FPR will start 3rd at Bathurst

10 October 2009

Frosty and Richo start from 3rd in the Bathurst 1000

Further improvements saw Ford Performance Racing qualify third for tomorrow’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 after a tense top-ten shoot-out on today’s drying track.

A rain shower earlier today drenched the mountain but the early runners and emerging sunshine changed the conditions every lap. 

Mark Winterbottom was seventh to run after setting the fourth- fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying and, facing a wet summit, used every inch of the track to set a time of 2:08.2737.

“We were improving the car right up until the warm up lap so I only had a couple of corners to feel the new set-up,” said Frosty. “It was a lot better though. 

“Keeping off the walls and the watery spots as well as judging a new set up; it’s pretty hard to nail it into turn one when you’ve got all those things to consider.”

Co-driver Steve Richards watched nervously from the pit garage.

“It doesn’t get any easier for me!” he said. “You know Frosty’s going to do a great job; he would have driven the car to its limit in the conditions, which kept getting better and better. 

“The two races that I’ve won up here, I’ve started from 11th and 15th. We’re not starting that far back!”

Cars will be on track tomorrow from 08:00 for warm-up practice before the Great Race at 10:30.

Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 - Race 18
MOUNT PANORAMA - BATHURST
Top Ten Shoot-out
1. Garth Tander / Will Davison, HRT, 2:07.9463*
2. Craig Lowndes / Jamie Whincup, 888, +0.2768
3. Mark Winterbottom / Steve Richards, Castrol Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.3274
4. Lee Holdsworth / Michael Caruso, GRM, +0.4805
5. Jason Richards / Cameron McConville, BJR, +0.5552
6. Shane Van Gisbergen / Alex Davison, SBR, +0.8696
7. Todd Kelly / Rick Kelly, Kelly Racing, +1.9523
8. Paul Dumbrell / Craig Baird, HRT, +2.2011
9. Russell Ingall / Owen Kelly, PMM, +4.5102
10. Greg Murphy / Mark Skaife, Tasman, Excluded for regulation breach

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