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Clipsal 500, Adelaide 69 days, 9 hours, 20 minutes left
Five Star FG Falcon at Jarvis Ford
The all-new FG Falcon has become the first Australian-built car to receive a 5 (five) star rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP). The petrol FG Falcon sedan range was awarded the maximum 5 (five) star safety rating rating with a total score of 34.6 points (out of a possible 37 points), giving it the highest score ever recorded by a locally produced car in Australia by a significant margin. Read more>
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FPR gambles everything and finishes 4th |
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 14/9/2008
Ford Performance Racing braved a rain-drenched track on slicks this afternoon in an audacious bid to beat the obstacles flung at them by Phillip Island's L&H 500. |
The decision was a brave gamble by the team to maintain its hard-won advantage, gained by pitting early for fresh tyres. That tactical master stroke vaulted Mark Winterbottom from 5th to 1st with a 20 second lead over title rivals Triple Eight.
Disaster struck on lap 71, however, when the heavens opened. Most V8 Supercar Championship Series cars opted to dive in the garage for wets but FPR did the math and backed Steve Richards to keep it on track until the sun and wind cleared the conditions.
"I was absolutely driving around to stay on the black stuff in the rain," said Richo. "You couldn't apply 10% throttle without the car wanting to go sideways. We lost so much time but we'll learn from that."
The brave gamble did not pay off, but the team's losses were minimised thanks to a safety car on lap 80 regulating the pace.
When the dust settled, the Castrol FPR Falcon was in 10th with just 33 laps to make up the short fall. Richo pulled off some gutsy moves against the likes of Lee Holdsworth and James Courtney to finish fourth.
"It was a great fight-back from Richo," said Frosty. "He did a great job to pass those cars. This isn't an easy track to pass on and conditions were pretty average. We're still second in the points; we've held on when it could have been a bad day."
The Orrcon Steel Ford Credit FPR Falcon, meanwhile, recovered from qualifying 27th to run as high as 14th. The car seemed destined for a top 10 finish, as many of the cars in front still needed to pit, but the rain intervened with James Courtney out-braking himself into Luke Youlden and damaging the FPR car's steering. The team repaired the damage and Youlden brought it home in 24th with team-mate Dean Canto watching from the garage.
"It just started to poor down," said Youlden. "Everyone was scrambling a bit. I went down the inside to get a bit of a view but copped a bit of a wack in the back which forced me into the car in front and broke the steering. I thought it might be terminal but the guys did a great job to get me back out again."
"The car was just a jet and very consistent," added Canto.
The next round in the V8 Supercar Championship Series' calendar is the iconic Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama, 9th - 12th October.
L&H 500 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series - Round 9
PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
V8 SUPERCARS - Race 3
1. Skaife / Tander, HRT
2. Whincup / Lowndes, 888
3. Davison / S.Johnson, DJR
4. S.Richards / Winterbottom, Castrol FPR Falcon
5. Caruso / Holdsworth, SBR
6. Besnard / Courtney, SBR
24. Canto / Youlden, Orrcon Steel Ford Credit FPR Falcon
L&H 500 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series - Round 9
PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
Meeting Points Report
1. Lowndes / Whincup, 888, (258)
2. Skaife / Tander, HRT, (252) - round winners due to race victory
3. Davison / S.Johnson, DJR (235)
4. Winterbottom / S.Richards, Castrol FPR Falcon (211)
5. Besnard / Courtney, SBR (201)
24. Canto / Youlden, Orrcon Steel Ford Credit FPR Falcon (60) L&H 500 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series - Round 9
PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
Series Driver Points Report
1. Tander (2096)
2. Winterbottom (2043)
3. Whincup (2016)
4. R.Kelly (1702)
5. Davison (1661)
6. Lowndes (1623)
7. S.Richards (1594)
L&H 500 - 2008 V8 Supercar Championship Series - Round 9
PHILLIP ISLAND GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT
Series Team Points Report
1. FPR (3498)
2. 888 (3483)
3. HRT (3198) |
Industry News
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Toyota first to export 100,000 cars |
19/12/2008
Toyota Australia is set to become the first Australian carmaker to export 100,000 vehicles in a calendar year.
The milestone car is due to be shipped from Melbourne on Christmas Eve, bound for the Middle East.
It will be among more than 2,100 Australian-built Toyota cars leaving Australia that day aboard the Positive Leader. |
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