CATEGORIES

• Ask ColCam
• Commercials
• Full Ford
• Going Ford
• Industry News
• My Wheels
• Racing
• Events
• Test Drive
• Ford Dealer List

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

SPECIAL

Ford Territory

Ambrose has Victory Snatched Away in New Zealand

Staff, Monday November 11, 2002.

Page 1 of 1

The Ford Falcon AUXR8 driver seemed set for the win in the last of three races making up round 12 of Australia?s V8 Supercar Championship Series. Victory in that race would have also earned the Tasmanian the overall round win, when the front right tyre damaged earlier in the race finally let go on the next to last lap.

Ambrose limped home a disappointed 10th in the race, giving him third place overall. Greg Murphy won the round ahead of teammate Todd Kelly. It was the Kiwi driver?s second straight win in the international event.

Ambrose had taken the lead when Murphy punctured a tyre on lap 30 of 54, and appeared set to steal his first round win since Darwin 2001.

?I had flat-spotted the tyre earlier in the race and was pretty much taking care of the situation, when it went away in sight of the finish,? said Ambrose.

?Oil on the track made me to slide just a little and it locked the front left and that was it.

?Due to a radio problem I didn?t know how many laps were actually left, so I pressed on and even though it finished with no tyre at all I got the third place overall.

?I came here this weekend with my eyes on second in the championship, if not for the puncture I would have been up to third, now I?m back in sixth.

?I?m disappointed for myself, the team and mostly the Ford fans.

?We?ve got one more round at Sandown in Melbourne and we?ll give it absolutely everything to win back there.?

A trackside spike exposed mid-race when the safety tyres marking the inside of turn two were dislodged, claimed a number of victims including the Fords of Steve Johnson, David Besnard and Glenn Seton among others.

Seton and the Ford Credit Falcon crew had a bad day, finishing down the field in 24^th in race one after a spin. Had an altercation with Anthony Tratt and Cameron McLean early in race two, collected the tyres at turn two, then after multiple pit stops he managed to collect his race result of the weekend with 17^th.

Steve Ellery?s Super Cheap Falcon day ended when John Faulkner shoved him into the infamous turn two tyres.

David Besnard also made a dramatic exit, crashing out at the top of the hill on the main straight after another tyre failure.

Another of the final race?s casualties was Craig Lowndes, whose 00 Motorsport Falcon was retired with an engine problem, while teammate Neil Crompton had a steering rack bolt split a wheel.

Steve Johnson was another to fall victim to the trackside spike, being forced to pit for new rubber, then later coming together with McLean, being forced to limp the Shell Helix Falcon home 11^th.

Murphy also won the day?s earlier 54 lap race, ahead of Jason Bright, Ambrose and the Kelly brothers, Todd and Rick.

One of the stars of that event was Johnson, who charged from 31^st on the grid to finish 8^th.

New Zealand star Paul Radisich didn?t make the start for either race today after a first corner accident totalled his Shell Helix Falcon, putting it out of action for the weekend.

The V8 Supercar Series has just one more round for the year, the Betta Electrical V8 Ultimate at Sandown (Melbourne) from November 29 ? December 1.

For further information contact:
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing
Phone: (03) 9596 9011
Mobile: 0417-262 753
Email: ben@segalmedia.com.au

Previous Article: Fords on the Charge in NZ V8 Qualifying
Next Article: Best of Both Worlds with New Courier