9/11/2011
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is looking to repeat its race-winning efforts from last season at Symmons Plains when the V8 Supercar Championship returns to regular action this weekend for the Tasmania Challenge.

FPR’s Mark Winterbottom, who won last time out on the Gold Coast, claimed pole position and the race win at last year’s event in Tasmania ahead of team-mate Paul Dumbrell to give the team a 1-2 result.

The factory Ford team has been gathering momentum throughout the endurance races and intends to carry that form into the final three events of the 2011 season.

Winterbottom now sits fourth in the standings and is closing in on third thanks to being the top points scorer from Bathurst and the Gold Coast combined.

Will Davison claimed his best result of the season at the GC 600 with second on Saturday before a puncture on Sunday cruelly robbed him and the team of a double podium.

Far from disappointed, Davison believes the team’s constant improvement will net him a win before the season is out.

Dumbrell returns one year on to the scene of his first V8 Supercar podium and wants nothing more than to add to his tally before he bows out of the sport at season’s end.

The Tasmania Challenge will be the first time the series’ regular drivers have raced without a co-driver in two months and will also see the return of a more normal race weekend format.

Saturday and Sunday will both feature a single 20-minute qualifying session followed by a race with one 50-lap race on Saturday followed by an 84-lap race on Sunday.

DRIVERS’ VIEW:

Mark Winterbottom – #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon

Championship position/points: 4^th / 1966

“There is no better feeling than heading into a race weekend after a win. While it was great to grab victory on the Gold Coast our attention now turns to the remaining three races where we want to use this success and what we’ve learnt to gain more wins. Symmons Plains looks relatively straight forward and while it is the shortest track we go to, it is really exciting and busy behind the wheel. You need a stable car, one that accelerates well and has good power – thankfully three things we have. The team finished first and second there last year so we should be aiming for nothing less this year.”

Will Davison – #6 Trading Post FPR Falcon

Championship position/points: 6^th / 1847

“Second place on the Gold Coast was great but we’ve also had missed opportunities recently, though I am taking positives from them as I know we are building and improving all the time. I am both confident and excited about our prospects for this weekend as our cars should be as strong at Symmons Plains as they were on the Gold Coast. Symmons is a tricky little track with some good corners. You have to be at the top of your game there as it is so close from first to last. It is intense to drive as there are big braking zones, hard accelerations and you are constantly pushing really hard so you can’t have a lapse in concentration. A good strategy is critical and everything has to be right to get a result.”

Paul Dumbrell – #55 The Bottle-O FPR Falcon

Championship position/points: 24^th / 1012

“I can’t wait to get into it at Symmons Plains as the team deserves a result like we had there last year. It is where we scored our maiden podium together and it kicked off a great end to the year. It is hard to believe I debuted here at a 16-year-old, though to get my first rostrum there last year was perhaps fitting. FPR has hit form and the Gold Coast proved we can beat anyone on our day. Thankfully the team has put in a Herculean effort to repair my car after we were taken out on the Gold Coast so we are ready to put our bad luck behind us and challenge at the front. Qualifying will be the key so a good grid slot is our first objective.”

Tim Edwards – FPR Team Principal

FPR Team Championship position/points: 2^nd / 3838

“We return to Symmons Plains on a high following our win on the Gold Coast. Obviously our first win came later in the season that we all hoped, but the entire team now has a renewed purpose and finishing third in the drivers’ championship is our aim. It feels strange not to have co-drivers this weekend but after a busy few months we are all looking forward to returning to a little normality with our race formats. Frosty and PD finished 1-2 last year in Tasmania and Will has won the round there in the past so it is a circuit our drivers enjoy.”