Davison joins HRT

The fresh new face of Team Red was finally made public at Holden headquarters in Fishermans Bend on Wednesday.

But as Will Davison jumped up to fill Mark Skaife's giant shoes at the Holden Racing Team, stepping into the spotlight alongside Garth Tander for the first time, there was no sign of the man he is replacing.

Instead, Skaife was taking it easy and looking after his motorsport future, with his 13-year-old son Mitch.

The youngster clearly plans to follow his dad and grandad Russell into racing and was deeply into a final tuning session with his father at the Oakleigh go-kart track in suburban Melbourne.

"We were doing a bit of go-karting," Skaife said.

"Mitch has had a couple of goes. I'm not pushing him at all with it.

He's had two or three runs over the summer and he's back to school later this week so it was the final chance for a go.

"He is bloody good. He's got good car control. He's enjoying it."

The same applies to Davison, who has graduated to the benchmark team in V8 Supercar racing after making the big breakthrough last year - including his first win - with Dick Johson Racing.

He has jumped the fence from blue to red in a smart move which positions him as the brightest young star in the Holden camp, as well as setting him up to learn and pressure Tander in a revitalised HRT operation for 2009 and beyond.

But Davison has no intention of becoming the new Mark Skaife.

"I'm Will Davison. I'm my own person," he said.

"I'm not in this thing to be anyone else, simple as that. But this is a new era and I'll be looking to do as good as I can."

Davison is set for success with a team that knows how to win, but refused to set a timetable for his first win or championship.

"I know I'm ready to win, but I don't know when. I just know I'll put in 110 per cent," Davison said.

Tander is also pumped with the youngster alongside him although, like Davison, he has no plan to become the next Holden icon following Skaife's retirement at the end of last year.

"Why does there have to be another Mark Skaife? Why have one when you can have two with Will and me," Tander said.

He is expecting a tough challenge from Davison, who was set for a career in Formula One and tested for Paul Stoddart's Minardi team before the money ran out.

"Obviously the first bloke you want to beat is your team mate, because he has the same equipment, but having said that we both want the bes for the team and Holden. I think it's a good chance to replicate what Rick Kelly and I had at the HSV Dealer Team, when we won two championships," Tander said.

He is fit and focussed and believes the latest incarnation of Team Red, with Tom Walkinshaw back at the top, has a big chance to return to its glory days in 2009.

"There is more that needs to be achieved. I'm certainly not relaxing."

This week is a big one for driver confirmations, as teams return to business without the gag of contract restrictions.

James Courtney is now finally official at Dick Johnson Racing, where he takes over Davison's former spot alongside Steven Johnson, as Jason Richards moves to Brad Jones' Commodore team and Davison's older brother Alex returns from Porsche racing in the USA and Europe to become team leader with Stone Brothers Racing.

But that was no real interest to Skaife, who was getting his kicks with the kids.

"I've always liked watching kids learning the craft, and seeing them learning and experiencing karting," Skaife said.

"I love it with Mitch. He's got to stop me from tweaking all the team.

He thinks I'm a bit overboard."

That's no surprise, considering Skaife's laser-lock approach to his own career in motorsport.

He is still to confirm his plans for 2009, although he will be an ambassador for Holden and V8 Supercars and is likely to do commentary work for Channel Seven, and said he is learning to take things a bit easier.

"I'm the most relaxed I've been in years. I've had a month off with the kids at the beach, just fooling around. I think I could get to like this."