Mark Winterbottom
D.O.B. - 20th May, 1981 - (Sydney)
Lives - Melbourne
Marital Status - Wife, Renee
Start of Motor Racing Career - Aged 8 - Motorcycle racing
Career Achievements
1987 to 1992
Took up the sport of soccer from the age of six and by eleven Mark was competing with a state level team, (Blacktown United) in matches across New South Wales. He made the decision to give up soccer to pursue his motor racing ambitions at the age of eleven.
1989
Made his motorsport debut racing motorbikes, racing in club level 50cc events, progressing to the 80cc class and competing in fields that included riders Anthony Gobert and Chad Reed. Mark raced whenever he could between his soccer commitments.
1991
Raced a dirt Mini-Speedcar and won the NSW and ACT State Championships. Competed in his first kart race in the Cadet class at Wollongong (NSW) and would continue racing Karts successfully to the age of 21.
1991 to 2001
Won ten Australian Kart Championships and 25 State Kart Championships in an outstanding rise through Australia's Club karting levels. Mark's national titles included six Clubman Light titles, three Junior National Lights titles and one Junior Clubman title.
1998
Visited America on a family holiday and heard about a major Karting event taking place close by - so a last minute decision was made to rent a kart locally and compete. Mark then won the Knoxville State Championship Title race.
1999
Competed in Japan's at the Suzuka Champions Kart race on invitation.
2001
A busy year which saw Mark crowned as Australian Formula A Kart Champion (Rotax 125cc Class) and he also made his Formula Ford debut in the Victorian Formula Ford Championship.
Mark raced to runner-up honours after winning four races out of six rounds - missing one Victorian Formula Ford Championship round due to his Karting commitments.
Winner of the Ford Kart Stars Scholarship Championship, gaining a Ford supported drive in the 2002 (National) Australian Formula Ford Championship.
2002
Finished second in the Australian Formula Ford Championship with two round victories, five race wins and two pole positions.
Presented with 2002 Avon Formula Ford Rookie of the Year Award.
2003
Konica V8 Supercar Series Champion in debut season. Mark raced with Ford team Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) to five round victories and six pole positions in an almost perfect result. Two of Mark's race victories were gained from rear of field reverse grid starts. (Missed out on making a clean sweep of the series due to an engine failure in the 5th round at Phillip Island)
Debuted at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 with SBR, sharing a BA Falcon with Mark Noske. Winterbottom qualified 16th at Bathurst and retired at three-quarter distance while running third. At Sandown he qualified 14th and finished 11th.
Mike Kable V8 Supercar Rookie of the Year Award recipient.
2004 to 2005
Joined Ford V8 Supercar Team Larkham Motor Sport (LMS) and competed in the 2004 and 2005 V8 Supercar Championships. Highlights of debut season included a 5th place finish at Bathurst and 6th place result at Sandown in 2004. Mark's best qualifying result was 5th at Darwin in 2005.
2006
Joined Ford Performance Racing (FPR) as driver of the number 5 Ford Credit FPR Falcon for the 2006 and 2007 V8 Supercar Championship seasons. This appointment continued Mark’s career-long involvement with Ford Australia from the karting ranks all the way to a lead role with Ford’s major V8 Supercar team.
Claimed his first V8 Supercar Round victory with Jason Bright at the Sandown 500 (R8) and gained 2nd place overall finishes at R2 (NZ) and R10 (Surfers Paradise). By the mid point of the season, Winterbottom had climbed from 22nd to 3rd in the Championship standings and with two further podium finishes with a third at R11 (Symmons Plains) and second at R13 (Phillip Island), this round also including his first V8 Supercar sprint race victory. With nine top ten finishes for the season, Winterbottom had secured third place in the Drivers’ Championship in his third season of main V8 Supercar Series competition.
2007
Raced to 5th in the Championship, winning his first solo V8 Supercar round at the Desert 400 in Bahrain, preserving FPR’s undefeated record at this prestigious international round. Winterbottom gained four Pole positions at Pukekohe Park (NZ), the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and at the Desert 400 (Bahrain) to claim the 2007 V8 Supercar Pole Award, with three further top five overall round results in Perth, Queensland & Tasmania. FPR secures Winterbottom as the driver of the number 5 FPR Falcon for a further three years.