Dick Johnson Racing (DJR) has made a strategic move ahead of the Enduro Cup by bringing back an experienced engineer who was part of the team's success in the early 2010s. David Smith, who played a key role in Erebus Motorsport's Bathurst 1000 victory last year, has rejoined the squad.
Smith will assist with race strategy during the two long-distance rounds at The Bend and Bathurst. His addition takes advantage of regulations allowing teams to bring extra performance personnel to the track, a clever way to bolster technical strength.
DJR co-owner Ryan Story explained that Smith is no stranger to the team. "He's a very experienced engineer," Story said. "He was a race engineer here at DJR back in 2012 and was a key part of James Courtney's championship back in 2010. He was the data engineer on the cars back then. He has an enormous amount of experience and he basically assists the race engineers with tactics and strategy throughout those longer races."
Story emphasized that the enduros are "all about execution," with additional challenges including the return of fuel rigs, which requires careful pit stop coordination.
However, Story admitted two major concerns heading into the AirTouch 500 at The Bend are outside the team's control. Engine reliability and brake component issues struck during the Queensland Raceway weekend, which ended the Sprint Cup. Two Fords suffered engine trouble at Ipswich – Grove Racing's Matt Payne was hit by a camshaft chain breakage, and DJR's Rylan Gray was impacted by a camshaft actuator issue.
"It was something we've seen before, but the nature of the failure with the actuator was different," Story said of Gray's engine problem. "But it's something that's completely outside our control." While Triple Eight is responsible for the Ford engine program, it's been up to Supercars to deal with the brake situation. Putting the Ipswich failures down to batch issues, the category has arranged for supplier Ferodo to fly in replacements from the UK, with a dedicated brake bedding session to take place on Friday.
"There's a significant effort to get this thing under control," Story said. "The most important thing is to make sure everyone has the same opportunity to go well. Supercars have had their work cut out to get on top of this and they've made good progress. It's another thing you don't want to have to be thinking about or committing any effort or energy to in the lead-up to these races."
DJR meanwhile confirmed it will run OTR on the bonnet of its Shell V-Power Mustangs at The Bend, as it did during its victorious run 12 months ago. The team has retained its co-drivers Todd Hazlwood and Tony D'Alberto; the former again pairing with Brodie Kostecki and the latter this year joining rookie Rylan Gray.
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