AMBROSE STREETS AHEAD AT CLIPSAL 500
13/4/2005 19:00 (Press Release) -
Pirtek Racing's Marcos Ambrose has notched his second-straight clean sweep
of the opening round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series, the Clipsal
500 on the streets of Adelaide
The result was Ford's first 1-2 finish in the Clipsal 500.
It was the perfect start to Ambrose's bid for three-straight V8 Supercar
championships, taking maximum points from fellow driver Craig Lowndes (Team
Betta Electrical).
Lowndes finished third in the opening leg behind Ambrose's Stone Brothers
Racing teammate Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing), before taking the runner-up
spot in leg two. This despite being turned-around on the opening corner
and having to fight his way back through the 33-car field!
With 12 laps remaining in the Sunday race, it appeared to be a carbon copy
of the top three positions from Saturday, but a puncture to Ingall's Falcon
forced him to the pits and he wound up sixth overall for the weekend.
Ambrose dominated the weekend's racing. In leg one he started from position
two, but was in the lead by the opening corner. From that point he was
never headed, only giving up the lead in the pit stop cycle. Once everyone
had stopped, Ambrose was back up front and never headed.
Sunday's race was much the same for Ambrose. Running away from his pole
position to again dominate proceedings.
Ambrose leads the championship with 192 points, from Lowndes (183), Todd
Kelly (162), Paul Weel (141), Steve Johnson (141) and Ingall (138).
Steve Johnson (Westpoint Racing) provided a massive highlight on Saturday,
finishing fourth to give Ford a 1-2-3-4. Engine dramas late in the race
on Sunday ended his hopes of climbing onto the podium, salvaging 15th place
in the race.
Ironically the same problem hit teammate Glenn Seton's car. Seton finished
ninth on Saturday, but had to be satisfied with 25th after spending a number
of laps in the pits as the crew tried to fix the engine misfire.
The toughness of the Clipsal 500 was again evident this year with a multitude
of crashes bringing the safety car out eight times over the weekend. Each
time it came onto the track it eliminated any advantage Ambrose had built.
At the end of the weekend he admitted that he was forced to work hard,
especially on the race re-starts.
“There is no doubt that this has been a tough weekend,” said Ambrose.
“We had track position in both races, but I was at 100 per cent every lap
except for the final couple.
“This is a great result for the team, Ford and all our fans, now we are
looking forward to New Zealand next month.
“This result has not hurt our championship chances. This certainly takes
a bit of the pressure off and now we really don't have to think about the
championship again until after Bathurst.
“We now just concentrate on some solid results without taking any risks.
“The safety cars were not a problem, you just accept them. They give you
a chance to cool off the brakes and tyres. The biggest problem is picking
up gunk on your tyres and you stroll around at slow speed.”
“I'm pleased for Craig to be up here as it proves other Ford teams have
stepped up. If not for the dramas for Russell and Steve Johnson, there's
no doubt they would have been up here as well.”
Lowndes' drive was outstanding, showing the strength of the Team Betta
Electrical Falcon. The highlight coming when he charged past Mark Skaife
in a battle that also included Ingall.
“We just had to fight our way back,” said Lowndes.
“Getting through the backmarkers was pretty tough and we also had to rely
on the pits to help us get back. We made hard work of it from the outset
but the boys did a fantastic job.
“I was wrapped at the end of he race. I'm thrilled with how we've performed
this weekend and even more confident for the next race in New Zealand.”
The second round of the championships is the PlaceMakers V8 International
at Pukekohe on 15-17 April.
Championship points after 1 of 13 rounds
1: Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing - Ford Falcon BA 192pts
2: Craig Lowndes - Team Betta Electrical - Ford Falcon BA -9pts
3: Todd Kelly - Holden Race Team - Holden Commodore -30pts
4=: Steven Johnson - Westpoint Racing - Ford Falcon BA -51pts
4=: Paul Weel - Super Cheap Auto Racing - Holden Commodore -51pts
6: Russell Ingall - Caltex Racing - Ford Falcon BA -54pts
7: Paul Dumbrell - Castrol Perkins Motorsport - Holden Commodore -57pts
8: Cameron McConville - Valvoline Cummins Racing - Holden Commodore -63pts
9: Rick Kelly - Team HSV - Holden Commodore -66pts
10: Jason Bright - CAT Ford Performance Racing - Ford Falcon BA -84pts
Release Date: 20/03/2005
Ford Racing Australia
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