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Front Page
Bowe to Make 200th Start at NZ V8's
Staff, Tuesday April 18, 2006.
Page 1 of 1
Bowe will be just the fourth driver to start in 200 rounds, joining Peter Brock (212), Dick Johnson (202) and Glenn Seton (201).
Celebrating his 21st year in the championship, the Tasmanian made his debut in 1986 in a Volvo Dealer Team 240T, where he qualified on the front row at the Adelaide International Raceway. He made six starts in the Volvo and a one-off drive for Nissan in 1987. From that point all 192 of his other starts have been in a Ford, including 102 from 1988 to 1998 in the Shell Team.
In his 199 Championship starts, Bowe has been on Pole 25 times (fifth on the all time list), won 15 times (eighth best) and has been on the podium 52 times (fifth equal).
"I?m just amazed to reach 200 starts really," said Bowe.
"To think that Peter Brock is only a few starts ahead of me, gives me good incentive to stay motivated, fit and focused so I can knock him off his perch and get a Ford man to the top of the charts.
"I?m very grateful and blessed to still be doing what I love after so many years. I have had the pleasure of working with a lot of very dedicated and talented people, and drive against some of the best in the business, including the Brock?s and Johnson?s of this world."
Despite having made 199 starts, Bowe will experience a new type of race weekend in NZ with the first of ten rounds in 2006 to include a reverse-grid race.
There will be three individual races over the course of the weekend, with the grid for race #1 set by qualifying times; race #2 being set by the reversed finishing order of race #1, then the starting order for the final race being determined by the combined results of races #1 and #2.
Not since the Canberra street races of 2000, '01 and '02, has an event included a reverse-grid race.
With lap times under 60 seconds, choosing the wrong time to make your compulsory tyre stop could mean losing a lap to the leaders.
Despite being in only his third full season, 23-year-old Jamie Whincup (Team Betta Electrical) will be looking to consolidate his championship lead after his win at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
Whincup is optimistic on his chances for success on the 2.8km track and said good results will come as a result of focus and hard work.
"I'm very confident in the ability of the car and the team's handle on the track, after all my team-mate Craig Lowndes did have pole there last year," Whincup said.
"The main thing is to score consistent results and come away with a straight car; hopefully this will help me maintain my championship lead.
"I'll be looking for a mix of aggression and patience in the reverse grid race, it's obviously good to finish well but race 1 and 3 are most important.
"There will be a lot of variables this weekend, in terms of weather and car handling. The driver who can manage all of these most effectively is going to come out on top."
For the first time in the six year history of the V8 Supercar Championship Series competing in New Zealand, all cars and spares will be air freighted across the Tasman. In previous years all team transporters were sea freighted.
Due to the time on the sea, plus shipping schedules, cars and equipment were away from team bases for up to 10 days. From being one of the longest events, this is now one of the shortest with cars and equipment to be air freighted today (Tuesday 18 April) from Avalon (Victoria) and Brisbane. The cars and equipment will be delivered to the Pukekohe track on Wednesday 19 April, with team access from 9am Thursday.
All cars and equipment will be back at Avalon and Brisbane by the afternoon of Tuesday (25 April).
| Details for Pukekohe Park Raceway (NZ) | |||
| Top-10 Shootout | Saturday 22 April | 12pm | |
| Race 1 (36 laps ? 100.8km) | Saturday 22 April | 3.10pm | |
| Race 2 (50 laps ? 140km) | Sunday 23 April | 12.05pm | |
| Race 3 (50 laps ? 140km) | Sunday 23 April | 4.30pm | |
| Championship positions after round #1 of #13 | |||
| 1. Jamie Whincup | Team Betta Electrical | Ford Falcon | 310 points |
| 2. Rick Kelly | Toll HSV Dealer Team | Holden Commodore | -5 points |
| 3. Todd Kelly | Holden Racing Team | Holden Commodore | -20 points |
| 4. Garth Tander | Toll HSV Dealer Team | Holden Commodore | -40 points |
| 5. Steven Richards | Jack Daniel's Racing | Holden Commodore | -40 points |
| 6. Russell Ingall | Caltex Racing | Ford Falcon | -60 points |
| 7. Paul Dumbrell | Jack Daniel's Racing | Holden Commodore | -70 points |
| 8. Steven Johnson | First Rock Racing | Ford Falcon | -75 points |
| 9. Max Wilson | WPS Racing | Ford Falcon | -100 points |
| 10. Will Davison | V8 Telecom Racing | Ford Falcon | -115 points |
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing Australia
Phone: +61-3-9359 8190
Mobile: +61-417-262 753
Email: bbeazle3@ford.com
Further information and high-resolution images relating to Ford Racing Australia can also be found at: media.ford.com
