Stability the key for DJR, Jim Beam.

Jim Beam Racing launched its assault on the 2008 V8 Supercar season with some dynamic and stylish changes unveiled by drivers Steve Johnson and Will Davison at Dick Johnson Racing headquarters.

The team has made some subtle changes to its warpaint for 2008 and, in addition to some improvements made during the off-season, believes this is what will make a difference to the team's performance this season.

Johnson and Davison are both positive that the 2008 season will continue to yield results after the latter half of 2007 provided an encouraging boost for the Queensland-based squad, including an emphatic third place at Bathurst and a podium place in Bahrain.

"It's been a long road to recovery for the team, but everything is in a very positive light for the year ahead," said, Johnson, who appeared fit and enthusiastic after the off-season break, "We haven't had to reinvent the wheel with regard to our development, just make improvements to what we already have established. It's all about evolution.

"Qualifying has been an issue for us in the past but, with the developments made during the off-season, I'm confident that this is one of the areas where we can make a marked improvement on our results. In addition, we will be aiming to be more consistent in our performance throughout the season, particularly on the tracks where we weren't as strong as we could have been. I'm confident we have a very good chance of more podium finishes and a win or two this season. We were very close in performance to some of our rivals last year, and I believe Jim Beam Racing can step up again this year to push the leading teams for results."

The new season also brings renewed confidence to Davison, who is determined to complete this year's championship well inside the top ten after finishing tenth overall last season.

"I'm really excited about the new season and can't wait for it to begin - in fact, I'm counting down the days," he smiled, "This is my third year in V8 Supercars and I'm now more determined than ever to get on the podium and push for wins. There are some very tough competitors in this category so there is an enormous amount of pressure on the driver to make no mistakes and put in 110 per cent every time you race. I've set some pretty tough personal goals for this year and am very focused on achieving them.

"The Jim Beam Racing team has certainly made a huge amount of progress during the past twelve months and they have a much better understanding of our cars, so this should lead to improvements in our performance on the track. Motor racing is all about trial and error, but there are some exciting things happening within the team this year which should certainly boost our performance."

The team's sporting director, Adrian Burgess, acknowledged that there is an expectation of consistently better on-track results for Jim Beam Racing in 2008 and reinforced the importance of the team's sponsors and fans for their ongoing support of the team.

"With the improvements made during the off-season we expect to deliver more podium results and be challenging for wins," he noted, "The team's preparation for this season is progressing along well and we expect to be right on the money when we roll the cars out at Clipsal. It's true that the team has been through some pretty tough times during the past few years, but everything is looking very positive thanks to Jim Beam and our sponsors as well as our many fans. Their support is invaluable to the team and, at the end of the day, this gives the team the extra boost they need to perform well."