By Courtney Callow for V8 Supercars
Shae Davies will compete in the 2017 Dunlop Super2 Series for Matt White Motorsport in a Nissan Altima.
The 26-year-old will join recently confirmed team-mate Jack Le Brocq as part of the team’s Super2 squad this season.
MWM’s 2017 recruits will be the first to race an Altima in the second-tier category when they line-up at the Clipsal 500 next month.
Davies said the opportunity to be part of the Nissan program was an opportunity too good to miss.
“The Nissan program is incredibly exciting and it’s one of great interest to me,” he told Supercars.com.
“Having the Nissan Car of the Future is very exciting and I think it will be a very strong package.
“I think it’ll be one of the tightest championships in five years since the (Scott) McLaughlin, (Scott) Pye, (Chaz) Mostert and (Nick) Percat year.
“I think there are a lot of guys out there to win races… It’ll be one of the biggest years.”
Team Owner Matt White said he is quietly confident about the capabilities of Davies and Le Brocq on-track this year.
“We are going out there to win, it’s a big ask because it’s a tough field but we are fortunate we have two very good young drivers,” White said.
“It is very difficult to know how you will roll out until you get to qualifying at the first round but we are quietly confident.”
Davies will be backed by LOCO Energy Drink, VIP Security Services and Davbridge Constructions for the season.
Erebus Motorsport team owners Betty and Daniel Klimenko will also be supporting Davies in his 2017 program after he completed five-rounds in the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship with the team in 2016.
White believes the experience Davies picked up in the main series has helped him lift his game.
“There is nothing quite like racing in the main game, it makes you do a lot of soul searching, particularly if you are in a car that might not be as competitive as others,” White continued.
“It forces you to step up in every single level and our team saw that it had a positive impact on Shae last year and he certainly lifted his game from Sandown onwards with us as a result of that.”
While Davies confirmed he does not have a Pirtek Enduro Cup drive secured, he said there are still a few opportunities out there.
“I’ve been lucky doing the main series rounds last year so I’ve done the Pirtek Enduro Cup before,” Davies said.
“Obviously my goal is to get an enduro drive but if not this year, I’ll be purely focused on the Dunlop Super2 Series and hopefully that’ll cement my start for 2018.”
White highlighted Nissan Motorsport’s support in assisting his team in its pre-season preparation.
“We’ve got a test day tomorrow so that will help us know where we are,” White said.
“We have had one run in the cars already and I’m thinking positively.”
The team will test its Altimas for the second time this year at Winton Motor Raceway tomorrow.
