{"id":270412,"date":"2025-11-08T06:05:25","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T06:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/270412\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T06:05:25","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T06:05:25","slug":"davisons-route-to-supercars-600-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/270412\/","title":{"rendered":"Davison\u2019s route to Supercars\u2019 600 club"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>IN seven days\u2019 time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-4-Will-Davison\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Will Davison<\/a> will become the fifth member of the Supercars Championship\u2019s 600-race club.<\/p>\n<p>There, he\u2019ll count <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-6-Craig-Lowndes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Craig Lowndes<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-8-Garth-Tander\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Garth Tander<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-2-Mark-Winterbottom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Winterbottom<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-15-James-Courtney\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">James Courtney<\/a> for company.<\/p>\n<p>V8 Sleuth looks back at the 22-time race winner\u2019s prolific career with a step-by-step journey through the years below\u2026<\/p>\n<p>2004 (Team Dynamik)<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2004-Winton-Davison-Cov-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240209\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Graeme Neander<\/p>\n<p>At age 21, Davison got handed a couple of solo starts in the Holden team\u2019s third entry before pairing up with Dale Brede in the sister #45 for the enduros.<\/p>\n<p>2005 (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-250-Dick-Johnson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dick Johnson<\/a> Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2005-Sandown-Johnson-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240210\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Graeme Neander<\/p>\n<p>The year that Davison\u2019s DJR relationship began, contesting a one-off Super2 round and partnering Steven Johnson for the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.<\/p>\n<p>2006 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2006-Pukekohe-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240201\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>Called up to replace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-110-Glenn-Seton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Glenn Seton<\/a>, Davison\u2019s first full-time gig produced a smattering of top 10 results and a season-best fourth alongside Johnson in the Sandown 500.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 19th<\/p>\n<p>2007 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2007-Bathurst-Johnson-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240202\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>Davison came to the fore in year two, outpointing Johnson in a campaign that netted third-place trophies at Bathurst and Bahrain.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 10th<\/p>\n<p>2008 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2008-Eastern-Creek-Davison-round-podium-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240203\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>The breakout year: Davison ended DJR\u2019s long victory drought with a win at Eastern Creek, and followed that up with another at Winton.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 5th<\/p>\n<p>2009 (Holden Racing Team)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2009-Bathurst-Davison-Tander-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240204\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>Signed to replace <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-90-Mark-Skaife\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Skaife<\/a> at HRT, Davison was an instant hit in red, winning a stack of races including the Bathurst 1000 (with Garth Tander) to mount a genuine title challenge.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 2nd<\/p>\n<p>2010 (Holden Racing Team)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2010-Abu-Dhabi-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240205\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>An engine failure in the season-opening race set the tone for a disastrous year headlined by nine DNFs.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 22nd<\/p>\n<p>2011 (Ford Performance Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2011-Adelaide-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240206\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>Four poles and six podiums but no wins was the story of Davison\u2019s start to life at FPR.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 7th<\/p>\n<p>2012 (Ford Performance Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2012-Perth-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240207\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>There was no shortage of winning in 2012 as Davison spent time atop the standings, Car #6 taking victory at Adelaide, Symmons Plains, Hamilton, Wanneroo, Phillip Island, Gold Coast and Homebush.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 4th<\/p>\n<p>2013 (Ford Performance Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2013-Townsville-Davison-Deeley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240208\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Justin Deeley<\/p>\n<p>Consistency saw Davison outdo Mark Winterbottom in the points, with wins coming at Pukekohe and Townsville.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 3rd<\/p>\n<p>2014 (Erebus Motorsport)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2014-Townsville-Davison-Gibb-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240211\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Ross Gibb<\/p>\n<p>Highlights for his first season in Mercedes machinery included a third in Townsville, fourth in the Great Race alongside brother Alex, and pole at Homebush.