Great Race - Ford's Bathurst glory

Monday motorsport reportOctober 9, 2006

Victory at Bathurst for Ford yesterday was sweet. It was only the Blue Oval's sixth win in the Great Race in the past 25 years.

Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup are the first drivers to hold the Peter Brock Trophy, and deservedly so. Lowndes withstood the pressure from Holden's Rick Kelly over the closing stages, setting a lap record on the fourth last lap to take his second Bathurst win -- a decade after his first with Holden. Whincup's role should not be understated, as it was his pass on Todd Kelly that put the Falcon in the lead on lap 110.

It was the first Ford victory since Jason Bright and Steven Richards won in a Falcon in 1998. Ford's other wins in the past quarter of a century were by Dick Johnson and John Bowe in 1994 (Falcon) and 1989 (Sierra), Tony Longhurst and Tomas Mezera in '88 in a Sierra, and John and John French in a Falcon in '81. In the same period Holden has chalked up 16 wins, including seven straight before yesterday.

The Kelly brothers were barely half a second behind at the chequered flag this time, but it  was perhaps most fitting that Brock protégé Lowndes should triumph on such an emotional day. It began with Lowndes driving Brock's first Bathurst-winning car -- a Holden Torana XU1 -- in the tribute to the late King of the Mountain. The tears flowed before and after the race.

"This was always going to be a very special weekend and the best way I could show my respect was to get my name on that (Brock) trophy," Lowndes says. "I think that this victory for me will top them all. To win on a very special weekend of memories and respect will probably hold as my No. 1. For Ford it has been so long and I definitely couldn't have done it without this whiz kid (Whincup) with me. I couldn't do it without him and this great team (Triple 8). It's a dream come true."

A modest Whincup, runner-up last year in a Holden and with a fantastic endurance race record, says: "We were able to win the race on pure car speed and Craig's awesome driving."

There was more Ford joy with James Courtney on the podium at just his second start at the Mountain, partnered by Glenn Seton -- who was up there for the fourth time in 23 starts but still chasing that elusive victory.

The race saw the safety car out on the track a record 10 times. The longest hold-up was after Paul Radisich's Team Kiwi Commodore slammed head-on into a tyre wall at the bottom of Conrod Straight and flipped on its right side, pinning him in the car for more than 20 minutes. Radisich was flown to a Sydney hospital for precautionary checks.

Tragic news after the Great Race was that Mark Porter, one of the drivers airlifted to Sydney on Friday after an horrific crash in a Fujitsu development series race, had passed away. The other driver, David Clark, has regained consciousness but will remain in hospital for some time. V8 Supercar officials have promised an intensive inquiry into that crash, including a look at the danger of side-impact collisions.

Yesterday saw all four factory cars were out early -- the Holden Racing Team Commodore of Mark Skaife and Garth Tander within 1km of the start. The Ford Performance Racing Falcon that had qualified alongside it at the head of the field led early but retired with engine problems before its first scheduled stop. The attrition rate in a field of 31 cars -- with 17 finishers and only 12 of them on the lead lap -- raises the question of whether the grid should be increased again. Perhaps not back to the old 55, but maybe 44 to ensure a better day-long spectacle.

V8 Supercar Championship points after nine rounds - Craig Lowndes (Ford) 2378, Rick Kelly (Holden) 2277, Mark Winterbottom (F) 1983, Russell Ingall (F) 1952, Jamie Whincup (F) 1880, Garth Tander (H) 1848, Steven Richards (H) 1812, Jason Bright (F) 1714, Steven Johnson (F) 1693, Paul Dumbrell (H) 1646.

Remaining rounds - Gold Coast, October 19-22, Symmons Plains, Nov 10-11, Bahrain, Nov 23-25, Phillip Island, December 8-10.

Alonso back in box seat
What a difference a week makes in Formula One! Fernando Alonso is odds-on again to retain his world title after Michael Schumacher's first engine failure in a Ferrari in 102 races turned him from championship favorite to underdog in an instant yesterday.

Alonso's victory in the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka was his first since Canada in June and puts him 10 points in front (126-116) of Schumacher, who had tied the score the previous Sunday in China and had notched five wins in seven rounds as he closed a 25-point deficit. Now Alonso needs only to collect one point at the final race in Brazil on October 22 to be champion again, while Schumacher needs to win and Alonso not score for the German to depart the sport with an eighth title.

Renault takes a nine-point lead over Ferrari, 195-186, into the final round after Schumacher's teammate Felipe Massa finished second in Japan and Alonso's teammate Giancarlo Fisichella third.

Alonso says his return to the winner's circle was "a beautiful surprise" and Renault is "confident but taking nothing for granted" going to Interlagos in Sao Paulo. Schumacher says: "The drivers' title for me is finished, but we go to Brazil to win the constructors." Then he adds: "It is not over yet. It's a long shot, but we're definitely not giving up."

Aussie Mark Webber spun his Williams out of the race at the final turn 14 laps from the finish, bouncing across grass and smashing into a wall. "I was struggling for balance at that chicane all day really," Webber says. "When we put fresh boots (tyres) on after the first stop I had massive power understeer. I had no front grip and the car then went just two inches on to the grass and I couldn't bring it back. It's a shame. I hope we will have a good finish in Brazil."

Yoong wins second round of A1
Malaysian Alex Yoong couldn't make it in Formula One or V8 Supercars but he has won both the sprint and feature race at the second round of this season's A1 Grand Prix series at Brno in the Czech Republic. Australia's Karl Reindler finished 15th in the sprint, almost 33 seconds behind Yoong, and 16th in the feature, 65 seconds behind Yoong. Germany leads the series with 20 points from Mexico on 19 and then Malaysia 17, then come the Czech Republic, Great Britain, USA, Holland, followed by -- in equal eighth place on 8 points -- Australia, reigning champions France and China. The next round is in Beijing on November 12, followed by Kuala Lumpur on November 26.

Ambrose survives Alabama mayhem
Marcos Ambrose survived the mayhem at the end of his first pick-up truck race on a superspeedway to finish 17th -- and second-highest placed rookie -- at the 4km Talladega oval in Alabama. Ambrose was in the lead pack on the final lap when a crash sent trucks in all directions. "It certainly got hectic towards the end but we came through -- I don't know how," Ambrose says. "I need something to calm my nerves. That was out of control." Ford veteran Mark Martin won the race. It was Ambrose's fifth top 20 finish in his rookie season. He is 24th in the points, despite missing the first three rounds, and is No. 2 among the rookies. Five rounds remain and Ambrose has already confirmed he will move up to the Busch Series next season.