2 FPR cars in the top 10 at AGP

27 March 2011

Frosty finishes 11th

Ford Performance Racing (FPR) duo Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom have both finished the Australian Grand Prix well inside the overall top 10 and Davison was a good chance for a podium until he was hit by another driver late in the time-shortened race.

Davison started the third and final race 10^th and pitted at the end of lap 1 to switch from Dunlop’s hard tyre to the soft option when the safety car was deployed due to a multi-car accident on the back section of the Albert Park circuit.

The call proved the right one as the driver of the #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon cycled through to fifth after the other teams mirrored FPR’s strategy.

He then held position and was a strong chance to finish on the event podium until a bungled pass from Todd Kelly caused him to drop back. The eventually finished 13^th on the day and fifth for the non-championship round.

“The team made a great call to switch me to the soft tyre early,” Davison said. “They realised the safety car would be out for a while so we took full advantage and made up a lot of ground by the time the other teams caught up.

“I then had a great battle with a big pack of cars and we were a chance for a place on the event podium until we were hit coming into the second to last turn. While this isn’t a championship round, we still try our hardest, though some were going a little too hard out there today.

“Thankfully the Trading Post Falcon is ok and the team can fully concentrate on NZ.”

Winterbottom started 20th in the #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon and like Davison came in early to switch to the soft Dunlop tyre.

He rejoined the track 14^th after his competitors had pitted and gradually worked his way through the pack to an eventual 11^th in race three and seventh overall.

“Today was a better result and the car improved but we lost too much ground yesterday when a cross-threaded wheel nut at our pit stop dropped me down the order,” Winterbottom said.

“Had it not been for that unfortunate incident it would have been a much better result overall. We now shift focus to New Zealand which is only a few weeks away so it will be good to get back to championship racing there.”

Paul Dumbrell made a rapid start and was ahead of Winterbottom after the team’s smart strategy decision only to be punted off the track by Steve Owen just one lap after racing resumed after the safety car period.

The impact put him out of the race immediately and ended a tough weekend for crew of the #55 The Bottle-0 FPR Falcon.

“There isn’t much I can say about today,” Dumbrell said.

“I made a good start, the car was back to where it should have been pace-wise and then I got hit from behind. That was game over. Thankfully the car isn’t too damaged so we will be ready and fully fit for Hamilton.”

FPR now begins preparation for the third event of the 2011 V8 Supercar calendar at Hamilton in New Zealand.