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Pole and Podium at PI for car 6

Pole and Podium at PI for car 6

18 September 2011

Will finishes 3rd

Ford Performance Racing (FPR) pair Will Davison and Luke Youlden claimed a hard-fought third place at the L&H 500 Phillip Island after a late charge put the pole-sitters on the podium at the first of the V8 Supercar endurance races for 2011.

Davison was fifth with six laps to go before passing Garth Tander and Shane van Gisbergen to take the final place on the podium.

Youlden led away from the start and opened a gap to the rest of the field before the race normalised ahead of the first round of pit stops.

He remained in the lead group after his first pit stop despite not having radio communications with his crew before handing the #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon to Davison in a strong position after his second stint.

Davison found it hard to maintain position early but was patient and the race gradually came to him in the closing laps where he made the definitive passes that netted the team its second podium in two years at Phillip Island.

The day was tougher for the duo’s team-mates with Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards finishing 17^th and Paul Dumbrell and Dean Canto 23^rd.

Richards started the race and was fast early, gaining a number of positions before his first stop.

After his first stop he was pushed off circuit by Andrew Jones which dropped him down the field, though his car speed remained and Winterbottom took the wheel soon after and started strongly.

His ultimate result was compounded by a lack of good available tyres and damaged steering which meant he dropped down the field in the latter stages of the race.

Canto started strongly and remained well inside the top 10 until his first stop where he unfortunately received a drive-through penalty due to not merging into the fast lane quick enough.

Dumbrell took the wheel just over one-third distance and while he began a recovery his and the fortunes of his crew were ultimately decided when he was turned around by another competitor.

DRIVERS’ VIEW
Mark Winterbottom & Steve Richards- #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
Race Result: 17^th

Winterbottom:

“The car was really good in my first stint, it was strong and I was catching the cars in front so things were looking good but then the safety car came out and we could only fit two tyres as we needed to save the last four tyres for the final pit stop. Unfortunately that hurt the set-up of the car and we really struggled, particularly under brakes. That meant we were less racy so we were vulnerable from those drivers who took four tyres. However, I then had contact with one of the DJR cars and that bent the steering so it made it tough to get to the end.”

Richards:

“It was an up and down day for the team but it was great we came away with a podium. I made a strong start and started picking off the guys ahead of me in the opening part of the race. After my first stop I was punted off the track at the hairpin and that cost us a lot of places. I fought back again as the car was still strong though Frosty didn’t enjoy the best of luck in the afternoon and he did well to bring the car home considering the steering situation.”
Will Davison & Luke Youlden – #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon
Race Result: 3^rd

Davison

“At the end of the day third was the maximum we could achieve today. Starting from pole I had hoped we could capitalise on our position but the simple fact is our opposition was faster than us today. In the first half of the stints we weren’t quite there and we tried to tune it out but couldn’t quite do enough. Though our never say die attitude paid off and I knew we were fast late in our stints so we waited for the race to come to us, which thankfully it did. I pushed really hard and that paid off. Luke did a great job considering he didn’t have radio contact and I think the whole team can be pleased with its efforts to get on the podium today.”

Youlden:

“I didn’t think we would be on the podium five laps from home so it is nice to get this result. I had a great start, led comfortably and didn’t let the pressure get to me which hopefully proved Will and I are a strong combination. The car was quick early but then I struggled and the lack of a radio didn’t help though it wasn’t too bad as I had the team using an old-style pit board which worked surprisingly well. It is great to score a podium for the second year in a row here.”

Paul Dumbrell & Dean Canto – #55 The Bottle-O FPR Falcon
Race Result:

Dumbrell:
“We came here hoping to fight at the front of the field and while Dean had a great start and was up front early, the rest of our day turned sour and we didn’t get the rub of the green when it mattered. With Dean’s penalty which was unfortunate, me getting turned around and not getting the most out of our tyres we didn’t reach our potential today. Congratulations to Will and Luke on their podium and I’m sure we’ll be better at Bathurst.”

Canto:

“Today was tough. The start was good though initially I thought we had an issue on the first lap as the car was unsettled and while it improved it just wasn’t right. I struggled to get the car away at my pit stop and then when I got it going I was judged to have spent too much time in the slow lane so I had to serve a drive-through penalty. Paul battled hard, got turned around and recovered as best as he could. Now we look forward to Bathurst.”
Tim Edwards – FPR Team Principal
“It is a great reward for the whole team to come away from the first of the enduros with a podium and Will and Luke must be commended for fighting all day as the effort paid off. While we came here looking for victory we can’t be too disappointed with third as it shows we are not too far off where we need to be. Particularly encouraging was Will’s pace late in the race which will be important at Bathurst, though Mark and Richo were quick for large parts of the race. So while it was a tough day for them and car 55, we leave the L&H 500 with the knowledge that we will be in contention at Bathurst.”

L&H 500 PHILLIP ISLAND

RACE RESULTS:

1) Craig Lowndes/Mark Skaife – Triple Eight

2) Jamie Whincup/Andrew Thompson – Triple Eight

3) Will Davison/Luke Youlden – Ford Performance Racing

4) Garth Tander/Nick Percat – HRT

5) Shane van Gisbergen/John McIntyre – Stone Brothers Racing

17) Mark Winterbottom/Steve Richards – Ford Performance Racing

23) Paul Dumbrell/Dean Canto – Ford Performance Racing

2011 V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

SERIES POINTS AFTER EVENT 9 OF 14:

1) Jamie Whincup – Triple Eight: 2145 points