ALAN GOW BITES BACKTOUGH-TALKING MANAGER ALAN GOW HAS COME OUT WITH ALL GUNS BLAZING IN DEFENCE OF JAMES COURTNEY. MARK FOGARTY STIRS THE CAULDRON JUST A LITTLEAmong the many hats you wear is that of James Courtney's manager. It looks like you made a mistake by parking him at HAT.Well, if you think that's a 'mistake', then with all due respect that's why I'm a pretty successful manager and you are ... Well, a journalist. But a mistake compared with what?Well, he's made the worst title defence of any ATCCN8 champion in history ...Every team and driver has bad periods; bad runs. But let's put it into perspective, shall we?He took over the same car in the same team that in the hands of Will Davison the previous season didn't even come close to winning a race. It had more hits than Elvis and finished a dismal 22nd in the championship.James then took that same car to winning a race, getting two podiums and finishing 10th in the standings.Oh, and he also finished well ahead of his 2011 championship-winning team.But, yes, James obviously hasn't had the year he had hoped for and neither have the team. HAT have gone through a really tough period, including the major trauma of losing Tom Walkinshaw. But there are some very positive things going on for the future, and that was why we went there.And if you're trying to infer that it was a mistake not going to FPR, then that's clearly also nonsense and pretty offensive towards HAT.Again, let's put it into perspective; HAT has won more races than any other team this year - including Bathurst - obviously apart from Triple Eight.Every other team in the pitlane - including FPR - would sell their soul to have the results that HAT have had this year. So to say that it's a mistake in him going to the second most successful team in 2011 is wholly ridiculous.HRT have been going through a rough spell by their very high standards - as every team does at some stage: Ferrari, McLaren, you name it. Every team has lean periods. Do you think Triple Eight will excel every year of their existence? Of course not - but that doesn't mean that in the year or two in which they don't excel that they are a spent force.All teams say that when they're going through a bad patch, no matter how long it lasts.They may do, but HAT has the resources, both financial and physical, to move forward. It's not as if he's gone to a team that hasn't got those resources or even the determination. And you know what? Garth Tander's not a stupid bloke. So why did he re-sign for another three years?There's a reason for all this. There's a reason why we signed with HAT and there's a very good reason why Garth decided to stay for another three years. It's because we actually know what's going on, moving forward.How long are you prepared to wait? Okay, there's radical surgery happening within the team, but that's going to take time to bear fruit.We have a three-year contract, plus a two-year option after that. We're there for the duration and are totally committed to both HAT and Holden.I hate to repeat myself, but as I said, why do you think Garth re-signed?It's very easy for people on the outside looking in to say "Oh, HAT, they've lost their mojo". To a certain extent they had, but there are tangible reasons for that which will be (and have been) corrected.So did James have a crappy title defence? Yes, of course it didn't go as he would have wanted, but apart from Bathurst and the odd race win, the season didn't really go as HAT would've have wanted, either. But they're making the changes to move forward and anyone who underestimates what either HAT or James is capable of is living in denial. We know what's in the pipeline going forward and we're not going anywhere. Garth's not going anywhere. We're all happy and comfortable with the direction in which HAT is heading. It's a great team and importantly it's a team that knows how to win championships and Bathurst.James has a three-year deal, but what happens if there's no progress next year? Would you pull him out?No. Why would we? When we came into HAT we knew that there were some challenges going forward, but as I said, we also knew that there were positive changes happening. Ryan Walkinshaw continually demonstrates the deep commitment and passion that the whole Walkinshaw family has for the team. I've been very impressed in my dealings with both Ryan and with Holden. We're entirely comfortable with what's happening at HAT. And as I said, every top team in the world goes through these sorts of ups and downs.So there are plans in place and things happening that you and James are convinced will take the team back to where it was?Absolutely, and there's no reason why they shouldn't. HAT has the resources - financial, engineering and increasingly the manpower skills - to do it.Steve Hallam coming on board shows that they're up for it. They're up for change and they know what needs to happen. So has James had an ordinary year by his high standards? Yes, but it's hardly the end of the world. Swings and roundabouts. But you are really overhyping this whole 'HAT in the doldrums' thing. Like I said, every other team, with the obvious exception of Tripe Eight, could only dream of having the year that HAT had in 2011.The fact that James went to HAT was a last-minute thing, because he was actually destined to go to FPR in a deal involving Pepsi Max.Sorry, but that's just 100 per cent incorrect. Let's put this to rest right here. James wasn't 'destined' to go to FPR with Pepsi Max and it certainly wasn't a 'last-minute thing' to go to HAT!You spent a long time negotiating the FPR deal and right at the 11th hour, it all changed. We've heard from all the main players except you, so what happened?Well, unlike some other people, I'm not going to get out the violin, play to the media and divulge any discussions that went on. But if people think that all of a sudden one Friday afternoon we simply changed our minds, knocked on the door of HAT and decided to do a deal with them out of the blue, then they've been led down the garden path into believing it. Or they are incredibly naive.But the reality is that you went a long way towards the deal under the FPR umbrella. As a good manager, though, you were also having parallel talks with HAT.Okay, let's be very, very clear on this: we were talking to both HAT and Schwerkolt/FPR at the same time.Both of those organisations were completely aware of that fact. Both parties were treated in exactly the same way and everyone knew the score - that there were two offers we were considering. Both of them knew that all the way through. Both parties were clearly told that at a certain date and time we will make the decision about which way we go. So exactly where's the problem with that?But you changed your minds at the very last minute.This is getting horribly repetitive, but let me be clear again on this. We didn't change our minds! How could we have changed our minds when we hadn't yet made our minds up?There was no