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Clipsal: Ford Performance Racing preview

FPR PREPARED FOR SEASON OPENING STREET FIGHT IN ADELAIDE March 20, 2006 - Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is ready for the start of the 13 round, V8 Supercar season that starts on the streets of Adelaide this weekend. This is the eighth time that ...

FPR PREPARED FOR SEASON OPENING STREET FIGHT IN ADELAIDE

March 20, 2006 - Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is ready for the start of the 13 round, V8 Supercar season that starts on the streets of Adelaide this weekend.

This is the eighth time that the exciting former Grand Prix street circuit has hosted a V8 Supercar round and the fourth time that the Clipsal 500 has been the season opener. It is without a doubt the most physically and mechanically demanding circuit in the Championship, featuring two 250 kilometre races on Saturday and Sunday.

CAT FPR Falcon driver Jason Bright arrives in Adelaide on Wednesday direct from finishing second in class and 4th overall at the Sebring 12 Hour race in the United States with Aston Martin Racing. The 33 year old Victorian driver is in prime race fitness ahead of the Adelaide street races. After winning this event in 2001, and appearing on the Clipsal 500 podium on three occasions since, Bright is eager to return to the podium in the car that he spent a major part of last season developing into a front runner.

According to Bright, "Adelaide always turns it on for the start of our racing season and these races are very hard work behind the wheel. I head to the season opener with the advantage of having completed more pre-season preparation than ever before, with our own successful team test last week and having competed at Sebring with Aston Martin Racing. The team has completed a great deal of development work during the summer and we should be in for a strong showing at the season opener."

Ford Credit FPR Falcon driver Mark Winterbottom is also no stranger to success in South Australia, winning his first V8 Supercar race on the Adelaide Parklands circuit in 2003. Starting the 2006 Championship with Ford's major V8 Supercar team at this spectacular event can't come soon enough for the 24 year old Melbourne based driver.

"I have said for a while now that the start of the new season can't come soon enough and after our promising test last week I couldn't think of a better place to make my racing debut with FPR than at the Clipsal 500.", Winterbottom said. "This street circuit has it all and the fans are sure to be in for some close racing judging by what we have seen in pre-season testing. This is the start of what I think will be a very exciting Championship for FPR, given the non-stop development work that has taken place in preparation for it," he added.

FPR Motorsport Director Tim Edwards believes that the team is more than ready for the challenges ahead. "We are anxious to start the season after an intense summer of detailed preparation. We are also eager to see how we shape up against the competition in Adelaide as we were very strong towards the end of last season."

Interestingly, this weekend's two Clipsal 500 street races represent the only two-race formatted V8 Supercar event of the season. Action starts in Adelaide with two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday March 24, followed by the two gruelling 78 lap races scheduled to start at 2:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

-fpr-

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