Ford Performance Racing has won all three races across this weekend’s fourth round of the V8 Supercars Championship – the Tradingpost Perth Challenge.
Will Davison bounced back from yesterday’s disappointing result to win both races today and arguably one of the most exciting last lap battles in recent V8 Supercars history to secure FPR its third 1-2 finish this year.
Team-mate Mark Winterbottom continued his fine form by finishing third and second respectively in today’s two races to add to his race seven win yesterday.
This weekend’s event proved a pure spectacle for racing fans with the mixed tyre-compound, race format spicing-up proceedings and producing one of the greatest shows in V8 Supercars history. With Davison striding ahead on the soft tyre after an early pit stop in race nine due to a safety car, Winterbottom and Whincup began hunting the Tradingpost Ford down as the soft tyre degraded late in the race.
With a lap remaining Whincup was sandwiched by Davison and Winterbottom as the trio traded paint for the entire 2.42km lap. Holding on with all his will, Davison turned the final bend in front as Winterbottom dived down the inside of Whincup to claim second place by mere inches as the duo crossed 1-2 to the resounding roar of an ecstatic FPR team and proud Ford fans.
The day was not as fortunate for the third FPR Ford of David Reynolds who was struck down by a faulty starter motor as he set to take off for his formation lap from an impressive sixth on the grid. Earlier in the day Reynolds finished ninth for race eight of the Championship despite being handed a 10 second penalty for a jump-start off the line.
DRIVERS’ VIEW
Will Davison - #6 Tradingpost FPR Ford
Qualifying Race 8: 3rd – 56.34s
Qualifying Race 9: 3rd – 55.57s
Race 8 Result: 1st - Best lap: 57.59s
Race 9 result: 1st – Best lap: 57.03s
“To have scored two wins today after yesterday’s disappointment was a great feeling. Frosty proved yesterday the car is very quick around here and after qualifying this morning I knew we had the right package here in Perth. This track was absolutely perfect for the mixed tyre format and that was proven in today’s final race, which was an awesome for the fans here in Perth and across the world on TV. When I got to that last lap still leading I thought ‘why not, let’s put on a show, I’m going to do everything I can to hang on.’ Obviously there was a bit of contact but it was all fair and all clean and at the end of the day we are racing out there and sometimes you have to race hard as well as focus on Championship points – it’s a tough balancing act. The cards fell into my lap today and I’m just stoked for the team to produce yet another 1-2 finish.”
Mark Winterbottom - #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Ford
Qualifying Race 8: 2nd – 56.32s
Qualifying Race 9: 4th – 55.59s
Race 8 result: 3rd – Best lap: 57.13s
Race 9 result: 2nd – Best lap: 57.13s
“That last lap is what the sport is all about. Even though I finished second that’s one of the best races I’ve been involved with and it’s a great feeling to pass a guy on the last corner of a race to give your team a 1-2 finish. We started on the soft tyre because Jamie did and our theory was not to let him dictate the race by himself. His speed was amazing on the softs but when I put the hards on, my car hooked up and we were very quick to the end. We’re going to win races this year, there’s no doubt about that but it’s about minimising the points you don’t get by finishing races. The guys did a great job to get Will back out yesterday to score points and it’s efforts like that, that will win Championship especially with how tight things are between myself, Will and Jamie.”
David Reynolds - #55 The Bottle-O FPR Ford
Qualifying Race 8: 6th – 56.60s
Qualifying Race 9: 5th – 55.73s
Race 8 result: 9th - Best lap: 57.08s
Race 9 result: 26th – Best lap: 57.03s
“Well what can I say the luck just didn’t go our way this weekend. We qualified strong for today’s races and finishing ninth earlier in the day was a good start heading into this afternoon’s race where we started from the third row on the grid. Unfortunately when I went to start the formation lap the car wouldn’t move. The team did a great job to replace the faulty starter motor and get me back out there but I would have liked the opportunity to have had a proper go at this one. The FPR cars proved to be extremely strong here so it’s disappointing we couldn’t join in on their spoils. I’m sure the luck will turn and today we have come away with some helpful knowledge on both tyre compounds for future rounds.
Tim Edwards – FPR Team Principal
“I’m really pleased the team has come here and walked away with all three wins. Last year we genuinely struggled here so to come out and produce these results 12 months down the track is a credit to all the guys. You’ve got to have a bit of risk for reward sometimes and we started Mark on the alternate strategy for this afternoon’s race but I think regardless of whether we started on the soft or hard tyre today we were going to be at the pointy end of the grid. Today’s racing was an absolute spectacle and exactly what you want to happen out of the mixed tyre format.”
TRADINGPOST PERTH CHALLENGE – RACE 2
RESULTS:
1) Will Davison – Tradingpost FPR Ford
2) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight
3) Mark Winterbottom – Orrcon Steel FPR Ford
9) David Reynolds – The Bottle-O Racing
TRADINGPOST PERTH CHALLENGE – RACE 3
RESULTS:
1) Will Davison – Tradingpost FPR Ford
2) Mark Winterbottom – Orrcon Steel FPR Ford
3) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight
26) David Reynolds – The Bottle-O Racing
DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP
1) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight: 1095
2) Will Davison – Tradingpost FPR Ford: 1066
3) Mark Winterbottom – Orrcon Steel FPR Ford: 935
4) Craig Lowndes – Triple Eight: 779
5) Lee Holdsworth – Stone Brothers Racing: 737
19) David Reynolds – The Bottle-O Racing: 414
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
1) Ford Performance Racing: 2001 points
2) Triple Eight: 1899
3) Stone Brothers Racing: 1432
