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Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Ambrose Aims for Second Straight Title at V8 Grand Finale in Sydney

Staff, Monday November 29, 2004.

Page 1 of 1

Ambrose needs to finish just one of the three races at Eastern Creek no worse than 15th place to take the title. However, it won?t be a conservative Marcos Ambrose that takes to the track.

The Tasmanian?s record at the Sydney track is impressive; 2 wins, a second place and three pole positions all from five starts. At the corresponding round last year he completed the double with victory in the round and the championship.

?Ford fans have waited far too long for back-to-back championships,? said Ambrose.

?Dick Johnson is one of Ford?s great names. To have the opportunity to be the first driver since him to give the Blue Oval two-straight titles has me even more determined to get the job done at Eastern Creek.

?The best place to be is up front, both in the race and the championship.

?I want to win the round, but for sure I need to be aware of the championship situation and that?s the priority.

?I don?t expect any of the other teams to simply give it to us and we wouldn?t expect it any other way.

?Our Eastern Creek form has been good, but this is motor racing, anything can happen, just look at the previous round in Tasmania.?

On his homecoming to Symmons Plains Ambrose appeared to be in the box seat, finishing second in the first race, before winning the second. Then an engine failure in the final race of the weekend opened the door to his championship rivals.

His Stone Brothers Racing team has spared nothing in making sure Eastern Creek is a success with extensive preparation, that has included a full day?s testing at the their home track of Queensland Raceway.

?We completed 42 individual races dating back to the opening round in Adelaide last year before our failure to finish in Tassie,? said Ambrose.

?I don?t have a concern about our reliability going into the Grand Finale.

?Our team has worked extremely hard this year. One of the best ways to show my respect is to make sure I can play my part in helping my teammate Russell Ingall (Caltex Racing) to second in the championship.?

Ingall is just 49 points away from second placed Greg Murphy.

?I?ve finished second in this championship three times, but never had the opportunity to give my team a 1-2 in the championship,? said Ingall.

?Within the team we?re all determined to reach that goal. I won the last round in Tasmania, so we?ve got momentum and earlier this year we were extremely quick at Eastern Creek.

?The last couple of events at Eastern Creek have included heavy rain. I?m keen to see blue skies and plenty of those Ford blue flags around the track as we give it our best shot!?

The Big Pond Grand Finale format includes a twilight (26 laps) race on Saturday evening starting at 6.30pm local time. Network Ten will show this race live in eastern daylight savings states, providing the opportunity for Ambrose to secure the V8 Supercar title in prime time.

The final two 39-lap races of the weekend will be held on Sunday. All three races feature compulsory tyre stops.

The hot lap with Ambrose will be the major raffle prize, with all proceeds going to Ford Racing?s 2004 nominated charity, Breast Cancer research. So far in 2004 Ford Racing has raised $37,000 through events such as the Ford V8 Superbreakfasts.

Sydney race fans will get the chance to dine and chat with their favourite Ford V8 Supercar driver at the Ford V8 Superbreakfast from 7.30am to 9am.

Ford?s resurgence in 2003 and ?04 has generated plenty of interest. Due to overwhelming demand for driver appearances, Ford decided to bring everyone together for a massive pre-race function.

The Ford V8 Superbreakfast includes exclusive driver interviews, live show entertainment, highlights of the 2004 season, special gifts and giveaways.

Tickets are priced at $80 (plus booking fee) and can be booked through www.Ticketek.com.au or by calling 13 19 31.

Details for Eastern Creek:

Top 10 Shootout - Saturday 4 December 4.05 pm
Race 1 (26 laps ? 102.18) ? Saturday 4 December 6.30pm
Race 2 (39 laps ? 153.27) ? Sunday 5 December 12.30pm
Race 3 (39 laps ? 153.27) ? Sunday 5 December 3.40pm

Circuit: Eastern Creek, New South Wales
Length: 3.93km
Lap Records:
Qualifying ? Skaife 1:31.1923 (2003)
Shootout ? Ambrose 1:30.8955 (2001)
Race ? Skaife 1:31.7301 (2000)

Estimated top speed: 265km/h ? Pit Straight
Estimated average speed: 147 km/h

Ford?s V8 Line-up for Eastern Creek

V8 Supercar Championship after 12 of 13 rounds

1. Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing - Ford Falcon BA 1982pts
2. Greg Murphy - KMart Racing - Holden Commodore ?157pts
3. Jason Bright ? PWR - Holden Commodore -166pts
4. Russell Ingall - Caltex Havoline Racing - Ford Falcon BA ?206pts
5. Rick Kelly - KMart Racing - Holden Commodore ?281pts
6. Steven Richards - Castrol Perkins Motorsport - Holden Commodore ?321pts
7. Todd Kelly - Holden Race Team - Holden Commodore ?469pts
8. Jason Bargwanna - Orrcon Steel Racing - Ford Falcon BA ?580pts
9. John Bowe - OzEmail Racing - Ford Falcon BA ?582pts
10. Garth Tander - Valvoline Racing - Holden Commodore ?662pts

For Further information contact:
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing Australia
Phone: 03 9359 8190
Mobile: 0417 262 753
Email: benb@global-marketing.com

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