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Winterbottom: "No excuses" for Team 18 in 2022

Veteran Supercars star Mark Winterbottom says there are "no excuses" for Team 18 in its quest to trouble the Supercars front-runners this year.

2022-Launch-IRWIN-02

The 2015 series champion is heading into his fourth season with the Holden team, which he joined in 2019 after a long stint as a Ford driver.

The previous three campaigns for Team 18 have yielded a 13th and two 10th place finishes in the points, with glimpses of front-running pace, but a lack of consistency.

This year the 40-year-old is looking to take a step forward and be a regular challenger for wins and podiums.

And he says there are no excuses for not doing so, with consistency on the engineering front and a lot of off-season work on the cars.

“I’ve been at the top before, I know what it takes," he said.

"I want to win races, podiums and championships with [owner] Charlie [Schwerkolt] and that’s why I signed up to this team. Until we do that I’m not satisfied.

“I’m working hard behind the scenes in the gym and our preparation has been fantastic. My determination is higher than ever; I’m fit, I’m hungry and I want to win it.

“We’re very lucky here at Team 18, our personnel are the envy of pit lane and a few of them have tried to be poached, so it’s a complement that we have good people.

“On my car we have the same people, I’ve got the same engineer in Manuel Sanchez for the last couple of years and we have gelled really well. We have Rory Jackermis who has come back on as my data engineer after we lost him during the COVID period, and two number one mechanics in Josh and Kieron, so we’re well equipped for the year ahead.

“The cars have had a big revamp over Christmas, more than probably most teams have done to their cars, and our personnel is great, so if we get everything right we can win races and that’s what we need to deliver, no excuses."

Schwerkolt backed Winterbottom to be a regular podium contender this season.

“[Winterbottom] is hungry to get back to the top, I can see it in his eyes and we’re all ultra-committed to get there," he said.

"We haven’t thought about Gen3 yet, we’re fully focussed on improving our package this year and fighting for podiums and strong finishes.

“It’s been a busy off-season for the hard-working crew at Team 18 and they’re all pumped to get back on track and provide the best package we can for our drivers to get out there and perform at their best.”

Winterbottom will line up in Irwin colours for the fourth year running, the renowned tool brand having backed his car since his first season with Team 18.

The livery on the #18 has been tweaked for the upcoming campaign, the biggest change a move to a white bonnet, which carries Fuchs signage.

“I love the livery and the fact that Irwin and Bunnings have been with us for our whole journey with Charlie and Team 18," Winterbottom added.

"You look at the car with Fuchs on the white bonnet, I love it, and we’re proud that our sponsors have continued to support and believe in us and it’s our job now to deliver."

Winterbottom will debut the new look at tomorrow's pre-season test at Winton.

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