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 14th<\/p>\n<p>2015 (Erebus Motorsport)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2015-Perth-Davison-Wensley-2-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240213\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Scott Wensley<\/p>\n<p>The one obvious standout moment was Davison delivering the last-ever win for an Erebus Merc in Perth.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 15th<\/p>\n<p>2016 (Tekno Autosports)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2016-Bathurst-Davison-Webb-Wensley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240214\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Scott Wensley<\/p>\n<p>An opportunistic victory in Tasmania propelled Davison into the championship lead; while he ultimately wouldn\u2019t contend for the title, he did go on to add a second <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-176-Peter-Brock\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Peter Brock<\/a> Trophy.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 5th<\/p>\n<p>2017 (Tekno Autosports)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2017-Winton-Davison-Gibb-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240215\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Ross Gibb<\/p>\n<p>Year-on-year momentum didn\u2019t transpire, with fifths at Perth and Winton the highwater mark. The major takeaway though was a shocking pile-up in Tassie.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 15th<\/p>\n<p>2018 (23Red Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2018-Phillip-Island-Davison-Gibb-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240216\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Ross Gibb<\/p>\n<p>A solid if unspectacular season as the face of a new single-car outfit.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 15th<\/p>\n<p>2019 (23Red Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2019-Ipswich-Davison-Wensley-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240217\"  \/>Pic: an1images.com \/ Scott Wensley<\/p>\n<p>A fine season with runner-up finishes at Ipswich and The Bend the highlights.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 8th<\/p>\n<p>2020 (23Red Racing\/Tickford)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/VASC-EV11-20-MH6_6520-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240221\"  \/>Pic: Supplied\/Mark Horsburgh<\/p>\n<p>Davison burst out of the blocks strongly, only for the COVID-19 pandemic to put the brakes on the season. When Supercars eventually returned, it did so without the 23Red driver and team\u2026 leaving the Gold Coast resident to take refuge as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/stats-driver-58-Cam-Waters\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cam Waters<\/a>\u2019 Bathurst offsider.<\/p>\n<p>2021 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/EV05-21-MH7_4658-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240219\"  \/>Will Davison is embraced by Riana Crehan after scoring pole position in Darwin. Pic: Supplied\/Mark Horsburgh<\/p>\n<p>A rainbow awaited at the end of the 2020 pain, with Davison and DJR reuniting. The season was dominated by Shane van Gisbergen, but Davison was a consistent podium finisher and chalked up a pair of poles too.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 4th<\/p>\n<p>2022 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2022_Pukekohe_MH1_9025-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240218\"  \/>Pic: Supplied\/Mark Horsburgh<\/p>\n<p>A drought-breaking win in Perth opened the floodgates, Davison piloting the #17 Ford to further triumphs at Sandown and Pukekohe.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 5th<\/p>\n<p>2023 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/RGP-2023-betr-Darwin-Triple-Crown-_25A7760-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-240220\"  \/>Pic: Ross Gibb<\/p>\n<p>A tricky year as the Mustang suffered and DJR regressed within the Blue Oval pecking order. Davison did though get the team its first Gen3 podium.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 10th<\/p>\n<p>2024 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/News-017-Davison-EV07-24-MH1_5320-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-171056\"  \/>Pic: Supplied\/Mark Horsburgh<\/p>\n<p>A podium at Taup\u014d and pole in Sydney were the clear standout moments.<\/p>\n<p>Championship ranking: 9th<\/p>\n<p>2025 (Dick Johnson Racing)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AUSGP-saturday-6-81-of-86-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-174147\"  \/>Pic: Mark Walker<\/p>\n<p>After an off-season of major turnover at the team, Davison contended for a podium at Albert Park and nabbed another Taup\u014d trophy but has since experienced a difficult run, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.v8sleuth.com.au\/dick-johnson-racing-announces-davison-split\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">leading to his contract being cut short by a year<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Davison will race on next year, almost certainly as a co-driver; it\u2019s just a matter of where he lands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"IN seven days\u2019 time, Will Davison will become the fifth member of the Supercars Championship\u2019s 600-race club. There,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":270413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[64,63,806,805,803,804,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-270412","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-motor","11":"tag-motor-sports","12":"tag-motosport","13":"tag-motosports","14":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=270412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/270412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/270413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=270412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=270412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=270412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}