Webber Signs with
Jaguar
Jaguar Racing has announced that
Australian Mark Webber (26) and Brazilian
Antonio Pizzonia have signed to compete
for the team in the 2003 FIA Formula One
World Championship. Mark and Antonio
replace Eddie Irvine (36) and Pedro de la
Rosa (31). These changes are with
immediate effect. Read
More
Ford Bathurst
Victory
Luke Youlden has won his maiden V8
Supercar race, taking out this afternoon's
Konica V8 Supercar Challenge in front of a
massive crowd at Bathurst. Youlden swapped
places with Wayne Wakefield for much of
the incident packed race, before Wakefield
was slowed by a fuel pressure problem."It
is always great to win, and to win your
first V8 Supercar race is great," Youlden
said. "There is no other place you'd like
to perform so well, the crowd is huge up
top." Read
More
 The
future motor-racing stars of tomorrow
will tackle the most challenging track of
all, Mt Panorama, when Formula Ford
returns to Bathurst as a showcase event at
the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 on October
11-13, 2002. Leading the 38-strong field
will be 2002 Avon Rookie of the Year Mark
Winterbottom, who finished this
year’s Championship in second
place.
Read more...
 Glenn
Seton and his Ford Credit Racing team
will put 12 months planning into practice
when they chase one of Australian sports
most important prizes, victory at the Bob
Jane T-Marts 1000 at Bathurst from October
10 –13.
The
team refocussed its energies at the end of
2001, including the decision to run one
car instead of two during the 2002
season. Read more...
Ford Bathurst
Victory
Luke Youlden has won his maiden V8
Supercar race, taking out this afternoon's
Konica V8 Supercar Challenge in front of a
massive crowd at Bathurst. Youlden swapped
places with Wayne Wakefield for much of
the incident packed race, before Wakefield
was slowed by a fuel pressure problem."It
is always great to win, and to win your
first V8 Supercar race is great," Youlden
said. "There is no other place you'd like
to perform so well, the crowd is huge up
top."The opening 10 laps of the 30 lap
race saw three Safety Car periods to
collect damage cars and Youlden says this
hurt him early."It would have suited us to
do the whole race under green, we had a
huge lead after lap 1 so the Safety Car
really hurt us."Youlden and Wakefield ran
an entertaining race, swapping spots
regularly and almost coming to grief at
Griffin Bend after dicing into the corner.
Youlden eventually won that battle and
started to pull away with the race."I
didn't think he'd keep going up there, but
he did," Wakefield said. "I was struggling
for straight line speed, so I had to get a
big gap if I was going to hold the lead
into that corner. "
After Wakefield's car struck problems
with his fuel pressure, he dropped 10
seconds in two laps before working a way
around the problem.
"I had to keep switching between the
reserve and main tanks to keep the
pressure up. I had to back off on the
straight to let the fuel catch up, and
that dropped a block of time."Third home
was Melbourne-driver Matthew White in his
VIP Petfoods Commodore."I was out there
pushing as hard as Luke and Wayne," White
said, "but I wasn't even as fast as last
year in the VS (an older model Commodore
than he raced today)."All three drivers
will line up for the Bob Jane T-marts 1000
tomorrow morning, Youlden sharing with
Steve Ellery in the SuperCheap Falcon,
Wakefield with Paul Morris in the Sirromet
Wines Commodore and White with Tony
Longhurst in the Betta Electrics
Falcon.
Stars of Tomorrow Tackle the
Mountain.
The future motor-racing stars of
tomorrow will tackle the most challenging
track of all, Mt Panorama, when Formula
Ford returns to Bathurst as a showcase
event at the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 on
October 11-13, 2002.
Leading the 38-strong field will be
2002 Avon Rookie of the Year Mark
Winterbottom, who finished this
year’s Championship in second
place.
"I can’t wait to get to Bathurst
– I’ve watched the race both on
TV and at the track, and the Formula Ford
racing is always exciting with lots of
passing on the last corner!" said New
South Wales’ Mark Winterbottom.
"I don’t think the track will be too
hard to learn. I’ve ridden my bike
around there and I’m going up there
this weekend in my road car."
Fellow New South Welshman Neil McFadyen
will also be racing at Bathurst for the
first time, and is full of confidence
after finishing the 2002 Championship in
fourth place.