last-minute change - we simply arrived at a decision at the predetermined date/time and that was that.You were heading in one clear direction ...No, sorry, again that is where you are absolutely wrong. We had two clear choices on the table and didn't go any further with one over the other - nor did we play one against the other.Really?Yes, really. And I think I would know, don't you? We made no commitment to any party, either party, until that final decision was made. We told both parties, all the way throughout the negotiations, that a decision will be made at noon on Friday, November 26, 2010. That's the plain fact of the matter. And until that date and time, both parties knew very clearly that we were considering both offers.ALAN GOWWe had parallel discussions, as most people do when deciding which direction to take, and then came to a decision-point on that day and time. I'm really tired of hearing the complete bullshit put out by some people that should know better - or don't know at all - about the facts of the matter.Oh, and while I'm at it, let me also destroy the myth that we went to HAT for more money or played one side against the other. The deal with HAT is for significantly less money than was finally offered from the other side.In fact, James would have earned literally hundreds of thousands of dollars more, over the period of the contract, with the other offer. Fact.So why has the losing side, as it were, portrayed it as you having dudded them?Sour grapes? I have absolutely no idea. But it's human nature that when something doesn't turn out the way you would want it, you tend to shift the blame onto someone/something else.Did you?Did I what, dud them? Oh, please, don't make me laugh. With such big companies, big money and big profiles involved, don't you think we would have become embroiled in some sort of legal action if we had done so? I would have fully expected a writ to have landed on my desk if I had not kept to a verbal or written agreement that we had undertaken. Quite obviously, there wasn't one. And until the day we decided what we were doing, there was no more than discussions and negotiations being had on both sides. It's just that simple. I also kept hearing about this 'superteam' that was there waiting for James. Really? Where is it?Where is this fourth Schwerkolt/FPR car with Pepsi Max sponsorship?It just doesn't exist, does it?Well, the people behind it say you torpedoed it by taking James to HAT at the 11th hour. It was predicated on him being the driver.Well, if that were true then there wouldn't be a Pepsi Max team with Greg Murphy driving. So it's pretty self-evident that a new car in the championship running under the Pepsi Max banner wasn't dependent on James being the driver, was it?That was Pepsi's tailback position when Charlie Schwerkolt's deal fell apart without James.Huh? Does that really make sense to you? If Charlie/FPR/Pepsi had everything set up, then why didn't they simply slot Greg Murphy (or another driver) in to drive the car when they found that James was not available? With respect. you don't have to be Einstein to figure out that there were obviously a few other very vital pieces missing from their jigsaw and it demonstrably wasn't just James ..But James has a history of messy moves.Tell me more?That was the second time he got close to going to FPR, only for it to fall through.Am I missing something? Is there some 'golden rule' that if you are in discussions with FPR, for example, then you should not also discuss or go anywhere else? I must have completely missed reading the rule that says one mustn't have discussions or negotiations with more than one organisation at any one time. In fact. the whole business-world must have missed reading that same rule.Well, he's unlikely to ever be offered a drive there again.That's really quite amusing you should say that, because both Ford and FPR said that exact same thing when we decided to go with DJR.And lo and behold, they desperately tried to get James into their team again two years later.Again, it was characterised that James pulled out after basically agreeing to terms.I love this sport - it's absolutely fascinating how some people will decide what the facts are when they are completely ignorant of all or any of the details. It's truly amazing.There are a lot of people who liken James to a downhill skier. That is, when it's all going well, he's great, but when the going gets hard and he's stuck back in the pack, he struggles.Is that so? Is their memory so short about what happened in 2010? He won the championship against the most incredible pressure and odds, at a time when the team was literally and publicly tearing itself apart.But he was still at the front of the field. He had a car that was quick enough to keep him up there.He certainly didn't have the fastest car out there. Other teams and drivers had quicker cars.Yes, James had a good car - but he also had incredible determination and the best finishing record of any person in 2010, and all this while under immense internal team pressure. So how's that downhill skiing?It's quite the opposite! He didn't waltz away to a championship win with the very best equipment, like some others have done in the past. He fought it all the way and right against the odds.Most people under the enormous pressure that he had - with all the turmoil that was going on behind the scenes at DJR - would've folded like a pack of cards.But he and his squad within that team showed their true mettle and it actually increased his drive and determination. That's where he showed what a real star he is - he pulled his guys together, kept them and himself motivated, put his head down and drove like a true champion.But the fact remains that he doesn't cope well when he's back in the pack. What do you mean he doesn't do well back in the pack?He gets caught up in incidents.You know very well that when you start mid-grid or further back, the chances of getting involved in incidents goes up dramatically.That's what happens back there.But go and check his finishing record over the last three seasons, and you will see that your perception and reality are two different things.He can not have such a great finishing record and results if he was always getting caught up in incidents, can he?Okay, what is James expecting next year, what does he have to do to redeem himself?Whoa! 'Redeem himself'!That's a ridiculous question that I won't even bother answering.So will he be a championship contender?Let me jog your memory.He's won more world, international and major national championships than you can poke a stick at.He didn't get them out of a box of Corn Flakes. To add to that, he's also a recent V8 Supercar champion - and there are very few drivers on the grid that can boast anything like the amount of success that James has had, right throughout his whole career and at every level.So obviously if HRT have the right 'package' for next year then, of course, he will be.