AMBROSE AIMS TO CONTINUE TOP FORM IN THE TOP-END
21/5/2004 19:54 (Press Release) -
V8 Supercar Champion, Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing) heads to the fourth round
of the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series, Darwin's Hidden Valley 21-23 May,
the hottest of favourites for an event that is sure to be the hottest of the
year.
In contrast to the most recent round at Pukekohe just south of Auckland (NZ)
where wet weather dominated the weekend, Hidden Valley is almost certainly guaranteed
air temperatures in the mid 30s and clear sunny skies.
It's not just the weather that Ambrose is looking forward to; Darwin is the place
he scored his first V8 Supercar round win (2001). He added another victory last
year giving him an enviable record from his three starts.
The only thing not on his list of Darwin achievements is pole position, despite
his overall V8 career record reading 14 poles from 42 starts.
The V8 Supercar champion does come to Darwin for the first time in his career
leading the title chase after victory in Adelaide and second overall in NZ.
Darwin has been good to the Tasmanian as well as to his Stone Brothers Racing
team, which also scored victory with Jason Bright in 1999. Adding to the SBR
strength is teammate Russell Ingall (Caltex Havoline Racing) who won the inaugural
Darwin event in 1998.
"For sure Darwin has been good to the team and to me overall, it's been an event
we've clearly enjoyed" said Ambrose.
"The atmosphere is always good. Add the challenge of the heat, extremely tight
racing and it means coming out on top is very satisfying.
"The track itself with the long front straight means we get up to very high speeds.
The tight corner down at turn #1 is key; brake nice and late and you should get
a good lap.
"The event features three races so it's a pretty long weekend. It's very important
to prepare and recover well after each race, as you want to be 100 percent in
that final run to the chequered flag."
Ingall is keen to open his 2004 win account in Darwin. After starting the year
with a third placing in the opening race in Adelaide, results since have not
gone his way.
At Hidden Valley in 2003 he started strongly with a fifth place in qualifying,
but a tangle with Greg Murphy just a few hundred metres after the start of the
first race ended any chance of victory.
"Darwin is crucial, there's no doubt about that," said Ingall.
"I really like the track and I'm keen to add another victory up there.
"This game is very tough, and we're only one result away from getting this thing
headed in the right direction.
"The last two races have been spoiled by the weather and I'm aiming to make sure
that it's not just the sun that will be shining in Darwin!"
Crews have been busy since the round in New Zealand. The ship with all the team
transporters arrived back in Brisbane lunchtime on Friday (14 May) and is expected
into Darwin on Tuesday.
Cars hit the track from Friday afternoon for the first practice session. Saturday
features practice, qualifying, top-10 shootout and the opening 17-lap race. Sunday
features the final two V8 Supercar races of 35-laps each including a compulsory
tyre pit stop.
Details for Hidden Valley
Top 10 Shootout - Saturday 22 May - 2.30pm
Race 1 (17 laps - 49.3km) - Saturday 22 May - 4.30pm
Race 2 (35 laps - 101.5km) - Sunday 23 May - 11.45am
Race 3 (35 laps - 101.5km) - Sunday 23 May - 2.30pm
Circuit: Hidden Valley Raceway, Northern Territory
Length: 2.9km
Lap Records:
Qualifying - Tander 1:08.4938 (2001)
Shootout - Ambrose 1:08.4384 (2003)
Race - Bright 1:09.0149 (1999)
Estimated top speed: 245km/h - Pit Straight
Estimated average speed: 145 km/h
Top-10 championship - after 3 of 13 rounds
1. Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing - Ford Falcon BA 532 pts
2. Steven Richards - Castrol Perkins Motorsport - Holden Commodore 528 pts
3. Greg Murphy - KMart Racing - Holden Commodore 509 pts
4. Rick Kelly - KMart Racing - Holden Commodore 502 pts
5. Jason Bright - PWR Racing - Holden Commodore 457 pts
6. Craig Baird - Team Kiwi Racing - Holden Commodore 364 pts
7. Russell Ingall - Caltex Havoline Racing - Ford Falcon BA 350pts
8. Paul Weel - PWR Racing - Holden Commodore 347pts
9. Steven Johnson - Shell Helix Racing - Ford Falcon BA 341pts
10. John Bowe - OzEmail Racing - Ford Falcon BA 326 pts
Ford's V8 Line-up for Hidden Valley
#1 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing
#9 Russell Ingall Caltex Havoline Racing
#5 Glenn Seton Ford Credit/FPV Ford Performance Racing
#6 Craig Lowndes CAT Ford Performance Racing
#10 Jason Bargwanna Orrcon Steel Racing
#20 Mark Winterbottom Orrcon Steel Racing
#12 John Bowe OzEmail Race Team
#21 Brad Jones OzEmail Race Team
#17 Steve Johnson Shell Helix Racing
#18 Warren Luff Shell Helix Racing
#23 David Besnard WPS Racing
#48 Mark Noske WPS Racing
#31 Steve Ellery Super Cheap Auto Racing
#88 Paul Radisich Team Betta Electrical
#888 Max Wilson Team Betta Electrical
Release Date: 17/05/2004
Ford Racing Australia
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