Lowndes' new green-eyed monster on the prowl
24/9/2001 21:37 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
More than eight months after defecting to the Blue Oval, Ford’s golden boy Craig Lowndes finally has a car to call his own.
Green-eyed Falcon: Rivals will be envious over Lowndes' revolutionary new-look Ford
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Lowndes, together with co-driver Neil Crompton, will be on the prowl at Bathurst in the team’s radically new green-eyed monster, the first, and much-anticipated, AU Falcon to roll off the Gibson Motorsport production line.
According to its pilot, the car eight months in the making is the most “technically advanced and sophisticated V8 Supercar ever built.”
“I am very excited about its performance potential,” Lowndes said at today’s launch.
The car features a striking new design, with increased branding of Ford’s Falcon.
"It’s a real work of art and the result of more thought, effort and expertise than any car I have been involved with before,” Lowndes said.
Ford President Geoff Polites, on hand for today’s launch, said: "Falcon is our core product and we wanted something absolutely distinctive and completely different to anything else on the track to draw attention to the Falcon.
"Craig’s original black and silver colour scheme certainly caused a stir earlier this year and we think this one will do the same.”
Polites reiterated Ford’s long-term support of the Gibson/Lowndes initiative, saying it had reinvigorated Ford’s V8 Supercar campaign this season.
"Craig Lowndes is Australia’s premier racing driver and we are proud to have him as an ambassador for our brand,” he said.
"His arrival has really rekindled enthusiasm for Ford in racing, it has spurred our other teams on to greater success and really motivated everyone in our organisation.”
Together with Ford, the team announced three new corporate partners today: GMC, Hewlett-Packard and Mobil.
Lowndes had been carrying the logos of each on his race suit throughout the year, but no official alliance had been announced until today.
Fred Gibson explained Ford had allowed the team to spend the best part of the season assembling the group of “high-quality” commercial partners for the long-term future.
"Our commercial operatives have done a tremendous job putting together this select group of commercial partners, whose identity we have not been prepared to disclose until the package was complete and ready to take us into the season’s ahead,” Gibson said.
"I am delighted to confirm that Mobil has extended its motorsport program to include our team. Hewlett-Packard has also lent its commercial and technical support for this year and beyond.
"It’s certainly a diverse group, but each of them is committed to maximising the benefits of a successful partnership with Gibson Motorsport."
Of the new car, Gibson and team were coy as to its performance in a recent test session, but are confident of its capabilities come Bathurst.
"Testing has already demonstrated that we have something special in this Falcon and I’m looking forward to the remainder of the season with great optimism,” Lowndes said.
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