When asked what he hoped to achieve at the season opening Bathurst 500, Courtney replied with a look of determination "I come here to win, I'm not here to come second."

"I love racing, getting in there and banging doors with the boys still so that's where I'm focussed," he said.

"Of course everyone wants to win the championship and do the best they can. Everyone goes in it to win, but the track condition, the way the track is going to evolve, is going to be really different because we are not doing as many miles."

Miles is something that Courtney does have given he has been part of the Supercars grid since 2006 and at 40, is now the oldest full-time driver in the series.

But that experience is something he'd love to put to better use and find some podium results for Tickford - a team which marks its 250^th race event at the Bathurst 500.

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Courtney's best result for the team last year was a second in race one of the Darwin Triple Crown. He was less than a second behind Anton De Pasquale and ending a winless streak which dates back to race two of the 2016 season.

It's a winless streak he hopes to end this weekend at a track he loves to compete at.

"It feels pretty different to start the season here instead of Adelaide, but there's plenty of history here, everyone loves coming here and racing," he said.

"Typically when we're here you're nursing the car for a lot of the day, but we're just going to be going hell for leather, so it's going to be good.

"But yeah, my goal is to win."

Courtney was ninth fastest in the opening practice session at the Mount on Friday, his best lap time of 2:06.1198 being 0.9142 off the pace of Walkinshaw Andretti United driver Chaz Mostert.