Eventually finishing second behind McLaughlin in the championship, Waters would claim a career-best nine podiums from 27 starts amid a COVID-affected season.<\/a> And according to the Monster Energy driver, it was the consequences of the pandemic that elevated his form to the next level.<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "You've got to stay reactive and be prepared to do things you wouldn't normally do."<\/p>\n Setting a new record for the fastest lap at Bathurst<\/a> 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.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "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."<\/p>\n Ultimately, Waters is asking for consistency across the season, both from himself and the wider team in his pursuit for a maiden Supercars title.<\/p>\n "As a team, we just needed to try and improve our consistency through the year on different tracks," he said.<\/p>\n "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.<\/p>\n "If we can have consistency through the year across all different tracks, we'll be in a good spot to fight for a championship."<\/p>\n 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.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n