Podium For Frosty

21 November 2009

Frosty finishes 3rd after a late charge on soft tyres

Mark Winterbottom scythed through the V8 Supercar field at Barbagello Raceway today after strategy put him in prime position for a podium in the closing laps.

Ford Performance Racing saved the faster soft-compound Dunlops until the second half of the 42-lap race and Frosty was catching the leaders at two-seconds a lap in the Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon.

As he took the chequered flag Winterbottom had run down Todd Kelly and would have claimed P2 with another lap.

“I was so close to second; I thought I could have caught him [Todd Kelly],” he said. “It was potentially just one more lap.

“We had a great race strategy today but if we had known the tyre was going to last we could have come in two laps earlier and beat Todd but how do you know? As it was, we passed a lot of cars and the strategy is what got us up on the podium.”

Team-mate Steve Richards made a fantastic start but brake issues on lap eight saw him go a lap down in the pits. He finished 23rd but says the Castrol FPR Falcon is easily capable of a top five finish without today’s dramas.

“I got a great start; jumped three cars and was up to P14 into the first corner and the pace of the car was great until something went wrong with the brakes,” said Richo. “I went off three laps in a row and the last time I came in and the guys fixed it but I went a lap down.”

Tomorrow’s qualifying starts at 10.00am.

V8 Supercar Series, Races 23 & 24
BARBAGALLO RACEWAY WANNEROO
Qualifying Race 23
1. Jamie Whincup, 888, 0:56.9288*
2. Todd Kelly, Kelly Racing, +0.2725
3. Garth Tander, HRT, +0.2904
4. Will Davison, HRT, +0.3020
5. Craig Lowndes, 888, +0.3151
6. Steven Johnson, DJR, 0.3157
7. Russell Ingall, PMM, +0.3531
8. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.3660
16. Steven Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon, +0.5230

V8 Supercar Series, Races 23 & 24
BARBAGALLO RACEWAY WANNEROO
Top Ten Shoot Out
1. Craig Lowndes, 888, 57.1862*
2. Jamie Whincup, 888, +0.0052
3. Steven Johnson, DJR, +0.0584
4. Will Davison, HRT, +0.0826
5. Todd Kelly, Kelly Racing, +0.1364
6. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.1891

V8 Supercar Series, Races 23 & 24
BARBAGALLO RACEWAY WANNEROO
Race 23
1. Jamie Whincup, 888
2. Todd Kelly, Kelly Racing
3. Mark Winterbottom, Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
4. James Courtney, DJR
5. Will Davison, HRT
6. Craig Lowndes, 888
23. Steve Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon

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