FORD SET FOR FUN IN THE SUN AT INDY
8/11/2004 18:52 (Press Release) -
he V8 Gillette Challenge on the Gold Coast between October 21-24 will bring
a significant milestone for V8 Supercar Champion Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing).
It will be his 50th championship start. In just four years the Tasmanian has
scored a championship, 12 round wins, 21 podium finishes and 15 pole positions.
That's an incredible average of one round victory in just over every four starts,
a podium result of one in every 2.5 starts and an average of pole position in
every three starts!
Ambrose stunned the V8 fraternity on his race debut at the V8 support event at
the Grand Prix in Melbourne in March 2001 with pole position. From that point
he's become one of the hottest drivers the championship has ever seen.
2004 has been a strong year for Ambrose with four round wins and a 55-point lead
in the championship.
The 28-year-old has won on many tracks, but one V8 round that has eluded him
has been Surfers Paradise.
Ambrose managed a third overall last year as his best result with sixth as his
best qualifiying position.
“I don't like those numbers, so let's turn things around this year,” said Ambrose.
“The last few years just haven't gone our way. However, we've got a great package
for the streets of Surfers Paradise this year and we'll be out there to win.
“I certainly want to attack and extend our championship lead. It won't be easy
as the place is lined with concrete walls that leave no room for error.
“It's a critical time in the championship with just three rounds remaining. It's
important to really perform well on the Gold Coast and then close the championship
out.”
One of the biggest challenges to Ambrose will come from teammate Russell Ingall
(Caltex Havoline Racing).
Ingall won the corresponding round last year and with his title hopes well and
truly alive, he won't be giving an inch on the Gold Coast.
“Sitting back is not my style; I'll be out there attacking and giving it everything
to win,' said Ingall.
“I won the event last year and I like the idea of back-to-back.
“It was my last round win and I'm keen to get a couple before the year is out.
“This championship is far from over. With a place like the Gold Coast your weekend
can be great or absolutely horrible. Here's hoping I'm the one smiling again
this year!”
The Gold Coast round of the V8 Supercars is a fan favourite with tens of thousands
of spectators descending on Surfers Paradise.
The V8's will share equal billing with the Ford-powered Champcar World Series.
One of the drivers to watch will be Ford V8 Supercar regular David Besnard who
will be switching to the turbo-charged Champcars for the weekend.
Besnard (WPS Racing) has tested extensively in between V8 Supercar rounds in
recent weeks and is hopeful of a strong showing against the stars of the Champcar
World Series.
“It won't be easy, but I'm not going to simply sit back and let them have it,”
said Besnard.
“We'll look at using as much time on the track to improve our position during
practice. I'm not going to predict where we'll qualify or finish in the race,
but we'll be strong.
“I'm really excited about the opportunity and to actually give the fans someone
to cheer on will be a highlight.”
The V8 Supercars and Champcars will for the first time use the same pitlane for
the entire weekend.
Practice and qualifying for the V8s gets underway on Friday, with a shootout
and the open 22-lap race on Saturday afternoon. The final 33-lap will be run
at midday on Sunday.
The Gold Coast Indy 300 Champcar race is set to start at 2.30pm on Sunday.
In a special public awareness campaign, all Ford V8 Supercars will carry pink
Ford windscreen banners to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Already Ford Racing activities throughout 2004 have raised $35,000 for the National
Breast Cancer Foundation.
V8 Supercar details for Indy
Top 10 Shootout - Saturday 23 October - 12.10pm
Race 1 (22 laps - 98.956km) - Saturday 23 October - 3.50pm
Race 2 (33 laps - 148. 434km) - Sunday 24 October - 12pm
Circuit: Surfers Paradise Street Course, Queensland
Length: 4.498km
Lap Records:
Qualifying - Skaife 1:50.8954 (2003)
Shootout - Murphy 1:50.7030 (2001)
Race - Ambrose 1:51.8024 (2002)
Estimated top speed: 250km/h - Pit Straight
Estimated average speed: 155 km/h
Ford's V8 Line-up for Surfers Paradise
#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 John McIntyre WPS Racing
#48 Alex Yoong WPS Racing
#31 Steve Ellery Super Cheap Auto Racing
#88 Paul Radisich Team Betta Electrical
#888 Max Wilson Team Betta Electrical
Ford V8 Milestones at Indy
75th start - Paul Radisich - Team Betta Electrical
75th start - Steven Johnson - Shell Helix Racing
50th start - Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing
Top-10 V8 Supercar Championship - Round 10 of 13
1. Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing - Ford Falcon BA 1667pts
2. Jason Bright - PWR - Holden 1612pts
3. Rick Kelly - KMart Racing - Holden 1565pts
4. Russell Ingall - Caltex Havoline Racing - Ford Falcon BA 1519pts
5. Steven Richards - Castrol Perkins Motorsport - Holden 1509pts
6. Greg Murphy - KMart Racing - Holden 1476pts
7. Todd Kelly - Holden Race Team - Holden 1303pts
8. John Bowe - OzEmail Racing - Ford Falcon BA 1188pts
9. Garth Tander - Valvoline Racing - Holden 1155pts
10. Jason Bargwanna - Orrcon Steel Racing - Ford Falcon BA 1138
Release Date: 18/10/2004
Ford Racing Australia
|
|
