FPR HEADING TO HOT V8 SUPERCAR TERRITORY
21/5/2004 19:52 (Press Release) -
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) drivers Craig Lowndes and Glenn
Seton head north to the tropical heat of Darwin for this weekend's fourth round
of the 2004 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series.
FPR intends to make this weekend's round a more competitive event for this Ford
V8 Supercar team following the mechanical problems and general lack of pace
displayed in New Zealand three weeks ago.
The major factor for the FPR drivers and race engineers in Darwin will be the
Northern Territory heat, coming after the relatively cool ambient temperatures
and heavy rain encountered by the V8 Supercar Series at both Eastern Creek and
New Zealand.
CAT FPR Falcon driver Craig Lowndes and Ford Credit FPV Falcon driver Glenn
Seton have competed in all six Hidden Valley V8 Supercar rounds since the
circuit's introduction to the V8 Supercar Series in 1998. This experience has
made the FPR duo well aware of the physical strain the three Darwin races will
place on them with both drivers having undertaken special heat training in
order to best cope with the conditions expected.
The team's decision to air freight the two FPR Falcons back from New Zealand
proved to be a wise move, enabling the team to continue important chassis and
engine work ahead of this first of two long haul domestic V8 Supercar rounds.
#6 Craig Lowndes - "It should be an exciting weekend in Darwin and we intend to
gain a strong result there. I have had some disappointing races there lately so
it would be good to turn that around. This is a difficult race for all of the
drivers due to the heat - making it more of a challenge in regards to who is
best prepared for the trying conditions. I have always enjoyed racing there and
I hope that we can turn things around after what was a hard weekend in New
Zealand."
#5 Glenn Seton - "The Darwin round always has a great atmosphere, the crowds
are great and the enthusiasm is high, which always makes it a great event. I
thoroughly enjoy racing there as it is a challenging circuit with the longest
straight in the series, which lets us wind out our V8 Supercars as hard as they
will go, heading into a very hard braking corner which is always a challenge,
particularly when battling for position during the races. As the hottest event
that we compete at during the season, this makes it even more of a challenge
and we hope to make amends for our bad run in New Zealand with stronger results
in Darwin."
FPR Chief Engineer, John Russell - "After a torrid New Zealand round, FPR move
into Darwin with renewed vigour to put things straight. Having flown the cars
back from New Zealand, we were able to carry out thorough preparation and
correct faults prior to this event. Let's hope the hot Darwin sun shines on the
team at this important round."
V8 Supercar action starts at Hidden Valley with the first practice session on
Friday afternoon, followed by qualifying and the first of three top end races
taking place on Saturday. Two 150 kilometre races on Sunday with compulsory pit
stops will ensure a tough day at the V8 Supercar office for all
competitors.
Release Date: 17/05/2004
Ford Performance Racing
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