Formula Ford regular competitor Justin
Cotter has tasted success at Bathurst,
winning a race at the 1996 Championship
round and will this year race a 2002
Spectrum chassis.
Daniel Reinhardt currently sits second in
the Victorian State Championship, and will
be driving the Spectrum 07 that Steve Owen
took to two chequered flags in the 1998
Bathurst round.
Leading the Mygale chassis charge will be
16-year-old Victorian Tony D’Alberto
and Mygale distributor Greg Woodrow, who
has an impressive record at Bathurst with
a pair of fourths in 1999. He will be
racing the SJ96 that Luke Youlden steered
to victory at Mt Panorama in 1999.
Looking for local support will be
home-town hero Ben Eggleston who hails
from Orange and has balanced both national
and state racing this year.
The 36-car field will fight for Bathurst
honours in two races at 11.35am on Friday
11th October and 7.40am on Saturday 12th
October.
FORMULA FORD BATHURST FACTS
Of the 11 Formula Ford race winners at the
Bathurst 1000 since 1994, 9 will be
competing in V8s at the 2002 Bob Jane
T-Mart 1000 (the exceptions being Will
Davison who is overseas racing in Formula
Renault and Gavin Monaghan)
The winners are: Steven Richards, David
Besnard, Jason Bargwanna, Todd Kelly, Greg
Ritter, Rodney Forbes, Steve Owen, Luke
Youlden, Will Davison and Rick Kelly.
Of the 41 V8 cars competing at the
Bathurst 1000, only 11 do not contain an
ex-Formula Ford driver (that means over
70% of the cars have ex-Fford drivers in
them).
Of the 21 Falcons competing in the
Bathurst 1000, only two drivers do not
contain an ex-Formula Ford driver.Over 50%
of the V8 drivers at Bathurst are
ex-Formula Ford drivers.
11 of the past 14 Formula Ford Champions
will be driving at the Bathurst 1000 (the
exclusions being Will Davison (overseas),
Adam Macrow and Troy Dunstan).
Ford Credit Racing totally
focused on Bathurst
success
Glenn Seton and his Ford Credit Racing
team will put 12 months planning into
practice when they chase one of Australian
sports most important prizes, victory at
the Bob Jane T-Marts 1000 at Bathurst from
October 10 –13.
The team refocussed its energies at the
end of 2001, including the decision to run
one car instead of two during the 2002
season.
The benefits of this decision will be
important at Bathurst where the entire
crew will dedicate all its energy on the
#5 Ford Falcon AUXR8.
"Many people were critical of our decision
to go back to one car at the start of the
year, but I’m sure we’ll be a
whole lot better off at Bathurst," said
Seton.
"In terms of resources in the lead-up to
the race, we have been able to dedicate
people on practice and qualifying, while
have others have made sure our race day
equipment is ready for the 161-laps.
"This is the first time we’ve had
enough equipment to take this approach,
and I’m confident it’s something
we can take real advantage of".
Seton was the pacesetter during practice
and qualifying in 2001, clocking the
fastest ever time around the 6.213km Mount
Panorama circuit during qualifying. He
went on to start on the front and led from
the start of the race. A cut tyre after
the final round of pit stops ended any
hopes of winning and he finished in ninth
place.
"Winning at Bathurst is every Supercar
driver’s dream," said Seton. "Up
until now my best result has been second
in 1987, this year I want to go one
better," said Seton.
"I’ve got a very good co-driver in
Owen Kelly, as well as a crew that will
give their all to winning the race, I
could not ask for anything more."
One of the most promising drivers in the
country, 25-year-old Owen Kelly singed on
with Ford Credit Racing at the start of
2002, in the process dedicating all his
efforts to winning at Bathurst.
"This is a big event for Glenn Seton
Racing, but for me it’s pretty much a
defining moment if I’m to make my
mark on V8 Supercar racing," said
Kelly.
"I’ve worked hard to keep myself in
shape, and the team has given me plenty of
miles in the car during testing. The race
will be tough, but I’m more than
ready for the Bathurst challenge".
As well as the team’s usual
semi-trailer, the team will take another
truck with the extra equipment required at
Bathurst. Including in the list of items
are 30 wheels and tyres, including 24
fully fitted with fresh rubber for
qualifying and racing. The full crew will
be at Bathurst from Wednesday.
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