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Ford Chase Three Straight at Winton

Staff, Monday May 19, 2003.

Page 1 of 1

Ford will be out to extend its V8 race-winning streak to three at this weekend?s fourth round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series at Winton Motor Raceway in central Victoria.

Following round wins to Craig Lowndes in the CAT Ford Performance Racing Falcon at Phillip Island and Pirtek Racing?s Marcos Ambrose at Sydney?s Eastern Creek, Ford has every reason to be confident of making it a trifecta at Winton.

The last Ford win at Winton was John Bowe in 1998, but recent history has counted for little as the Phillip Island success ended a drought dating back to 1995 and Eastern Creek was the first Blue Oval win since 1997.

Eastern Creek also marked the first sweep of the podium since that same event in 1997, with Ambrose winning ahead of Lowndes and Russell Ingall (Caltex Havoline Racing).

Placed fourth in the championship, Ingall is set to be the man to watch this weekend at Winton. The ?Enforcer? took victory in 2001 at the three-kilometre racetrack just outside of Benalla.

?Winton was a test track for me for many years and I do have a good understanding on what works at the circuit,? said Ingall.

?I?m even more confident right now because our cars are flying!

?The Eastern Creek result with our third place and my teammate Marcos Ambrose?s win clearly shows that we?re one of the teams to watch out for.

?I?m still to get a round win for Ford and I?m very keen to complete another great weekend for the Blue Oval with a win at Winton?.

This year?s round at Winton has seen a change from a multiple race weekend to a single 300km torture test around the 12-turn layout.

The 100-lap race is set to be one of the toughest on drivers with around 20 gear changes per lap.

?The previous two races have been 300-kilometre races, but they were fast open tracks where we actually got some rest on the longer straights,? said Marcos Ambrose.

?The tighter Winton layout won?t provide any rest and with cars generally bunching up together it?ll be a very tight fight through the 100 laps.

?Driver fitness is going to be key, as any mistakes will see your competition drive by in the blink of an eye.

?I expect there to be a number of safety cars as I?m sure we?ll have some incidents. It?s definitely going to be a case of making the most of your opportunities and keeping the car in contention throughout.?

The total number of BA model Falcons will grow to 13 this weekend with Glenn Seton in the Ford Credit Ford Performance Racing debuting his new car at Winton.

The team has worked non-stop to get the car ready for Winton and after seeing his teammate Craig Lowndes jump up the standings the two-time V8 Supercar Champion is keen to get back to winning ways this weekend.

?Winton has been good to me in the past with two wins and seven podiums overall,? said Seton.

?Craig?s BA Falcon has been very quick straight out of the box and I?m sure my car will be just as competitive.

?It?s been to have Craig, Marcos and Russell mixing it at the front, but it?ll be even better if I can also join the party and give the Ford fans a massive lift as we approach the middle of the season?.

Like the previous races at Phillip Island and Eastern Creek, this weekend?s 300km race will feature compulsory tyre and fuel stops in what is expected to be over two hours of racing.

Details for Winton
Top 10 Shootout ? Sunday 25 May ? 11.20am
Race (100 laps ? 300km) - Sunday 25 May 1.10pm

Circuit: Winton Motor Raceway, Victoria
Length: 3km
Lap Records:
Qualifying ? Bright 1:22.6618 (2002)
Shootout ? Ambrose 1:22.9447 (2002)
Race ? Bright 1:23.1514 (2002)

Estimated top speed: 240km/h ? Pit Straight
Estimated average speed: 129 km/h

Top-10 Championship ? After 3 of 13 rounds

1. Jason Bright - Team Brock - Holden Commodore 531pts
2. Steven Richards ? Castrol Perkins Racing ? Holden Commodore 486pts
3. Greg Murphy - KMart Racing - Holden Commodore 483pts
Russell Ingall ? Caltex Havoline Racing ? Ford Falcon BA 459pts
5. Craig Lowndes - Ford Performance Racing - Ford Falcon BA 345pts 6. Garth Tander - Valvoline Racing - Holden Commodore 450pts
7. Mark Skaife - Holden Race Team - Holden Commodore 435pts
8. Jason Bright - Team Brock - Holden Commodore 429pts
Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing - Ford Falcon BA 405pts
10. Paul Radisich ? Team Betta Electrical ? Ford Falcon BA 384pts

V8 Line-up for Winton
#4 Marcos Ambrose - Pirtek Racing
#9 Russell Ingall - Caltex Havoline Racing
#5 Glenn Seton - Ford Performance Racing
#6 Craig Lowndes - Ford Performance Racing
#19 David Besnard - Ford Performance Racing
#00 Greg Ritter - 00 Motorsport
#7 Rodney Forbes - 00 Motorsport
#10 Mark Larkham - Orrcon Steel Racing
#20 Jason Bargwanna - Orrcon Steel Racing
#17 Steve Johnson - Shell Helix Racing
#18 Max Wilson - Shell Helix Racing
#21 Brad Jones - OzEmail Race Team
#888 John Bowe - OzEmail Race Team
#23 Mark Noske - ICS Team Ford
#31 Steve Ellery - Super Cheap Auto Racing
#65 Paul Radisich - Team Betta Electrical
#66 Dean Canto - Team Betta Electrical
#75 Anthony Tratt -Toll Racing

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

Further information and high-resolution images relating to Ford Racing Australia can also be found at: media.ford.com

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