FORD TEAMS SHINE DURING 2004 V8 SUPERCAR SEASON
11/1/2005 16:32 (Press Release) -
2004 has been one of the best V8 Supercar seasons on record for the Ford
Racing program in Australia.
Not only were Marcos Ambrose (Pirtek Racing) and Russell Ingall (Caltex
Racing) the first teammates to take the top two spots in the championship
since Glenn Seton and Alan Jones in 1993, other Ford teams completed strong
seasons.
With most of the attention focused on the achievement of Ambrose and his
back-to-back championship titles, the likes of Orrcon Steel Racing, OzEmail
Racing and Shell Helix Racing provided Ford with five drivers in the championship
top-10.
Jason Bargwanna (Orrcon Steel Racing) was a model of consistency during
2004. He finished in the top-10 overall on seven occasions, including third
overall at the Gold Coast Indy event. Also of note was the reliability
of his Falcon, failing to finish just twice out of 26 individual races.
Bargwanna finished eighth in the championship chase.
Bargwanna was understandably upbeat about recording his best result aboard
a Falcon and his highest Championship result since he finished seventh
in 2001.
"It is an absolutely fantastic result for the team," said Bargwanna.
"What the team has achieved over the last 12 months has been outstanding,
now we look to move forward and aim to be in the top five.
"This year has been the perfect platform to build on for our 2005 campaign,
especially when many of the other teams along pit lane will be settling
in with new drivers and combinations."
For team owner Mark Larkham the reward of being Ford's next-best team to
Stone Brothers Racing was a highlight for his dedicated operation.
"At the start of the year we sat down as a team and set out to achieve
our targets, which we have now achieved," said team owner Mark Larkham.
"To me it is all about human achievement, 18 dedicated people who all year
were working towards a common goal of ensuring we had a car inside the
top ten and become the second Ford team in the Championship.
"Now we look forward to even bigger and better things in 2005. I think
our greatest asset and strength will be the stability of our tight knit
team as we continually strive for bigger and better results."
John Bowe (OzEmail Racing) showed that he's still one of the best drivers
in the championship. His ninth place in the championship was also a model
of consistency finishing with five top-10s, including third at Bathurst.
“It's a great result for the team and well deserved,” said Bowe.
“Now it's time to do some development over the off-season and come back
bigger and better next year.
“This is only a small team, but a dedicated group of people that all want
to beat the big teams on a regular basis. From a driver's point of view
it keeps me very focussed and it makes racing very enjoyable.
“One of the most pleasing things is that everyone knows we are one of the
best teams at Bathurst. 2005 we will go back there again and give it everything
to make the top spot.”
Shell Helix Racing's Steven Johnson completed the 2004 season with eight
top-10 finishes, including an amazing run of five over the final five rounds.
His best result came at Sandown when he combined with Warren Luff to finish
third behind Marcos Ambrose / Greg Ritter and Russell Ingall / Cameron
McLean.
“The highlight for me really has been every round from Sandown onwards,”
said Johnson.
“That weekend we put both team cars in the top-10 shootout and then Warren
and I combined to finish third in the race. It really lifted the crew who
had been improving the car, but not getting the rewards. From then we've
raced strongly and confidently.
“I can't wait for the 2005 season. There's a lot of strong teams out there,
and for the first time in many years they are all Ford teams!”
In amongst all the action over the weekend was Ford President Tom Gorman.
It was the first championship experience for Gorman who took over the presidency
from Geoff Polites in March.
“It was an amazing emotional high to be present at such a great moment,”
said Gorman.
“My joy was echoed by the thousands of Ford fans with their flags and signs,
turning Eastern Creek into a veritable sea of blue.
“You'll notice a new format to some of our Falcon print media advertising,
with the championship win and the Best Family Car award side by side on
facing half pages. This combination of success both on the track and in
the marketplace is exactly what we need to continue to drive forward.
“What can I say except it just doesn't get better than this.”
With driver changes and other improvements to the likes of Ford Performance
Racing and Team Betta Electrical, Ford has a realistic chance of not only
making it three championships in-a-row, it also has a great opportunity
to fill the majority of the top-10 on a regular basis in 2005.
Top-10 Championship
1. Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing Ford Falcon BA 2174
2. Russell Ingall Caltex Racing Ford Falcon BA -238pts
3. Jason Bright PWR Holden Commodore -254pts
4. Greg Murphy KMart Racing Holden Commodore -261pts
5. Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Motorsport Holden Commodore -355pts
6. Rick Kelly KMart Racing Holden Commodore -381pts
7. Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore -551pts
8. Jason Bargwanna Orrcon Steel Racing Ford Falcon BA -648pts
9. John Bowe OzEmail Racing Ford Falcon BA -672pts
10. Steven Johnson Shell Helix Racing Ford Falcon BA -758pts
2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series Calendar:
Non/Champ March 4-6 Australian Grand Prix Melbourne
Round 1: March 17-20 Clipsal 500 Adelaide
Round 2: April 15-17 Pukekohe New Zealand
Round 3: May 6-8 Barbagallo Perth
Round 4: May 27-29 Eastern Creek Sydney
Round 5: June 10-12 Shanghai China
Round 6: July 1-3 Hidden Valley Darwin
Round 7: July 22-24 Queensland Raceway Ipswich
Round 8: August 12-14 Oran Park Sydney
Round 9: September 9-11 Sandown 500 Melbourne
Round 10: October 6-9 Bathurst 1000 Bathurst
Round 11: October 20-23 V8 Supercar Challenge Surfers Paradise
Round 12: November 11-13 Symmons Plains Tasmania
Round 13: November 25-27 BigPond Grande Finale Phillip Island
Release Date: 08/12/2004
Ford Racing Australia
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