Frosty denied win in dramatic finish

Frosty finishes 2nd

Ford's Pepsi Max Crew has been denied its first victory under its new identity after a penultimate lap clash for Mark Winterbottom caused a dramatic tyre failure as he crossed the finish line in the final race of three in Tasmania.

His second place, coupled with his Saturday podium sees him climb to sixth in the points while Will Davison's efforts consistent weekend places him second in the points.

RACE 4
Will made an aggressive start and was quickly up two places with a neat move around Scott McLaughlin at the hairpin. Mark dropped places but gradually began reeling in those ahead of his and passed James Courtney early on. After a safety car period to remove the stricken car of David Reynolds, Mark continued his charge and eventually closed on McLaughlin who was battling with Will for fifth. Will resisted the charge and moved away while Mark would pass McLaughlin for sixth on the penultimate lap after a forceful tussle in the closing laps.

RACE 5
Mark led away from pole and held the lead for much of the race until a late-race safety car period bunched the field. Will gained a spot off the line but dropped back to sixth on lap 11 which is where he would finish the race. Mark held the lead on the late restart only for Fabian Coulthard to make contact with him at the hairpin while attempting a move for the lead. The impact caused a slow leak to his left-front tyre which let go in the closing stages of the final lap. He crossed the line just ahead of third place but his tyre exploded into turn one and he was forced to abandon his damaged car and walk back to the podium ceremony.

DRIVERS' VIEW
Mark Winterbottom - #5 Pepsi Max FPR Ford:
RACE 5
Qualifying: 7th 
Race: 6th 

RACE 6
Qualifying: 1st 
Race: 2nd 
"I'm obviously unhappy about not getting the win as we controlled the lead all race and to get bombed and come away with damage given the trip to New Zealand is so close isn't the best way to finish the race. There will always be winners and losers out of moves like that and today I was not the winner. That aside, the car was obviously very good and to finish the weekend with a big haul of points shows we are heading in the right direction overall."

Will Davison - #6 Pepsi Max FPR Ford:
RACE 5
Qualifying: 8th 
Race: 5th 

RACE 6
Qualifying: 6th 
Race: 6th 
"We had solid points again today and improved between races. The car felt pretty good and we made it a lot better which enabled me to keep my position throughout. I lacked a little bit in some areas but with the potential we've shown and the progress we've made we are heading in the right direction."

Tim Edwards FPR Team Principal: 
"It was certainly a day of highs and lows but overall we leave this weekend knowing we have a competitive package and a good base on which to build our season. Mark was unlucky not to win today and the incident aside, we did gain some good points. While we had our fair share of incidents the whole team impressed me with their efforts and we were competitive in qualifying and the races so we are looking forward to getting to New Zealand in a few days."

TASMANIA CHALLENGE
RACE 5 RESULTS:
1) Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing 
2) Garth Tander - HRT
3) Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Racing
4) Jamie Whincup Triple Eight
5) Will Davison Pepsi Max Crew FPR
6) Mark Winterbottom Pepsi Max Crew FPR

RACE 6 RESULTS:
1) Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Racing Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing 
2) Mark Winterbottom Pepsi Max Crew FPR 
3) James Courtney HRT 
4) Jason Bright Brad Jones Racing
5) Jamie Whincup Triple Eight
6) Will Davison Pepsi Max Crew FPR

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1) Jamie Whincup Triple Eight: 513
2) Will Davison Pepsi Max Crew FPR: 450
3) James Courtney HRT: 398
4) Craig Lowndes Triple Eight: 397
5) Scott McLaughlin Garry Rogers Motorsport: 366
6) Mark Winterbottom Pepsi Max Crew FPR: 357

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1) Triple Eight: 910 points
2) Ford Performance Racing: 807
3) HRT: 727