James Courtney is ready to race and lead the pack.
When James Courtney says he is going to win V8 Supercar races in 2009 he is not just making motorsport chit-chat.
The twinkle-toed speedster is absolutely committed to jumping into the lead pack in touring car racing and has changed teams to make it happen.
Courtney has deserted the once-powerful Stone Brothers Racing and intends to help push Dick Johnson's born-again operation to the top.
"I know I can win races. I know I will win races," Courtney says.
"It's massively important for me to show my true potential this year."
I haven't forgotten how to drive over the past three years."
Courtney is confirmed as the lead driver at Jim Beam Racing this week, with Steven Johnson continuing for another year, with his former British Formula 3 team boss Adrian Burgess in charge of a team which is now financed by Charlie Schwerkolt.
"I think I'll have the right team and the right equipment this year.
That's something that's been missing since I came into V8 Supercars,"
Courtney says.
"There have been flashes over the past three years but we were never able to put a good strong weekend together. The team struggled to do that. We always had fast cars at some stage of a race weekend, but not for the whole weekend."
This time Courtney will be jumping into a brand-new FG Falcon built by Triple Eight, but with a V8 engine from Johnson's shop.
"The car is a work of art. It looks fast and when they look fast they normally go pretty good. And Dick's team has never been short of horsepower," Courtney says.
He is so pumped that he is even predicting a first-up with the car at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
"We've been ultra-fast at Clipsal each year, so I'm going there confident I can do it. I was fast enough to win the last two years.
Last year was more my fault, but with the car I have now and my experience I reckon we can be p the front.
"I'm going there with a big expectation to win first first-up. I think I can do it."
He is less bullish about the V8 Supercar series crown, but hopes to be a contender.
"The championship is going to be hard to win straight-out with a new team, but that's what I'm going for. DJR was third in the teams'
championship last year and they have been improving all the time since Adrian got here. If I can finish in the top three in the driver's
championship and keep the team in the top three it will be a very successful year."
