’s pretty hard to get my head around with the announcement that we’re going racing again and that I won’t be on the grid,” Davison said in a social media post.
“I can guarantee you I’ll be giving everything I’ve got to get myself back on the grid, hopefully in the not-toodistant future. I still feel like I’ve got a lot to offer.”
Davison’s pain may be one-time championship winner James Courtney’s gain.
Courtney has been without a drive since making the shock decision to quit new Holden outfit Team Sydney after the season-opening round in Adelaide in February.
A Courtney entry looks set to replace 23Red which raced from Tickford Racing’s garage featuring four cars.
Adding momentum to a Courtney comeback, Tickford Racing said it was still committed to providing “four entries when the 2020 season resumes”.
“We are working diligently on the options available to accomplish this goal, and are optimistic we will be able to provide an update on this in the near future,” the team said in a statement.
Supercars confirmed yesterday the revised season will restart at Sydney Motorsport Park on June 27-28 and conclude at Bathurst in February.
The Gold Coast and Newcastle rounds – both on street circuits – have been scrapped in the new-look series which will run over 13 rounds, and initially without fans.
Supercars has not held a complete race meet since the opening Adelaide 500 in February after the coronavirus pandemic shut down the season following qualifying at the Melbourne 400 at Albert Park in mid-March.
The Melbourne round will not be rescheduled.
The Bathurst 1000 is the only event to have kept its date and four-day format on the calendar, taking place at Mount Panorama from October 8-11.
The series will return to Mount Panorama for the second time for the final round for a sprint event that will coincide with the Bathurst 12 Hour enduro from February 5-7, fulfilling a commitment to the NSW government to hold the final round in the state.
“We will continually assess the possibility of admitting fans to events based on the direction of government restrictions, including how we might be able to accommodate camping and park and ride,” Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said. “(But) at this stage the June event at Sydney Motorsport Park will be a television-only event with no fans in attendance.”