Ford coup! Lowndes and Gibson switch camps
4/1/2001 13:01 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - It must rank as the single greatest coup in Australian Motorsport history. Today, in one foul swoop, Ford Australia snatched Craig Lowndes and Fred Gibson from right underneath Holden’s nose.
The assembled media at a Ford-convened press conference in Melbourne this morning were left breathless with the news that not only would Craig Lowndes drive a Falcon next year, but he’ll do it under the Gibson Motorsport banner.
Despite showing every intention to remain in the Holden camp, Lowndes today signed a multi-million dollar contract with Ford Australia, which will keep him behind the wheel of a Falcon for the next five years.
Gibson, who recently purchased his namesake franchise back from Garry Dumbrell, will run Ford’s newest Superteam in 2001, with Lowndes as his pilot/partner.
Year after year of demoralising defeat at the hands of Holden have Ford hitting back harder than ever. The unbridled enthusiasm from Ford boss Geoff Polities was clearly apparent.
"I am extremely excited about this opportunity to bring together the tremendous skill of such a talented young driver as Craig with the undeniable expertise of one of Australia's greatest team managers, Fred Gibson. It should be a dynamic combination,” Polities exclaimed.
“This new team is another key step in Ford Australia's increased commitment to, and involvement in, what I consider to be arguably the most competitive form of Motorsport in the world – the Shell V8 Supercar series,” he said.
Moreover, after Steven Richards’ surprise switch to Ford-Tickford Racing, Polities adds yet another young face to his talented line-up.
“It gives us at least 6 extremely competitive young drivers in their twenties – continuing our focus on youth,” Polities explained.
“Craig Lowndes is undeniably a very impressive young man. He’s immensely talented and tremendously popular and we consider it a great coup to have him working with us from 2001 onwards,” he said.
Lowndes conveyed his disappointment at not being able to continue his relationship with Holden, but explained the move to Ford was a necessary one.
"I would have loved to have done a deal to continue with Holden. They were the company I started with, but this decision is right for us," Lowndes told Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper.
"People were putting me on the Brock pedestal, but this is about me. I'm putting family in front of fame, I guess. I want to do the right thing and do the best thing I can. For me, at the moment, I need to drive a Ford," he said.
Lowndes is still tied to his previous employer with a disputed management contract. However, the 26-year-old insists this won’t be a problem.
"I'm going to be driving a V8. So sitting out a year is not an option," Lowndes insisted.
Gibson will only field one car this season, but will look to expand to a dual-car unit in 2002. A principal sponsor has not been named.
The announcement leaves Greg Murphy out in the cold in terms of a drive for this season. His future is unclear.
Meanwhile, Ford has also promised existing commitment to other Ford teams won’t diminish.
Said Polities, “There is a new air of excitement and competitive spirit evident....with new driver line-ups and some very exciting prospects for an intensely competitive year.”
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