SURFING: P42 LEAGUE: P40-41

THERE are few higher accolades a driver can receive than being likened to motorsport megastar Fernando Alonso – right now, it’s a comparison James Courtney might happily do without.

Both racers are high-profile former champions of their categories: Formula One for Alonso and Supercars for Courtney. Both are the face of a famous team, McLaren-Honda and Walkinshaw Racing, respectively.

And both are currently being held back by spectacularly underwhelming machinery. Despite consistently drawing plaudits for his performances, Alonso is 17th in the championship with a measly two points to his name at the halfway point of the F1 season.

His shockingly unreliable car has allowed him to make it to the finish line just twice this year.

Walkinshaw’s pace struggles meanwhile have limited Courtney to 20th in the Supercars standings, already 924 points behind leader Scott McLaughlin.

“Yeah, a lot of people have been referring to me as Alonso for this season,” Courtney told the Bulletin with a laugh.

Both men have shown signs of being disgruntled but have learnt to take joy in the little wins.

“Townsville (this month) was a little win,” said Courtney, who was ninth in the Sunday race there.

“It’s pretty disappointing when a win for you is a top 10 but realistically that’s where we are and realistically that’s where McLaren is.

“So it’s probably hard being a supporter of our team at the moment with everything that has been going on but we’re working flat out as much as McLaren is.

“Alonso hasn’t forgotten how to drive and as much as he hasn’t, I haven’t … we have just got to make sure we can get the cars so we can perform.

It will be a sweet day when that day arrives.”

And as the 37-year-old points out, it’s not all bad: “I’m alive, the family is healthy and I’m getting paid to race a car”.

Courtney is signed with the Holden squad formally known as Mobil 1 HSV Racing until the end of 2019 and confirmed he will honour that contract.

The hope is for improved results next year, given that’s where the team’s focus now lies.

“Really the results from here to the end of the year mean nothing,” he said.

“We are just building, trying to get momentum, trying to get a direction with the car between now and then (2018) and then have an attack.”

The next Supercars round is at Ipswich from July 28-30.