JASON BRIGHT RACES TO 7TH BUT IS RELEGATED TO 18TH FOLLOWING PENALTY IN THIRD
7/4/2005 15:05 (Press Release) -
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) driver Jason Bright thought that
he had wrapped up a top ten weekend at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix with his
7th place on the track in today's final ten lap V8 Supercar race.
This was indeed the case until a post race Stewards Inquiry saw the CAT FPR
Falcon driver handed a 30 second penalty for careless driving, relating to his
defending of track position from Ford rival Craig Lowndes during the race. This
penalty relegated Bright to 18th.
Ford Credit FPV Falcon driver Greg Ritter failed to finish today's race after
running off the circuit on the 5th lap while in 14th position. The team called
Ritter into the pits for a safety check, subsequently making the decision to
retire the car from the race.
The third and final Grand Prix race was won by Holden driver Mark Skaife ahead
of the Ford duo of Marcos Ambrose and Russell Ingall.
#6 Jason Bright - "We didn't have the outright speed that we needed in that
race. I missed a gear heading onto the main straight which gave Craig a run on
me. We were trying to get a better balance but the changes we made didn't work.
We will spend some time working on our optimum set ups for Adelaide. I am not
overly concerned about the penalty as this was not a Championship race, but the
rules in relation to the defending of position seem to have changed, or are
about to change again."
#5 Greg Ritter - "There was a fair bit of biff and barge going on in the
midfield during that race - I'm still learning about the car and we struggled
to find the right brake bias for the car. I locked the rear brakes at end of
the back straight and spun. I'm disappointed not to have gained a stronger
result for the team, but our performance in qualifying certainly was a
highlight and shows the potential we have with our new car."
FPR Chief Engineer Phil Keed - "It was a very successful weekend overall,
particularly with our new car. Not only did our Greg's car have no mechanical
problems, it also had good speed from the outset. It was also a very productive
weekend in getting Jason happy with his car and our performance in these races
bodes well for the season ahead."
FPR now focuses the team's full attention on the continued development of their
BA Falcon V8 Supercars following the potential displayed at this year's Grand
Prix showcase races.
The team looks forward to the opening round of the 2005 Australian V8 Supercar
Series, the Clipsal 500, held at the Adelaide Parklands Street Circuit from
March 17-20.
Release Date: 06/03/2005
Ford Performance Racing
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