R12 RACES - Ford fans rejoice! Radisich leads Blue Oval revival
8/10/2000 19:13 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Kiwi Paul Radisich has thrown the monkey off the back of every Ford driver in the paddock, leading a Ford revival with a breakthrough win at the penultimate Shell Series round at Sandown Raceway today.
In a brand-new car, on debut, Radisich used his superior horsepower to great effect at the power-friendly Sandown layout, winning two of the three races to break an incredible 19-round drought for the Blue Oval brigade. Jason Bright was the last man to win for Ford at Hidden Valley in June last year.
In what must rate as one of the most impressive performances of the year, Ford battler Steven Ellery ensured a clean-sweep of wins for Ford – a phenomenon not seen since 1997 – with a win in race two.
Ellery booked a podium position alongside Radisich with three inspired drives. Mark Skaife finished third on overall points.
For Ford, when it rained it poured – no less than seven Blue Oval campaigners finishing in the top ten on overall points.
For Paul Radisich, and the entire Dick Johnson-led Shell Helix crew, the win was an enormous relief.
"The new car is performing very well for us and it was a big factor in today's result. I am ecstatic for Ford and ecstatic for the Shell Helix Dick Johnson Racing Team," Radisich exclaimed.
"It's taken a bit longer than I wanted, or expected, to get my first round win, but it's great that I was able to stick the flag in the ground for Ford and it will give us more confidence going into Bathurst," he said.
But the most relieved man in the paddock was Ford boss Geoff Polities, who was only too happy to part with a $10,000 cheque as reward to Radisich for ensuring Ford would not go win-less in 2000.
"It's the best ten grand I ever spent," Polities joked.
For Ellery, who has battled Glandular Fever for much of the year, it was a win against the odds for his small, tight-knit Queensland-based operation.
"I really enjoyed it today, it's the best racing I've ever had. To be on the podium is just great, really sweet," 26-year-old Ellery said.
"I've always believed I could do it, that's why I stuck at it and worked so hard to get it, so now it is very pleasing to have proof to support what I always knew,” he said.
“It's very difficult keeping someone like Skaife behind you all day and I will sleep very well tonight after that," he said.
Garth Tander kept his slim championship hopes alive with a storming drive from the rear of grid in race two, but has a massive 209 point deficit to overhaul Mark Skaife at the final round at Bathurst. Skaife only need finish top seventeen at Mt Panorama to claim the title crown.
"We've picked up about twenty points on Garth today, which is about as much as you can expect from a sprint round,” Skaife explained.
“Knowing that we need to pick up those 31 points to take the title means we may have to be a little more conservative at Bathurst rather than going flat out for the win," he said.
Tander refuses to throw in the towel, insisting, "It's not over yet!”
“After race one, it was just a case of getting as many points as possible. I knew what I had to do and that was race hard. Really, Skaife will have to DNF at Bathurst if we are to win it, but you just never know," Tander said.
A slight mistake in turn three by Craig Lowndes – who led the field away in race one from pole position – allowed Paul Radisich through to the lead early in the race.
From there, Radisich wasn’t troubled, and went on to record his fourth Shell Series victory ahead of the Factory Holden pair of Skaife and Craig Lowndes.
Steven Ellery capitalised on a career-best qualifying position of fourth to shine at the pointy end of the field throughout the race. The smallest mistake late in the race cost him third position, but he held on to record a highly-credible fourth.
With Garth Tander – who should have started from pole in the second race only to be denied by stewards following an altercation with Russell Ingall in the first heat – relegated to the rear of field, Steven Ellery was promoted to the front row and into the spotlight.
Starting alongside Mark Skaife, Ellery got the best of the start to lead the field into the first corner and from there never looked back.
Another dangerous start line tangle between a stalled Larry Perkins and an accelerating Steven Richards brought out the pace car on the first lap.
With the wreckage cleared, Ellery withstood maximum pressure from his more-fancied Holden rival in Skaife to record a flag-to-flag win – his first since joining the V8 fraternity in 1994.
Starting from sixth position under the top-six reverse grid regulations, Radisich stormed to third, and back onto the front row of the grid for the final encounter. Tander clawed back to tenth.
Starting alongside Steven Ellery on an all-Ford front row in the third race, Radisich proved no match for the rest of the field, showing a clean pair of heels to claim another race win.
Ellery was ultra-impressive again in holding-out the red and white Commodores to finish second. Skaife and Lowndes were third and fourth respectively.
No change on the Leaderboard (although with Glenn Seton’s absence, Craig Lowndes moves onto the third rung of the Championship ladder), but renewed confidence among the Ford camp heading to Bathurst in November.
"I'd really like to thank all the Ford fans around the country who have been very patient and continue to wave their flags and come out in force to give us support,” Radisich said.
“I am glad this finally gives them something to smile about,” he said.
The V8 circus has a matter of days to prepare for a date with Surfers Paradise, playing support to the Honda Indy next weekend.
**RACE ONE TOP TEN**
1st PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
2nd CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
3rd MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
4th STEVEN ELLERY (Super Cheap Auto Racing) - AU Falcon
5th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon
6th GARTH TANDER (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
7th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon
8th LARRY PERKINS (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
9th JOHN BOWE (CAT Racing) - AU Falcon
10th JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
**RACE TWO TOP TEN**
1st STEVEN ELLERY (Super Cheap Auto Racing) - AU Falcon
2nd MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
3rd PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
4th CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
5th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon
6th JOHN BOWE (CAT Racing) - AU Falcon
7th NEIL CROMPTON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
8th PAUL WEEL (K & J Thermal Products Racing) - AU Falcon
9th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon
10th GARTH TANDER (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
**RACE THREE TOP TEN**
1st PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon
2nd STEVEN ELLERY (Super Cheap Auto Racing) - AU Falcon
3rd MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
4th CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore
5th MARK LARKHAM (Mitre 10 Racing) - AU Falcon
6th GARTH TANDER (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore
7th NEIL CROMPTON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon
8th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore
9th PAUL WEEL (K & J Thermal Products Racing) - AU Falcon
10th CRAIG BAIRD (Pirtek Racing) - AU Falcon
**CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE**
1st MARK SKAIFE (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1402]
2nd GARTH TANDER (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore [1193]
3rd CRAIG LOWNDES (Mobil-Holden Racing) - VT Commodore [1142]
4th GLENN SETON (Ford-Tickford Racing) - AU Falcon [1049]
5th PAUL RADISICH (Shell Helix Racing) - AU Falcon [1044]
6th GREG MURPHY (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [904]
7th TONY LONGHURST (Caltex Havoline Racing) - AU Falcon [866]
8th RUSSELL INGALL (Castrol Perkins Racing) - VT Commodore [827]
9th JASON BARGWANNA (Team Valvoline-Cummins) - VT Commodore [814]
10th STEVEN RICHARDS (K-Mart Racing) - VT Commodore [787]
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