ORRCON STEEL BOYS DISAPPOINTED – BUT ENERGISED FOR TOMORROW

20 March 2011

Frosty finishes 6th after getting stuck in the pits

It was a difficult day for the Orrcon Steel-supported Ford Performance Racing team in Adelaide, with Mark Winterbottom finishing as the first Ford in sixth and Will Davison coming home in ninth, however both are looking forward to tomorrow’s concluding 250km race.

Winterbottom qualified fifth – then repeated that in the top 10 shootout, meantime Davison in the Orrcon Steel-supported #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon advanced to seventh in the shootout.

The race was a story of strategy and attempting to negotiate the Safety Cars that littered the second half of proceedings.

Winterbottom would have been incredibly tight on fuel toward the back end of the race if it hadn’t have been for an extended Safety Car for James Moffat when the tow truck removing his Falcon encountered an issue, triggering a second tow truck being called to the scene.

That period negated the need for Winterbottom to make a splash and go. He survived a scary moment when Russell Ingall speared off in front of him after contact with Fabian Coulthard.

An issue with a Garry Rogers Motorsport machine in an earlier pitstop held the 29-year-old up and cost him some critical time a third of the way into the race, time he was unable to peg back.

On the other side of the garage, an exhausted Will Davison charged for the ice bath after the time-shortened 76-lap affair. In contrast to Winterbottom, Davison was fuelled to the end of the race – and his position was promising should the race have continued under green conditions relative to those around him.

Nevertheless, whilst Winterbottom was a beneficiary of the Safety Car periods, it precluded Davison from advancing up the order.

Today’s event was taken out by defending Clipsal champion, Garth Tander from Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes.

Tomorrow, both Orrcon Steel-backed FPR drivers will hit the track for another 20 minute qualifying session and then the Clipsal 500 will conclude with another gruelling 250km race around the 3.2 kilometre concrete canyon.

QUOTES FROM THE DRIVERS:
Mark Winterbottom
“It was a little disappointing to be honest, we lost some places due to some stupid stuff, but as a positive, we were the first Ford home.

“The long Safety Car period worked in our favour as we would have had to stop for fuel late in the race. Our earlier pitstop compromised us a little – but that’s how it goes.

“The top 10 didn’t work as well as I would have liked, I just wasn’t able to get enough heat into the rears and that left me down the pack further than I would have liked.

“Tomorrow’s another day, we will be back out there again, although I’m tired now –we will give it our best shot. Sixth is good from a Championship point of view and hopefully we can go forward tomorrow.”

Will Davison
“It was a tough, hard race out there. I don’t know what they were doing on one of those Safety Cars, it felt like it was going forever!

“That really wrecked our position. Relative to those around us, we could have finished very high. You always expect Safety Cars here, but so many for so long late in the race made life difficult.

“We led for quite a period of time there, which was a good feeling, you know.

“Either way, it was good to bank some top 10 points and keep clawing our way upward.

“I feel very comfortable now with the car and feel like tomorrow is going to be a good day. I’ll be giving it a crack.”