‘Hunting’ is a key message as part of the reveal of the Dick Johnson Racing Ford Mustangs of Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison, which sport a revised livery for the second season of Gen3 competition.
The first was a tough one for the famous Ford squad, which dropped from second in the teams’ championship with four race wins in 2022 to fifth with a single, somewhat fortunate victory in 2023.
In the macro environment, it has worked with Supercars as the Blue Oval’s homologation team on multiple parity measures, including wind tunnel testing, while Story has led the project to improve the Ford powerplant through DJR’s newly acquired engine division.
DJR CEO David Noble said, “As we look to attack the 2024 season, the Shell V-Power Racing Team is excited to unveil a livery that embodies the core of our racing DNA.
“While our livery may be familiar, it signifies our team’s rich history, legacy, and unwavering commitment to excellence.
“Throughout the off-season, our dedicated team has been driven to improve from the lessons learned, emerging with a stronger resolve to hunt success this year.
“Heading into this season, our direction is clear, return to the top.”
Dick Johnson, a co-owner of the team which bears his name, added, “We’ve just come out of a really tough year; 2023 was probably the toughest year we’ve had in a long, long time, but a lot of hard work has been done by our team in the off season and I’m really looking forward to getting back into it, especially at Bathurst.
“I think things have been equalised pretty well and I believe that we will back fighting up the front.”
While the DJR Mustangs retain their now customary hues, they feature more red ‘paintwork’, particularly at the rear end.
Along with Shell V-Power and the likes of Pirtek, Cars #11 and #17 also sport the new Ford Performance branding which brings Supercars teams into line with other Mustang programmes around the world.
DJR’s season launch announcement declared the team is “hunting their return to the top,” with its drivers echoing the theme.
Car #11 pilot De Pasquale said, “2024 is shaping up to be a big year and I’m super-pumped to back on the racetrack with Shell V-Power Racing Team.
“I think we’ll have a tight championship battle ahead of us and we will be fighting hard to be amongst the top of it consistently throughout the year.”
Davison remarked, “This time of year is always exciting as we count down to the first race of the season.
“Last year was challenging, but our team has worked exceptionally hard over the off-season and we’re coming back fighting in 2024.
“I can’t wait to be back on track again soon and am very proud to, once again, be competing in the iconic #17 Shell V-Power Mustang.”
In the more immediate future, a DJR Mustang will be on-track as part of a demonstration/engine testing exercise at this weekend’s Bathurst 12 Hour, with the Supercars season kicking off a week later at Mount Panorama.
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