FROSTY THE FORD MAN

TANDER FASTEST IN PRE-SEASON V8 TESTING

Holden driver Garth Tander has set the early pace for in pre-season testing for the 2009 Australian V8 Supercar championship at Victoria's Winton Raceway. Tander in the Walkinshaw Performance Commodore edged out the Garry Rogers Motorsport pair of Lee Holdsworth and Michael Caruso also in Commodores. Fastest of the Fords in the early going was Mark Winterbottom in the new Ford Performance Racing FG Falcon. The test was delayed by over 30 minutes after a big crash involving Commodore driver Macus Zukanovic. Zukanavic's car left the track at turn 11 and made heavy contact with the wall, he was extracted from the car by the safety team and taken to hospital with unspecified but aapparently non-life threatening injuries. More Updates later in the day.

KELLY WINS A WET ONE BUT ALL IS SUNNY FOR JAMIE

Falcon driver Jamie Whincup edged closer to his first Australian V8 Supercar championship despite finishing second to Holden's Todd Kelly at a wet and windy Symmonns Plains Raceway in Tasmania. Starting from the front row Whincup led early but was soon under pressure from main title rival Holden's Garth Tander as rain began to sweep the Northern Tasmanian track. Tander ran off the track in the tricky conditions and stalled leaving Kelly as Holden's main contender against the fast Fords of Whincup and Mark Winterbottom. Kelly drove brilliantly in the terrible conditions coming from way back in the pack to be challenging for the lead within a few laps. After changing to wets Kelly stormed through the field again to take the lead for good on lap 35. After the race an emotional Kelly, who leaves the Perkins team at the end of the year, described the race as one of his best ever.

IT’S GOING TO BE A BRIGHT SUNSHINY YEAR?

  Jason Bright will drive a third car for Stone Brothers Racing in 2009, the move seeming to bring an end to Bright's own Britek Racing operation in the Melbourne suburb of Dandenong. Bright's move comes after the decision by Ford Australia to withdraw support from a number of Falcon teams including Brights. Speaking to In Pit Lane earlier this year Bright made his intention clear that he wanted to continue with his own team, but less than three months later Bright has been forced to admit that his on-track future lies with the Queensland based operation. Bright and several senior Britek staff are now set to leave Melbourne to move to Queensland leaving the Factory backed FPV team the only top level Ford team still based in Melbourne. “I’ve tried to push the Fujitsu Racing Falcon well into the top ten and have done so on a number of occasions. However, with a new car coming on stream and the changes in fuel technology we simply don’t have the resources, or time, to research and develop what is needed to be competitive.” he said. Just how the decision effects Bright's other projects such as the Britek Scholarship is not known at this stage. A decision on the second, currently IRWIN Industrial Tools sponsored, Britek entry driven by Marcus Marshall will not be made until early December.  

HAT-TRICK FOR LOWNDES & WHINCUP AS FORD WINS BATHURST

Ford drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup took a hat-trick of wins in Australia's biggest race the Bathurst 100 at Mount Panorama. The Team Vodafone/Triple Eight team hit the front early in the race and despite a late race challenge from Holden driver Greg Murphy hung on to win by just under three seconds after 1000 kms of racing.

BLOW TO SBR AS SPONSOR CLOSES THE WINDOW

Stone Brothers Racing have announced the loss of long time sponsor JELD-WEN for the 2009 season. In a press release issued earlier today JELD-WEN Australia spokesperson Bruce Tosello said “We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with Australian motor sport through our partnership with SBR, first with Marcos Ambrose taking the championship twice and in the last three years with James Courtney.”  Mr Tosello said that the company's  decision to sponsor a whole car in 2005 was part of a branding exercise to introduce Australian homeowners to the JELD-WEN name. “With that job now complete, we’re headed in a different direction for 2009 so we remain fresh and competitive in the eyes of our customers.”

STUNT GONE WRONG, DENYER OUT OF BATHURST

A back injury suffered while driving a “Monster” Truck will keep well known TV star and part time V8 Supercar driver Grant Denyer out of next months Bathurst 1000. Ford Rising Stars Racing Team owner Jim Morton released a statement today September 19 announcing Denyer's withdrawal from the race.

WINTERBOTTOM ON TOP BUT EARLY DAYS YET

Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom has finished day one of the L&H 500 at Phillip Island on top of the time sheets. The Falcon driver was only .165 seconds ahead of championship leader Garth Tander setting up a fascinating battle between two of the main contenders for this years Australian V8 Supercar championship.

BYE BYE BILL: Ford’s President Resigns

Ford Australia yesterday announced 350 job cuts, today make that 351 (appropriate?) as Ford Australia President Bill Bill Osborne announced his resignation. Osborne has been in the top job barely six months since coming to Australia from Ford in Canada.