
And that was completing a second new car shakedown within a few short months of the first.
The veteran shook down his brand new Shell-backed Mustang, built on an Erebus chassis, at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday.
He was able to complete 60 kilometres in the brand new car ahead of its expected debut at the Perth Super440 next month.
There was a strong sense of deja vu for Davison, given he also shook down, and then debuted, a new car before the start of the season in February.
That, however, was a car built on a Pace Innovations chassis, a late decision taken only when the Erebus chassis that had been earmarked for him had to undergo changes for compliance.
That forced a brand new Pace chassis into action, while teammate Brodie Kostecki was able to kick off the season in his Erebus chassis.
According to Davison the experience of rapid-fire shakedowns was an odd one, however he is excited to know he has identical equipment to his teammate moving forward.
“This is my second new car shake down in four months, so it feels a bit strange,” Davison told Speedcafe.
“This is the car I was meant to run at the start of the season; obviously there were some delays in that process.
“We built up one of last year’s Pace chassis, which is handy as a spare. But we knew this was coming and I’ve been pretty excited about today to get my hands on it.
“At least we now know that both cars are identical. Not that there should be much in it with the controlled nature of the sport, but you want to make sure everything is the same when you’re working so closely as teammates.”
Davison confirmed that there were no obvious differences noticeable during the shakedown.
“I wouldn’t be reading into any feelings from today,” he said. “But the car felt great.
“At the end of the day there is no way you can buy performance in these cars. It comes down to attention to detail, to knowing what you’ve got, and the margins you’re working with in between the two cars.
“You just need to make sure everything is identical and correlating perfectly. There’s no magic bullet, there’s no free speed in this category.
“It’s just understanding the car and the tolerances you’re working with, because it’s very easy to get lost.
“It’s really just quality control. Knowing they are the same is critical.”
As for the day itself, Davison said some early ergonomic issues were the only problems.
“It was pretty much a trouble-free day,” he said.
“A few little gremlins to kick things off, but that’s to be expected. There were a few creature comfort things, nothing that couldn’t be resolved very quickly and after a couple of laps it all ran smoothly.
“A couple of the guys have only been on my car for only two events, so it’s been a great project for them, building this car up in the background, especially when the [race] cars were on the ship to and from New Zealand.
“It’s been a good process for them. Two races in for them and we’re shaking down a new baby.”
The running for car #17 also included some engine evaluation work on behalf of Supercars, which saw DJR enduro driver Todd Hazelwood get some laps after Davison had to depart the track for the airport.
Hazelwood made his first appearance for DJR at the pre-season test, although did so in the #38 entry that he and Kostecki will use to defend their Bathurst 1000 crown later this year.
Kostecki was also on hand for Wednesday’s running but didn’t drive.
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