What a fantastic year it's been so far for me, and the Shell V-Power Racing Team. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in this sport, and am very happy to have a new agreement with the team. I'm really looking forward to continued success with this team in 2017 and into the future.
There's a sensational energy around the place at the halfway point of the season, with my team mate Scott McLaughlin and I now first and second in the points standings, and the Shell V-Power Racing Team at the top of the Teams' Championship.
We have achieved a high level of success so far this year, winning seven of the first 12 race victories, along with eight pole positions. We're working hard to stay up the front, and know that our competitors are not taking it in their stride. It's going to be a tough battle across the rest of the year, and we're relishing the challenge.
It's all down to the people that are surrounding us. I believe we have the best group of people in pit lane. Extremely clever engineers, fantastic mechanics, great strategists and a team culture that is second to none. It's very much a Penske philosophy, that effort equals results, and the year we're having so far is proof of that.
It also means I can simply focus on doing my job, which is to win races and ultimately, the Championship. That has always been my goal from the first day I started racing Supercars, so to have a real shot at it this year is extremely exciting.
