FIRST INTERNATIONAL ROUND OF THE SEASON THIS WEEKEND
13/4/2005 22:43 (Press Release) -
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) ventures across the Tasman Sea
this weekend for the second round of the 2005 Australian V8 Supercar
Championship Series at Auckland's Pukekohe Park Raceway in New Zealand.
This extremely fast 2.8 kilometre circuit presents several challenges to V8
Supercar teams and drivers given the circuit's uneven surface, off camber
corners and the unpredictability of Auckland's weather during April.
CAT FPR Falcon driver Jason Bright returns to New Zealand as the defending
Pukekohe Champion while his team mate Greg Ritter will be making his
international racing debut this weekend in the Ford Credit FPV Falcon.
The Prodrive owned team will be marking its 50th V8 Supercar Championship race
start in Saturday's first 100 kilometre sprint race at Pukekohe Park, one of
three frantic sprint races to decide the round over the weekend. Sunday's two
races will be 140 kilometres each, with compulsory pit stops required in all
three races.
#6 - Jason Bright - "I am looking forward to heading back to New Zealand after
the success I enjoyed there last year. Strong development is starting to flow
to make the CAT FPR Falcon better suited to my driving style. Pukehohe is a
track that I enjoy, mainly due to its mixture of very fast and slow corners.
This is also the first Championship round where we see the introduction of the
two hour practice session which will give us a better opportunity to develop
our cars as opposed to the two 30 minute sessions we have seen in the past."
#5 - Greg Ritter - "This will be my first V8 Supercar race in New Zealand and I
was able to take a look at the circuit for the first time last week. Pukekohe
has a good mix of fast and slow corners plus two long straights, which gives
the circuit quite a bit of character. After looking at everything after
Adelaide with my car, I am looking forward to continuing
our progress in New Zealand."
FPR Chief Engineer, Phil Keed - "We used the time between Adelaide and New
Zealand to make a number of improvements to both cars, tackling some of the
problems that we had identified after the opening round. This circuit suits
Jason's driving style very well, and although Greg has never competed at
Pukekohe before, he is getting to grips with the new car very quickly and I am
sure that he will show some good speed over the weekend."
Release Date: 11/04/2005
Ford Performance Racing
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