FROSTY RISES, BARGS CONSOLIDATES IN V8 CHAMPIONSHIP
29/11/2004 18:49 (Press Release) -
Orrcon Racing’s Mark Winterbottom had a successful finish to the Tasmanian Triple Challenge at Symmons Plains finishing an outstanding eighth in race three today and elevating his championship position to 12th.
Last year’s Konica V8 Supercar Champion in his first season with the Orrcon-backed Larkham Motorsport team, made up nine positions in the final race to complete a top-10 finish.
Winterbottom earlier crossed the line 17th in race two and finished 13th overall for the round.
Orrcon Racing team mate Jason Bargwanna was happier after this morning’s race two, when he made up 11 spots during the 42-lap encounter to finish 11th. This afternoon Bargwanna met the checkered flag 19th in race three, giving him a round position of 16th.
In a tumultuous day of racing at Tasmania’s first V8 Supercar round since 1999, the Orrcon Racing crew put in a tremendous effort to complete an engine change on Bargwanna’s car 10 between this morning’s warm up session and race two.
“The Orrcon Racing team did a fantastic job to get the new engine in the car in time for race two,” said Bargwanna.
“The result from race two was certainly a step in the right direction after yesterday, but we really can be further up. It is a challenge to make up a number of positions on this circuit.”
Watched by more than 30,000 fanatical Tasmanians, race three was a dramatic affair with two safety car periods and a host of drivers vying for the round win.
Winterbottom reached 13th position after all drivers completed their compulsory pit stop, before going on to make up another five places in a battle of attrition.
“Today was a much better day for the Orrcon Racing number 20 car, especially rising to 12th in the championship,” said Winterbottom.
“We got things off on the right foot this morning in warm up with the seventh fastest time. And then we were only two-tenths of a second off the fastest time in race three.
“The few improvements we made really paid dividends, as well as a great pit stop in race three.”
Fellow Ford driver Russell Ingall ended up the round winner despite not winning a race, with today’s checkered flags taken by championship leader Marcos Ambrose from Ford and Holden’s Greg Murphy.
Ambrose heads the championship standings on 1982 points ahead of Murphy (1831) and Ingall (1782). Bargwanna sits in equal eighth on 1406 with Winterbottom shooting up to 12th on 1164.
The results from Orrcon Racing this weekend at the Tasmanian Triple Challenge maintained its position as the second highest Ford team in the championship behind Stone Brothers Racing.
The final round of the Championship, the BigPond Grand Finale, will be held at Sydney’s Eastern Creek Raceway on December 3-5.
Team sponsor, Orrcon, is one of Australia's largest manufacturers and distributors of tube, pipe and steel. With cutting edge technology and Quality Assurance certified to ISO 9001 in manufacturing, innovation, logistics and customer service solutions, Orrcon strives to achieve to be the best in Australia for the manufacture and supply of Precision, Structural and Oil & Gas Pipe.
RACE 2 RESULTS
1: Marcos Ambrose (Ford) – 42 Laps
2: Rick Kelly (Holden)
3: Todd Kelly (Holden)
4: Greg Murphy (Holden)
5: Russell Ingall (Ford)
6: Craig Lowndes (Ford)
7: Cameron McConville (Holden)
8: Steve Ellery (Ford)
9: Brad Jones (Ford)
10: Steve Johnson (Ford)
11: Jason Bargwanna (Ford)
12: Warren Luff (Ford)
13: Steve Richards (Holden)
14: John Bowe (Ford)
15: Max Wilson (Ford)
16: Simon Wills (Holden)
17: Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
18: Dale Brede (Holden)
19: Glenn Seton (Ford)
20: Alex Davison (Holden)
21: Paul Radisich (Ford)
22: Owen Kelly (Ford)
23: Paul Dumbrell (Holden)
24: Jason Bright (Holden)
25: Jason Richards (Holden) – 41 Laps
26: Anthony Tratt (Holden)
27: Paul Weel (Holden)
28: Garth Tander (Holden)
29: David Besnard (Ford) – 38 Laps
30: Paul Morris (Holden) – 36 Laps
DNF: Mark Skaife (Holden) – 33 Laps
DNF: Craig Baird (Holden) – 21 Laps
RACE 3 RESULTS
1: Greg Murphy (Holden) – 42 Laps
2: Russell Ingall (Ford)
3: Steve Richards (Holden)
4: Cameron McConville (Holden)
5: Steve Johnson (Ford)
6: Warren Luff (Ford)
7: Steve Ellery (Ford)
8: Mark Winterbottom (Ford)
9: Simon Wills (Holden)
10: Craig Lowndes (Ford)
11: Paul Radisich (Ford)
12: Max Wilson (Ford)
13: John Bowe (Ford)
14: Glenn Seton (Ford)
15: Owen Kelly (Ford)
16: Paul Morris (Holden)
17: Jason Richards (Holden)
18: David Besnard (Ford)
19: Jason Bargwanna (Ford)
20: Jason Bright (Holden)
21: Mark Skaife (Holden)
22: Paul Dumbrell (Holden)
23: Brad Jones (Ford) – 41 Laps
24: Anthony Tratt (Holden)
25: Dale Brede (Holden)
DNF: Rick Kelly (Holden) – 26 Laps
DNF: M arcos Ambrose (Ford) – 24 Laps
DNF: Alex Davison (Holden) – 23 Laps
DNF: Todd Kelly (Holden) – 9 Laps
DNF: Paul Weel (Holden) – 9 Laps
DNF: Garth Tander (Holden)
TASMANIAN TRIPLE CHALLENGE POINTS
1: Russell Ingall (Ford) 170
2: Greg Murphy (Holden) 166
3: Steve Richards (Holden) 158
4: Craig Lowndes (Ford) 154
5: Cameron McConville (Holden) 146
6: Steve Johnson (Ford) 142
7: Steve Ellery (Ford) 140
8: Warren Luff (Ford) 130
9: Marcos Ambrose (Ford) 126
10: Rick Kelly (Holden) 126
13: Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 110
16: Jason Bargwanna (Ford) 94
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (After Round 12)
1: Marcos Ambrose (Ford) 1982
2: Greg Murphy (Holden) 1831
3: Russell Ingall (Ford) 1782
4: Jason Bright (Holden) 1780
5: Rick Kelly (Holden) 1701
6: Steven Richards (Holden) 1667
7: Todd Kelly (Holden) 1513
8: John Bowe (Ford) 1406
8: Jason Bargwanna (Ford) 1406
10: Garth Tander (Holden) 1320
11: Steven Johnson (Ford) 1280
12: Mark Winterbottom (Ford) 1164
13: Cameron McConville (Holden) 1156
14: Paul Weel (Holden) 1146
15: Brad Jones (Ford) 1143
16: Glen Seton (Ford) 1143
17: Jason Richards (Holden) 1115
18: Mark Skaife (Holden) 1114
19: Craig Lowndes (Ford) 1066
20: Warren Luff (Ford) 1055
21: Paul Radisich (Ford) 1020
22: Paul Morris (Holden) 997
23: Anthony Tratt (Holden) 987
24: Paul Dumbrell (Holden) 952
25: Steve Ellery (Ford) 943
26: Simon Wills (Holden) 893
27: Craig Baird (Holden) 859
28: Tony Longhurst (Holden) 856
29: Max Wilson (Ford) 755
30: David Besnard (Ford) 648
Release Date: 14/11/2004
Larkham Orrcon Racing
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