The Supercars circuit appears primed for a new king to assume the throne in the wake of Scott McLaughlin's departure for IndyCar, but the man tipped as the heir apparent, Cam Waters, is refusing to get ahead of himself.
"I wouldn't say I consider myself a favourite. I think it's going to be a really tough year and I think it will be more competitive than it ever has been," Waters told Wide World of Sports ahead of the Supercars 2021 season opener.
"From what we achieved last year, I think our team is in a really good spot and the car is working well. I'm driving it well, so I think we'll be in contention for sure."
It's a modest call from the man who stormed the competition last season, recording his maiden solo win at The Bend and finishing runner-up in a stunning finish at Bathurst.
Eventually finishing second behind McLaughlin in the championship, Waters would claim a career-best nine podiums from 27 starts amid a COVID-affected season. And according to the Monster Energy driver, it was the consequences of the pandemic that elevated his form to the next level.
"I think being away, with the whole team being on the road really brought us together," Waters said. "We started to work together in a little bit of a different way and we got our head around the car a bit more.
"Probably around Townsville, that's when it all started to click. We had two really strong weekends there. We went to a track in Tailem Bend where we weren't super strong in the past and we had the win.
"Around that mid-year is where we really started to understand our car and what we needed and that's where we took our step. It was (understanding) more around set-ups and set-up philosophies and how to get the most out of particular tracks. We had changed a few things from what we had been doing and it all started to click for us.
"You've got to stay reactive and be prepared to do things you wouldn't normally do."
Setting a new record for the fastest lap at Bathurst should give Waters a bundle of confidence ahead of the inaugural Repco Mt Panorama 500, which sees drivers hit the mountain for two 250km races across the weekend.
Taking on the historic circuit at the tail-end of summer will undoubtedly throw up a raft of hurdles for drivers to negotiate; most notably the weather, which Waters is bracing for.
"Bathurst in February is going to be a lot different to what we're used to in October," he said. "The format is obviously a lot different as well.
"The other part is obviously the weather plays a massive part around there. If there's sun or high temperatures and wind, then there's always a bit of rain throwing in at Bathurst as well. It will be cool to start there but it will definitely be a lot different than what we're used to."
Ultimately, Waters is asking for consistency across the season, both from himself and the wider team in his pursuit for a maiden Supercars title.
"As a team, we just needed to try and improve our consistency through the year on different tracks," he said.
"We started to get a handle on our car at particular tracks but there were still a few we were weaker at. In saying that, we've learned a fair bit as well, it will be good to go back to those tracks that we think are bogies for us and see if we've improved our car.
"If we can have consistency through the year across all different tracks, we'll be in a good spot to fight for a championship."
The Repco Supercars Championsip season opener, the Repco Mt Panorama 500, headlines the first weekend of Kayo Freebies, with all the action from Bathurst, including the world-class Fox Motorsport coverage and game-changing Kayo features, streaming free for all Australians with the Kayo App or via kayosports.com.au/freebies.
from WWOS https://wwos.nine.com.au/motorsport/supercars-bathurst-500-cam-waters-season-preview/c4787bf0-bdfd-4555-9b42-3fbd7d85dd6a
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