Lots of hard work for HRT

By Adrian Musolino 12:09 PM Thu 29 July, 2010 Source: BigPond Sport

The Toll Holden Racing Team is spending its mid-season break conducting a thorough performance review as it addresses a lack of consistency that’s seen the team struggle to replicate last season’s strong results.

“We had a strong start to the season and we’ve been competitive at certain races but we’ve lacked consistency,” Walkinshaw Racing managing director Craig Wilson, who looks after both HRT and the Bundaberg Red Racing team, told BigPond Sport, describing their season thus far as ‘average’.

The review comes off the back of a visit to Australia by team owner Tom Walkinshaw, who is said to have been unhappy with the results of both teams racing under the Walkinshaw Racing banner.

The team is currently undertaking what Wilson describes as a “mid-season review looking at performance across the board” in the hope of improving on their poor Championship standings, with Garth Tander currently fifth  – 438 points behind leader James Courtney – and Will Davison languishing in 16th.

Davison’s performances have been disappointing for a driver who pushed Jamie Whincup in last season’s Championship race, with Wilson labeling Davison’s results as ‘mediocre’.

Paddock speculation suggests Davison could leave HRT next season, but Wilson insists the team isn’t discussing his future but rather how to improve his results.

“What we are discussing with Will is how to improve his results rather than what his future with the team is,” Wilson told BigPond Sport.

“We are not obligated to decide anything on his future until after the endurance races. What’s most important is we get the results back.

“Obviously we were ecstatic with the results we achieved together last season, but to date this year it’s been mediocre.

“That’s been as a result of a combination of factors, partly the car and partly Will,” he said.

Wilson insisted the defending L&H 500 Phillip Island and Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 winners should not be discounted this endurance season, outlining his goals for HRT for the remainder of the season.

“The goal is for Garth to finish in the top three of the Championship and for Will to get back to challenging regularly for podiums,” he said.

Wilson also refused to comment on the future of the Bundaberg Red Racing team, insisting Walkinshaw Racing was only focusing on improved performances in the second half of the season.

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