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Moffat opens up on Volvo form

James Moffat has opened up on his struggles with the Volvo S60 V8 Supercars package in an interview with Australian TV.

James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo

James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo

Dirk Klynsmith

James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo
James Moffat, Garry Rogers Motorsport Volvo

Moffat, who left Nissan and joined Volvo alongside Scott McLaughlin for this season, has endured a challenging start to 2016.

While there have been glimpses of form, he’s largely struggled to get the best out of the S60 package – and as a result he is currently 20th in the points, 17 spot behind title contender McLaughlin.

According to Moffat, his issues have been finding a way to make a set-up essentially built for McLaughlin work for him as well.

“There’s been a few moments where I’ve been close to unlocking the secrets to get the speed and the feel out of the car that I need. But on a whole, I have been struggling a lot with it,” he told Fox Sports’s Inside Supercars programme.

“Scott and I have a different driving style. The team has had the opportunity to develop the car around Scotty for the last three years, and he and [engineer] Richard [Holloway] work very well together. The chemistry that those two have is very strong, I’m having to form a new relationship with my new engineer Manuel [Sanchez].

“Scotty seems to be able to deal with the car moving around a bit more, especially on the turn-in phase and then on the exit of the corner. Whereas I like a bit more stability in the rear. I’ve been struggling with the car changing a lot session-to-session, and not really finding a new tyre gain. So understanding what we maybe need to do differently to the car when we throw a new tyre on it.

“On occasion I’ve felt like we’re getting close, and there’s been more occasions where we’ve been way off the mark. We can only keep fronting up each weekend and do the best that we can.”

Aim to help McLaughlin’s title bid

With McLaughlin well and truly in the title fight, the Kiwi currently just 27 points shy of leader Mark Winterbottom, Moffat says he would like to turn his form around and give McLaughlin some better support at the front of the field.

“I’d like be in a situation where my performances are a bit better and I can be up there taking some points off guys he’s fighting with in the championship, because at the moment we’re a bit further down the field,” he said. “That’d be great to be a position where I can get up the front and help Scotty a bit.”

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