FPR FOURTH IN OPENING INDY V8 SUPERCAR STREET FIGHT
9/11/2004 19:00 (Press Release) -
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) driver Craig Lowndes has raced
to a fighting fourth place finish in today's first of two Gillette V8 Supercar
Challenge races at the Surfers Paradise street circuit.
Lowndes clearly displayed the significant performance gains made by his team by
setting the fastest lap of the race in his CAT FPR Falcon (1:52.1764s) during
his relentless pursuit of the top three drivers. These were Ford's Marcos
Ambrose, the race winner, followed by Holden drivers Greg Murphy and Todd Kelly
who finished second and third.
Ford Credit FPV Falcon driver Glenn Seton was in strong early form, making his
way towards the top ten until he was hit and spun around by Holden driver Garth
Tander on the 14th lap after the Holden driver suffered a tyre blow out. This
dropped the double Champion four positions to 17th and he raced his way back to
15th by the chequered flag.
The battle for a podium finish between Lowndes and Kelly saw the two drivers
battle nose to tail for the majority of the 20 lap race. Although not obvious
by the close battle all the way to the race end, the Lowndes battled with major
steering problems after swiping a tyre bundle at the second chicane three laps
before the end of the race.
Today's 20 lap race was a close and competitive event held in hot and humid
conditions in front of a staggering 85,741 spectators. FPR returns to the
seaside circuit tomorrow for the second 30 lap street race scheduled to start
at 12:00pm.
#6 Craig Lowndes - "It was a good race - the car was great, it was really good
on its tyres and the brakes were also excellent. I got off to a bad start and
continued fighting for the rest of the race to get back into the top three.
Along the way we picked up the fastest lap, again showing the progress that we
are continuing to make. If we can improve our drive out of the corners
tomorrow, we should be even faster. It was a good battle with Todd, he didn't
give an inch and I enjoyed it."
#5 Glenn Seton - "I was working my way through the pack when Tander blew a tyre
and couldn't avoid hitting me, I spun and landed on the tyres at the end of the
straight. From there I tried to make up as much ground as I could and finished
the race where I started in 15th. The car is in good shape, I had some brake
fade concerns but other than that it was great and I'm looking forward to
tomorrow."
FPR Chief Engineer, John Russell - "A fighting race by Craig which yielded a
solid 4th place finish. The car was very good through the braking and corner
phases but we still have a bit to do with our engine. When running alone Craig
set the fastest lap of the race, backing up our constant improvement in car
speed. Glenn made some good ground until he was hit by Tander, and it was a
good effort to bring the car back to 15th by the end of the race. 4th is a
great position to start tomorrow's race, so we are all looking forward to it."
Release Date: 23/10/2004
Ford Performance Racing
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