Awesome foursome for Frosty

22 June 2014

Frosty wins race 19

Ford Pepsi Max Crews Mark Winterbottom has claimed the teams fourth-straight Sunday race win after holding off a fast-finishing Shane van Gisbergen in Darwin. 

Frosty only started 10th on the grid but made the most of a bold strategy which saw him start and remain on soft tyres for the entire 69-lap race. 

The win and other results have increased his points lead to 161 and makes it back-to-back Sunday wins in Darwin.

Chaz looked set to contend for a podium as well until an ill-timed safety car put him into the clutches of the chasing pack which were running a different tyre strategy. 

Several battles then ensued with drivers on fresher tyres which dropped him down the order. He defended strongly and recovered some ground in the closing stages to come home 15th. 
  

Mark Winterbottom - #5 Pepsi Max FPR Ford:
Qualifying: 10th   
Race: 1st 
It was an incredible race with so many differing tyre strategies. I finally got a good start and early on it was nice to see our cars 1-2-3. We were much better on softs and the day was all about tyre management. We had our best tyres on early and our key rivals used theirs at the end so we knew it would be close. I think today ranks as one of my best drives ever. It obviously isnt as big as Bathurst but I think it is my best win with this team. Bathurst was just a two-car dog fight, this race had a lot of strategy and I had to pass a lot of cars and really manage the tyres to make it all work. It was my first big strategy win with my engineer Grant (McPherson) so it feels great. On the last lap I was sliding sideways and Shane (van Gisbergen) stuck his nose in and I was a bit out of control. To come down to the last lap makes it pretty special.

Chaz Mostert - #6 Pepsi Max FPR Ford:
Qualifying: 8th   
Race: 15th 
It was a real tough day. We had a set strategy and the safety car came out at the wrong time and we got swamped by a lot of other cars on fresher rubber. I was basically a sitting duck and was involved in a few dog fights which didnt help either. The car is a little beaten up but we were pretty much cooked after the safety car. If not for that we wouldve been higher up, probably well in the top 10 so now we focus on Townsville next week. Were ninth in points and there is a long way to go still in this season.

Tim Edwards Team Principal: 
I am really proud of the team and how they bounced back today. We all knew we underperformed yesterday and today was the perfect response. We were aggressive on strategy and each driver did exactly what we asked of them. Marks win was one of his most impressive and he made the strategy work for him. He drove the entire race to plan and was rewarded with a well-deserved win. Dave (Reynolds) and Chaz were hampered by the timing of the safety car but had much better performances all round. This is our fourth Sunday win in a row. That is not easy to do and I am very proud of the team for its efforts. Sunday really is pay day when it comes to the championship.

SKYCITY TRIPLE CROWN RESULTS
RACE 19
1) Mark Winterbottom Ford Pepsi Max Crew
2) Shane van Gisbergen Tekno 
3) Jamie Whincup Triple Eight 
4) David Reynolds The Bottle-O Racing Team
5) James Courtney HRT  
15) Chaz Mostert Ford Pepsi Max Crew 

DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1) Mark Winterbottom Ford Pepsi Max Crew: 1451 points
2) Craig Lowndes Triple Eight: 1290
3) Jamie Whincup Triple Eight: 1265 
4) Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Racing: 1204
5) James Courtney HRT: 1120
9) Chaz Mostert Ford Pepsi Max Crew: 914

TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1) Triple Eight: 2580 points
2) Ford Pepsi Max Crew: 2390
- See more at: http://www.fpr.com.au/news/2014/06/22/awesome-foursome-for-frosty#sthash.Nn5Xjzix.dpuf