Holden Racing Team’s James ‘Crocodile’ Courtney heads to Darwin snapping at the heels of another victory, after a successful test at Winton in early June.

Courtney, who scored a pole position and two top-three places at Hidden Valley last year, feels that the test, one of just four for the season, has enabled the team to unlock extra performance from the HRT Commodore.

“I’m really excited about heading to the Top End,” Courtney said.

“I had some great results at Hidden Valley last year, and with a good test behind us we should be able to do even better this year.

“If we can get straight on the pace, there’s no reason why I can’t hunt down our competition and sink my teeth into another juicy win.”

Courtney’s teammate Garth Tander is equally upbeat, with the test providing an opportunity to work closer with his engineer Blake Smith, and find those crucial extra tenths of a second.

“We needed a bit of time to catch up on all the details that are going to help us move forward as a team,” Tander said.

“Whether we’ve made a big enough gain, though, we won’t know until we get the Commodore out on track at Hidden Valley.

“However, I feel that the package that we’ve got is a stronger one than what we had in Perth – so there’s plenty of reasons to feel confident.”

Tander, who has won three times in Hidden Valley, said the key to unlocking the weekend was getting the most from the tyre allocation (3 sets of hard, and 2 sets of soft) – given the abrasive surface, and high temperatures.

“We talked a lot about tyres in Perth, and it’s the same for Darwin,” Tander said.

“It’s a real trade-off there. The track surface is abrasive meaning plenty of tyre wear, but it’s so hot that the grip levels are low.

“So you’ve got to be on top of your tyres from the start to get the most out of the tyre over one lap in qualifying, and then keep it in the zone for the race.”

As one of the most popular events on the calendar, both HRT drivers are looking forward to their Top End return – especially ‘Crocodile’ Courtney, who feels very much at home in the tropical heat.

“Darwin is a fantastic event, and the weather is sensational,” he said.

“The hospitality we receive when we come to Darwin is also top-notch. The series is well received there, so we always have good crowds cheering us on.

“We’re hungry for top results, and the winners’ trophy is on the menu.”

The SKYCITY Triple Crown Darwin gets underway from June 20-22.