IT was a dismal Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 for Dick Johnson Racing but its efforts behind an upgraded aero kit did not fully go to waste.
While fellow Ford Supercars squads Tickford Racing and Grove Racing soared to race wins, DJR was nowhere at Surfers Paradise.
Its cars filled the ninth row of the grid for the Saturday race and came home 13th and 15th. Anton De Pasquale did qualify for the Sunday Top 10 Shootout only to be plagued in the race by electrical dramas.
So while there was elation and relief among the wider Blue Oval camp, its flagship team was subdued.
“We just weren’t fast enough this weekend,” said DJR team principal Ben Croke.
Croke at least was pleased to see DJR’s efforts on the aero front, in conjunction with Ford, help halt the Camaro’s dominance.
“I’m glad the other Ford teams maximised off the back of our hard work as the homologation team for the Mustang,” he added.
Will Davison gave a more brutal snapshot of the feeling inside the #17 Shell V-Power garage after a “very, very difficult” Sunday.
“I’m just shattered for everyone but we tried our hardest,” he said.
“We made some big changes, the car was very different today so there’s certainly lots to look at. We got a lot of knowledge from today, and we’ve got a lot to look into but unfortunately, it didn’t translate into any performance.
“We went very aggressive in strategy, which was just way too hard on the tyres. I think I might have picked up a bit of damage on a kerb mid-race as well.
“So I just really wasn’t competitive. We gave it everything but unfortunately, it was just a difficult weekend, but these weekends happen in motorsport and as much as it’s hurting now, we will bounce back.”
One round remains in 2023, the VAILO Adelaide 500 on November 23-26.
