James Courtney eyes championship title
After taking out the final race of the Winton 360 on Sunday, James Courtney has found himself well and truly in the hunt for the 2013 V8 Supercar championship title. The 2010 series champion currently occupies 6th position in the standings; however he is perpetually growing in confidence and continues to spearhead the Holden Racing Team revival.
On the back of a two-year winless drought in the category, James Courtney’s convincing victory in the final race of the Winton 360 on Sunday sent a stern warning across the V8 Supercar paddock. From pole position, the HRT pilot was never challenged, and consistently pulled away from the field after several restarts posed a threat to his first victory of the season.
When prompted about his attitude prior to arresting the long winless stretch, Courtney told v8supercars.com.au that he had never lost hope with the knowledge that his team was working hard to produce a more competitive car.
“I always knew it was going to happen,” he said. “The thing is we have been working so hard and the crazy thing is we can see so much that is coming and the whole time we have been saying ‘it’s coming, it’s coming’ and you guys have probably been thinking ‘nothing is coming, you are just making it up’. But there are things in the pipeline and nothing happens overnight.”
Further bolstering Courtney’s championship campaign, engine upgrades are due to be implemented on the Walkinshaw Racing entries ahead of the opening race of the Pirtek Enduro Cup at Sandown Raceway next month. The developments will come at an ideal time for the factory-backed Holden team, with lofty horsepower an essential commodity on the long straights at Sandown and Bathurst.
Courtney is full of optimism in the wake of his Winton victory, and is eyeing a strong performance at the hallowed Mount Panorama tarmac in October armed with expected performance upgrades.
“I think I am in a really strong position,” said the Gold Coast-based 33-year-old. “We have been building and building and building and we still have more stuff to come so it’s a fantastic time for the Holden Racing Team and a great time of year to be coming on strong”.
“I’m looking forward to Bathurst. It is 300 points you can gain or lose, so it is very much open,” Courtney added. “We have to share our car with someone else and that is always pretty exciting because they are in control of your championship for a little bit there. I couldn’t be happier with having Murph onboard. The guy has so much experience and I think I am going to learn a lot from him driving in those three events as well.”
Courtney’s Walkinshaw Racing team mates, Garth Tander and Russell Ingall, endured a difficult round at Winton Motor Raceway, however armed with the services of Nick Percat and Ryan Briscoe respectively, the Pirtek Enduro Cup offers a grand chance for both drivers to advance their championship position.
The Melbourne-based Walkinshaw Racing outfit will not have to travel far to the next V8 Supercar event at Sandown Raceway, which commences on the 13th of September. The upcoming Wilson Security Sandown 500 will kick off the inaugural Pirtek Enduro Cup, which also encapsulates the Bathurst 1000 and Gold Coast 600.
