FPR HEADING FOR A BRIGHT 2005
12/1/2005 13:15 (Press Release) -
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) confirms that former Holden
V8 Supercar Series driver Jason Bright has signed with the Prodrive owned
Australian V8 team to lead their V8 Supercar Championship challenge in 2005.
This highly anticipated and widely speculated driver move resembles a home
coming for the 1998 Bathurst 1000 Champion, as Bright returns to head Ford's
major V8 Supercar team after making his blue oval V8 Supercar Championship
debut seven years ago.
A title contender throughout his V8 Supercar career, 31 year old Bright raced
to third in the 2004 V8 Supercar Championship after having led the title fight
until the closing stages of the highly competitive season. The new CAT FPR
Falcon driver boasts a remarkable 141 top ten finishes from his 192 V8 Supercar
starts to date, including 65 podium places.
According to FPR Managing Director David Flint, "The team is looking forward to
working with Jason Bright - a driver who we all know is an outstanding talent.
I am confident that combined with Greg Ritter, we have as strong a driving
combination that we could have hoped for in 2005, taking FPR another step
towards winning the Championship."
For Bright, the time was right to return to the Ford ranks with FPR in 2005,
"FPR displayed the tip of the iceberg of their potential towards the end of
last season - and we are all looking forward to the future ahead of us. In the
past I found myself in the situation where the right opportunities were not
available with Ford, but since then, the company has definitely raised their
commitment to V8 Supercars and this has paid dividends. I am very excited to be
returning to the blue oval ranks with a team as professional as FPR."
FPR continues its extensive build program during the season break, with one new
FPR BA Falcon chassis for Bright on track for a Grand Prix debut, while the
second new 2005 FPR Falcon chassis for team mate Greg Ritter will be ready for
Adelaide's opening round of the Championship in mid-March.
FPR Chief Engineer John Russell is looking forward to the new season featuring
two new drivers, two new cars and a good deal of unfinished Championship
business. "A scroll through Jason's racing biography shows that he has never
been far from the top step in whatever he has contested. The last two seasons
have seen Jason as a serious Championship contender in competitive but not
leading equipment. FPR looks forward to the exciting partnership of Jason and
the 2005 CAT FPR Falcon and the potential that this combination holds," he said.
Release Date: 12/01/2005
Ford Performance Racing
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