Best finish so far

C Terpos

July 12, 2006

Team Australia’s Champ Car Atlantic Driver, James Davison, faced a tough challenge after Qualifying for Round 7 of the Champ Car Atlantic Series held at the Toronto Street Circuit. Davison experienced a lack of grip and qualified 20th. However he worked hard overnight with the Team to improve the handling, which paid dividends on race day, when he drove through the field to secure 12th position, his best finish so far. In isolation, 12th position does not sound impressive, however Davison has earnt the respect for consistently finishing higher than his grid position and bringing the car home without damage. For example he has completed 211 of the 240 racing laps held in the series thus far, the only retirement being at Portland where he was eliminated as a result of a questionable passing move by another competitor. Davison’s finishing record in such a highly competitive series often where the first 20 grid positions are separated by a second, is testimony that he is continuing to mature and to apply under pressure his ability to bring the car home on race day and score points. Qualifying Quotes: James - "It's fair to say we are struggling this weekend. My team mate Simon Pagenaud isn’t where he usually is and I’ve moved backwards as well. I feel like I’m driving better every time I get in the car. Basically the car lacks grip and is either under steering or the rear is loose, so it’s a handful. It’s a disappointing result, but we are really trying. In the past I have always moved up on race day." Derrick Walker - "We have a lot of work to do for both Champ Car and Atlantic Teams. We are clearly missing the boat and have to do a lot more work to catch up. It’s in the cars there somewhere, we’ve just got to find it." Craig Gore - "Obviously the boys are struggling to come to grips with the Toronto track. We have plenty of work to do overnight to put us in a position to pick up a decent bag of championship points. Toronto is one of those places where anything can happen. I think if the racing gods are on our side tomorrow we can be in the mix." Race Quotes: James - "Today was a much better day. I got a good start and passed about five guys once I got into turn one. Then typically there was an accident, so Phillippe and I had to go down the escape road and do a flick spin or else we would have gotten jammed in it. Then once the race went green again I passed Phillippe and caught another competitor. I was doing better times as the race progressed. I didn’t quite have the car to give me that extra half a second I needed to mix it up to the top ten. I just need to improve my qualifying performance. I had top ten speed in Cleveland, and Edmonton is a similar airport circuit, so I should be able to show what I’ve got in Edmonton." Derrick Walker - "During the weekend we didn’t have the car as good as we needed it, but we never gave up. We worked continuously throughout the weekend to get the set-up better. James did an excellent job in the race." Craig Gore - "James again produced a solid result and is now continually knocking on the door of the top 10, which is a fantastic effort considering his race car experience. I think James is laying the foundation for a very solid motor racing career. The experience he is gaining this season is remarkable." Round 8 of the Champ Car Atlantic Series will be held at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on 23 July 2006.