Ford Performance Racing’s (FPR) three drivers are full of confidence ahead of the trip to North Queensland where the team believes it has all the necessary elements in place to claim its first victory of the season at the Sucrogen Townsville 400.
Will Davison, Mark Winterbottom and Paul Dumbrell completed a highly-productive day of testing last week and each feels they have found something to improve the speed of their factory Falcons.
Winterbottom is the defending champion at the Reid Park circuit and will be looking to become just the 10th driver in Australian touring car history to claim four or more successive pole positions.
His Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon will have an unfamiliar look when it takes to the track as its regular #5 will be replaced by #95 – the number worn by Cars 2 movie lead character Lightning McQueen. Winterbottom has a cameo in the movie as the character ‘Frosty’.
“After our strong showing in Darwin the team is really itching to get to Townsville and see if we can continue our great form,” Winterbottom said. “We won their last year and should have won last time out so we really only have one goal this weekend.
“I am also going for my fourth pole in a row which shows that our car is now working really well over one lap as well as on long runs so I want to deliver the team its first race win of the year.”
Davison has been among the most consistent drivers in the field this season and after two great drives in Darwin he wants to record his first victory behind the wheel of the #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon.
“I am really looking forward to going to Townsville to race which is a nice feeling when you are that excited to get back in the car,” Davison said. “It shows that we are confident with how things are going.
“I have been competitive in Townsville in the past and enjoy racing there so hopefully everything we’ve done recently translates to a good result as I can’t see why it won’t. It is a really cool event – it’s a great race, there is always great weather and track conditions are challenging.”
Dumbrell just missed out on making it two cars on the Sunday podium last year in Townsville and wants to turn his season around by going at least one place better and breaking back into the top half of the points table in his #55 The Bottle-O FPR Falcon.
“We were very fortunate to have had a strong race car in the last 12 months and that was very evident at Townsville last year,” Dumbrell said.
”Although we would like to perform better in qualifying our tyre life and ability to ride the kerbs was very strong and we were happy with our race speed there last year. After a good test there is no reason we can’t go a couple of spots better.”
FPR team principal Tim Edwards believes the positive feeling within the team and improved results in the last two races has the team well-placed to show its full potential on the streets of Townsville.
“We had one of our best ever test days last week where we worked on a lot of different areas of the car and although a good test does not necessarily guarantee an immediate improvement, we feel it will stand us in good stead for the upcoming races,” Edwards said.
“Townsville is one of the biggest events of the year for our team. We have had a lot of success there in the few years the event has been running so there is no reason to not expect more of the same.”
Endurance co-drivers Steve Richards and Luke Youlden return and will again take to the track for the first two Friday morning practice sessions in Winterbottom and Davison’s cars respectively.
The Sucrogen Townsville 400 runs from 8-10 July and features a single 72-lap race on both Saturday and Sunday.
2011 V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
DRIVER POINTS AFTER RACE 13
1) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight: 1395 points
2) Craig Lowndes – Triple Eight: 1239
3) Shane van Gisbergen – Stone Brothers Racing: 1134
4) Rick Kelly – Kelly Racing: 1082
5) Steven Johnson – Dick Johnson Racing: 1030
6) Will Davison – Ford Performance Racing: 1020
9) Mark Winterbottom – Ford Performance Racing: 961
19) Paul Dumbrell – Ford Performance Racing: 616
2011 V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP
TEAM POINTS AFTER RACE 13
1) Triple Eight: 2659 points
2) Stone Brothers Racing: 2122
3) Ford Performance Racing: 2006