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Ford After Another Rat Trick in Perth

Staff, Thursday June 20, 2002.

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Ford After Another 'Rat-Trick' in Perth

Ford Racing Australia is after a repeat effort from Shell Helix Racing star Paul the “Rat” Radisich at round six of the 2002 V8 Supercar Series, the VB 300, at Perth’s Barbagallo Raceway from June 28-30.

At the corresponding round in 2001, Radisich completed a clean-sweep of all three races earning the “Rat-Trick” after also scoring pole position in the top-10 shootout. 2002 has been a somewhat up and down year for Radisich, with the highlight being third outright at round two at Victoria?s Phillip Island. ?Perth 2001 was pretty much as good as it gets,? said Radisich. ?I?m very keen to get my challenge back on track this year, Perth sounds like a very good place to start. ?I like the track, it?s got a number of challenging corners and with the introduction of longer pit-stop races for the first time, I?m confident that we can once again challenge for victory in Western Australia?. The VB 300 will feature three individual races of approximately 100 kilometres each. With compulsory tyre stops in each race, Perth fans will enjoy tactical racing with the pressure placed on pit crews for the first time. The introduction of pit-stop races has come as a direct result of pitlane improvements allowing extra space for the tyre changing equipment. The driver that has the best record in WA is 00 Motorsport?s Craig Lowndes, with an impressive four round wins as well as 12 individual race victories. ?It?s a record I?m very proud of and one that I aim to improve on this year,? said Lowndes. ?We took pole position and third overall at the recent Stegbar Canberra 400, so going to Perth we?re confident of scoring a victory. ?With the longer races and the track itself being traditionally hard on tyres, picking the best time to make your tyre stop will be crucial to the final results?. The WA round includes one of the busiest schedules for teams and drivers, beginning with a 10-lap practice session on Friday afternoon. Saturday includes two practice sessions, qualifying, top-10 shootout and the opening 42-lap race. Sunday concludes activities with a 15-minute warm-up in the morning followed by two 42-lap races to decide the VB 300.

Details for Round Six of the 2002 V8 Supercar Series:

Top-10 Shootout Saturday 29 June – 2.30 pm Race 1 (42 laps – 101.22 km) Saturday 29 June – 4 pm Race 2 (42 laps – 101.22 km) Sunday 30 June – 10.40 am Race 2 (42 laps – 101.22 km) Sunday 30 June – 1 pm Circuit: Barbagallo (Wanneroo) Raceway, WA Length: 2.41km Lap Record: Qualifying – 57.9950s (Ingall 2001) Shootout – 57.5199s (Radisich 2001) Race – 57.9950s (Lowndes 1996) Estimated top speed: 250 km/h – Main Straight Estimated average speed: 145 km/h

Championship Standings after round five of 13

1. Mark Skaife Holden Race Team Commodore VX 1,384 pts 2. Todd Kelly K-Mart Racing Commodore VX 725 pts 3. Greg Murphy K-Mart Racing Commodore VX 702 pts 4. Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing Ford Falcon AUXR8 613 pts 5. Craig Lowndes 00 Motorsport Ford Falcon AUXR8 598 pts 6. Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Racing Commodore VX 563 pts 7. Jason Bright Holden Race Team Commodore VX 544 pts 8. Garth Tander Valvoline / Cummins Racing Commodore VX 459 pts 9. Steven Johnson Shell Helix Racing Ford Falcon AUXR8 411 pts 10. David Besnard Caltex Havoline Racing Ford Falcon AUXR8 385 pts

Ford Racing Australia?s 2002 Perth V8 Line-Up

#00 Craig Lowndes 00 Motorsport #27 Neil Crompton 00 Motorsport #7 Rodney Forbes 00 Motorsport #4 Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Racing #5 Glenn Seton Ford Credit Racing #9 David Besnard Caltex Havoline Racing #10 Mark Larkham Orrcon Racing #17 Steve Johnson Shell Helix Racing #18 Paul Radisich Shell Helix Racing #21 Brad Jones OzEmail Internet Racing #888 John Bowe OzEmail Internet Racing #31 Steve Ellery Super Cheap Auto Racing #40 Cameron McLean Paragon Motorsport #43 Paul Weel K & J Thermal Products Racing #65 Max Wilson Team Betta Electrical #66 Tony Longhurst Team Betta Electrical #600 Simon Wills Cat Racing

For further information contact:
Ben Beazley
Media Coordinator
Ford Racing
Phone: (03) 9533 4455
Mobile: 0417-262 753
Email: ben@segalmedia.com.au

****2002 Ford Racing Australia Media Guides and up to date statistics on all Ford V8 drivers are available ? please contact Ben if you would like a copy****

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