Podium for Davidson and Johnson for DJR

Jim Beam Racing’s Will Davison and Steve Johnson have finished third in the L&H Phillip Island 500, the opening V8 Supercar endurance race of the year.
Having been among the pace-setters all weekend, Davison ran third for the majority of the opening stint after a strong start.

Johnson continued the team’s charge in the second stint, before a safety car period and heavy rain storm just after the halfway mark changed the complexion of the 113-lap encounter.

Leading the race on slick tyres, Johnson survived a wild off-track moment before pitting for wets, with Davison getting back behind the wheel.

Davison made inroads in the wet, with the team reverting to slick tyres during the second safety car period as the track dried.

From fifth, Davison moved up to third and pulled away from James Courtney after the last restart to secure the final podium position.

“Steve and I are rapt to be on the podium again,” Davison said.

“It was chaotic out there on the wet track trying to pass cars, but the second safety car period helped get us right back in the game.

“We’ve been very competitive all weekend and it shows the progress we’ve made throughout the year.”

The result is the team’s third podium finish of the year and second in succession, with Davison remaining fifth in the championship and Johnson moving up to 11th.

“It’s a great feeling, after such a long weekend and tough format,” Johnson said.

“The rain almost caught us out with our strategy in the middle of the race, those laps on slicks in the rain were diabolical, but we had a strong car and it all came back to us.

“It’s a team effort and all of the guys have been putting in 110%; we enjoy the endurance races and we’ll go to Bathurst looking to move up a couple of steps on the podium.”

After qualifying an impressive fifth on Saturday, the #17 Jim Beam Racing Falcon of Steve Owen and Warren Luff started strongly, with Owen maintaining the same position during the opening stint.

The duo were on-track for a Top 10 finish before losing a lap on slick tyres amid the rain storm, eventually finishing 22nd after a late-race incident.

V8 Supercar’s season of endurance continues on 9-12 October at the iconic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, where Davison and Johnson finished third last year.

“It’s a great result for Jim Beam Racing after such a challenging race,” Jim Beam Racing sporting director Adrian Burgess said.

“Will and Steve [Johnson] were one of the quickest cars all weekend and raced strongly to score another podium finish.

“Steve [Owen] and Warren did a great job all weekend as well and were unfortunate things didn’t go their way in the race.

“Everything is shaping up well for Bathurst next month.”