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Will Davison will compete in his third different Toll Holden Racing Team Commodore VE chassis at this weekend’s Sydney Telstra 500 after his huge Sandown crash recently.
Davison will drive the car last raced by Garth Tander at the Armor All Gold Coast 600. Tander did not finish that race after hitting the wall at the first chicane.
The ex-Tander chassis (WR 012) is one of two brand-new Walkinshaw Racing-built cars that debuted at Hidden Valley this year. Davison’s car (WR 013) was damaged in his crash while running third at Mount Panorama. He used an older car (WR 006) at the Gold Coast before stepping back into WR 013 for Symmons Plains and Sandown.
Tander is currently driving the newest of the WR Commodores (WR 014), debuted at Symmons Plains.
Davison, who will contest his last race with the Toll HRT this weekend before switching to factory rivals Ford Performance Racing, said that jumping into Tander’s old chassis will feel a lot more comfortable than the car he totalled at Sandown.
“It’s my third for the year, but I’ll be happier in this one,” he told Speedcafe.com.au.
“The new cars we went to have been a bit different, quite a bit nicer in a few areas. Going back to chassis 6 for the Gold Coast was a step backwards because the characteristics are different, but this car is identical to my 13 chassis.
‘The car has actually been built up with most of my gear in it, so it’s the same spec.
“I jumped in the car for a seat fitting earlier and my seat position and pedal box fits like a glove. The seat didn’t even need to be moved one bit.”
This weekend’s Sydney Telstra 500 represents Davison’s last drive for Toll HRT. He says he has enjoyed the highs – including winning the 2009 Bathurst 1000 and finishing second in the championship – but is looking forward to the next phase of his racing career.
“I didn’t envisage finishing up with HRT after just two years, especially after all the amazing achievements we had last year,” he said.
“We had such highs in a short time, but this year, we’ve gone the other way. Part of me is sad for sure, but the other part of me is looking forward to the next chapter of my career.
“But I’m looking forward to having some positive closure and enjoy the weekend with some of the people who have been great to me. It would be nice to give them something for their hard work.
“It has been frustrating times with all the crashes and what not, so it will be nice to finish the season with a straight car and a decent result.”
The Sydney Telstra 500 will kick off this Friday with four V8 Supercars practice sessions followed by qualifying and racing on both Saturday and Sunday.
