MOTORSPORT: Ford racing on FG Falcon

FG Falcon may be on track in second half of season
Ford's FG Falcon V8 Supercar could be out in the open by May, although not racing that early.

Auto Action magazine reports this week that Ford has not ruled out the new model racing in the second half of the season.

However, it says that one or more of the smaller Ford teams are likely to be first to race the FG.

Might it be an opportunity for the Blue Oval to give the long-established Dick Johnson Racing, which has survived its horrors of recent seasons, the honor of debuting the new model in racing?

Perhaps the alcohol sponsorship (Jim Beam) of DJR may be a deterrent to the manufacturer doing that though.

In any case, it would not surprise us to see Ford's prime representatives in the modern era of Australian touring car racing -- Triple 8/Team Vodafone, Ford Performance Racing and perhaps Stone Brothers -- front for the endurance races, especially Bathurst, with the FG.

Ford racing boss Ray Price told Auto Action editor-at-large Mark Fogarty he wants to go public with the new Supercar well before its targeted homologation -- or general approval for racing -- on July 1.

The prototype FG race car is being built in what Fogarty calls "a high-security section" of Ford Performance Racing's Melbourne factory.

To be homologated by July 1 the new Falcon will need to be ready for aerodynamic parity trials in May or June.

"As soon as we have it finished and painted you'll see it," Price said. "We don't want to hide it ... you could see it in May.

"We will not discount the possibility that we could have cars on the grid in the second half of the season."

But Price said introduction of the FG would not be rushed. "We would not compromise the program," he said.

Driver trio call truce ahead of Eastern Creek
Three of Ford's leading drivers -- Mark Winterbottom, James Courtney and Craig Lowndes -- appear to have made peace in the wake of the crashing, bashing, damage and arguing at Adelaide's Clipsal 500 ahead of this weekend's second round of the V8 Supercar Championship at Sydney's Eastern Creek.

Ford was keen that the drivers of three of its front-running cars not be seen to be scratching each other's eyes out in public as happened in the heat of the moment in Adelaide and the trio have been on the phones calming things down.

Winterbottom will be back behind the wheel of his new BF Falcon at the Creek, but Lowndes and Courtney have been forced into back-up cars.

FPR team manager Chris O'Toole said that "everything forward of the engine" has been replaced on the Winterbottom car.

Lowndes will be in the Falcon in which he and Jamie Whincup won Bathurst in 2006 and last year's Sandown 500, while Courtney will be in the one in which Russell Ingall won the 2005 championship.

The Creek has traditionally been a Holden paradise, with Holden Racing Team particularly dominant -- last year it had Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly take a 1-2 finish there.

Skaife is the most successful driver in championship history at the circuit with six round wins and he and new teammate, and reigning series champion, Garth Tander will be especially keen to make amends for a rather fruitless Adelaide trip.

Indy in place for the long term
The Gold Coast Indy has secured its future until 2013 with confirmation this week that it will remain a round of the amalgamated American open-wheeler series, although this year's race won't carry championship points -- because of an existing Indy Racing League deal that the title be awarded in Chicago in September.

That should not be a major factory for the Queensland race, and may be sorted for next year.

The Gold Coast organisers have also agreed a contract extension with V8 Supercars Australia while making it known they are not wanting to splurge more than $11 million of Queensland taxpayer money on the event each year.

The fans should be happy and, while V8SA may have struggled to improve its deal for the popular street race it will have leveraged its arrangement through its TV arm to provide the pictures for the international telecast of the open-wheelers.

The loser out of the new deals is A1 GP, which appeared keen to get on the Gold Coast program rather than continue at Sydney's Eastern Creek.

Not only are relations between the Queensland organisation and the Americans well established, but A1 GP's assessment of its worth -- in terms of race fees -- might not have gone down well with the Queenslanders, even if the quality of its racing is now better than what any American series is going to provide.

Briscoe pacesetting in IRL testing
Things are looking good for Australia's Ryan Briscoe with the mighty Team Penske in the IRL.

Briscoe was quickest among the drivers and cars testing at the famous Sebring road course in Florida this week, ahead of Penske teammate and dual Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

Behind the Penske pair came Chip Ganassi's Dan Wheldon and New Zealander Scott Dixon.

Briscoe was also at the pointy end of the field in earlier testing at the Homestead oval in Florida.

Still no word on fellow Aussie Will Power's future in the amalgamated series, although we have seen mention that Power's backer Craig Gore is due to have a meeting with team operator Derrick Walker.

Reports suggest there are outstanding financial matters from last year's Champ Car series before any deal is struck for this year, although Walker makes no secret that he rates Power highly in the cockpit.

Briatore highlights that F1's not a great show
There is at least one perennial in Formula 1 -- that on the eve of each season Flavio Briatore will be saying there needs to be radical change to improve the show.

Last year it was the notion that grands prix ought to be run as two shorter races.

This time he's on about reverse grids, with the fastest drivers/cars starting at the back of the field -- and idea that was tried in V8 Supercars and quickly discarded.

It is ironic that Briatore -- the Renault team boss, manager of several top drivers and one of F1's most powerful figures -- should feel the need to call for any great change after last season, one of the closest in history in terms of the championship -- with three drivers in the fight at the final round.

As much as we find F1 compelling, even addictive, because it is about much more than a race of less than a couple of hours on a Sunday, it says a lot that Briatore -- a master marketer -- keeps feeling the need to call for change year after year.

Even though Briatore has the ear of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, it shows that little has been done over the years to address the lack of racing entertainment in F1.

It is a massive admission that "the show" has not been up to scratch.

Yet those running the sport, teams, and events have milked money out of companies and fans on the basis that it is a premium product.

Perhaps it's a case of more fool those who have parted with their money -- many of whom continue to do so.

Ramirez worked with Dennis at McLaren for 17 years, including trying to manage megastars Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in what started out as the ultimate Dream Team.

Ramirez's popularity and reputation were untarnished by the ugly end to that pairing.

Anyway, speculation is rife that Dennis will be forced out as team principal even before next week's season-opening Australian GP in the wake of the Spygate saga and his marriage breakdown.

Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Max Mosley appears intent on completing the humiliation of Dennis.

The pair have long been at odds, but Dennis' role in the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association, which earlier this decade threatened a rival series to F1, may have intensified the acrimony.

Ramirez told Austria's Rally and More magazine: "Without Ron Dennis McLaren will be doomed."

Of Martin Whitmarsh, the man next in line at McLaren and the obvious choice to succeed Dennis, Ramirez said: "Martin Whitmarsh is a good man -- but a hundred Martin Whitmarshes could not replace Ron.

"If he does go, it will be very bad for the team. Ron is really, really down. What happened last year has really hurt him.

"I think Max Mosley wants to destroy him, but I cannot understand it. Ron does not deserve that."