MOTORSPORT: Racing as usual, says FPR

Enjoying its best V8 Supercar (V8SC) season in its decade of existence, Ford Performance Racing (FPR) says that it will continue unchanged in the wake of today’s news of Ford Australia taking full ownership of Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV).

Indeed, FPR claims the change will be a positive for it.

FPR is a separate company from FPV and wholly-owned by Prodrive, the company of British former world rally champion co-driver and motor industry and motorsport entrepreneur David Richards.

FPV has been 51 per cent owned by Prodrive and 49 per cent by Ford Australia, but under the deal announced today Ford will move to full ownership of FPV at the start of next year.

Although yet to win a V8 Supercar Championship or the Bathurst 1000, FPR is leading the teams’ championship this year, with 4353 points to Holden team Triple Eight Race Engineering’s 4347.

Long-time FPR driver Mark Winterbottom is second in the drivers’ championship on 2237 points, just one point behind Triple Eight’s Jamie Whincup. FPR’s other driver Will Davison is third in the championship on 2116 points and has six race wins this season – as many as Whincup, twice as many as Winterbottom and two more than Whincup’s teammate Craig Lowndes, who is fourth in the series on 2084 points.

FPR also built and prepares the Falcon owned by Rod Nash and driven by David Reynolds, and next year is to field a fourth car for Charlie Schwerkolt, former co-owner of Dick Johnson Racing when it won the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship with James Courtney.

Winterbottom and his co-driver Steven Richards and Davison and his New Zealander co-driver John McIntyre will be among the favourites for the year’s first endurance race, Melbourne’s Sandown 500, in mid-September and then the Bathurst “Great Race” in early October.

FPR’s improved performance this year has been in contrast to the slump in Ford Falcon sales but, after FPR’s early-season track dominance, Triple Eight has won the past eight races.

Orrcon and Trading Post will no longer be the major sponsors of the Winterbottom and Davison cars beyond this year, but FPR is believed to have sourced a major replacement sponsor. A statement from FPR today claimed the FPV acquisition by Ford was positive for the race team “as it confirms Ford’s commitment to performance vehicles in Australia”.

“The [FPV] ownership change does not affect the running of FPR, nor does it pose a threat to the future of the team,” FPR said.

“FPR operates as a separate business and this announcement will not inhibit the team’s expansion to a four-car operation from 2013.”

FPR team principal Tim Edwards said: “The race team’s future is secure and we are in a very healthy position. We are a separate business and all our plans for 2013 and beyond remain.

“The FPV brand continues, which is very pleasing for us as it is one of the team’s founding commercial partners… Ford’s ownership will further strengthen our ties with them as we are intrinsically linked to the brand’s performance credentials.

“Obviously as the specific details of the new structure evolve we will discuss with Ford the nature of our relationship with the FPV brand. However, our immediate focus is on the enduros and the development of our Car of the Future program,” Edwards stated.

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