It's a BA! SBR christens its new baby
18/2/2003 23:12 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
For a while, Ford fans wondered if this day would ever come.
Stone Brothers Racing's Pirtek Falcon was the first BA-model Ford to turn a wheel in anger at Queensland Raceway today
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But for the first time, a BA Falcon V8 Supercar has been spotted on the prowl, tearing up Queensland Raceway today in preparation for the beginning of Ford’s brave new world.
Stone Brothers Racing had the honour of giving Ford’s blue knight its track debut, drivers Marcos Ambrose and Holden renegade Russell Ingall the first to put the car through its paces.
It was Ambrose’s Pirtek Falcon that made it to the test track first, complete with a revised paint job.
Ingall had a crack, too, while eagerly anticipating the completion of his Caltex-liveried Falcon next week.
Team boss Ross Stone said it was a super-human effort to have the car ready, just two weeks out from the non-championship Australian Grand Prix meeting in Melbourne.
"I actually considered calling today’s test off, but the boys refused to listen to me," Stone said after some 2500 man-hours of work from a tired crew.
"The effort from everyone involved in this project has been enormous and I guess today's launch is like the birth of a baby.
"We believe the new BA Falcons will play a major role in helping Ford back to the top of the V8 Supercar Championship Series."
And the verdict? After a handful of laps, both drivers were impressed.
"It has been remarkable to watch the evolution of this car," Ambrose said.
"The amount of detail and design is just remarkable, but nothing you would not expect from Stone Brothers Racing.
"The car feels good and I believe we have a solid base on which to build a winning race car."
Said Ingall: "If the amount of dedication I have seen in the building process continues through the season I am confident of a very successful year.”
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