FPR Melbourne race one notes

Two FPR Falcons in Grand Prix top ten.

March 7, 2003 - Ford Performance Racing has seen two out of their three Ford Falcons finish in the top six at their first V8 Supercar race.

CAT FPR Falcon driver Craig Lowndes managed to avoid a first corner three car pile up to power his BA Falcon to 6th by the end of the race, enduring a race long battle behind Ford rival John Bowe.

FPV AU Falcon pilot David Besnard drove a superb race from 20th to 10th after making a clean break from the first turn chaos to make up several positions.

Ford Credit AU Falcon driver Glenn Seton raced consistently to a 17th place finish from his 22nd starting spot on the Albert Park grid.

The 10 lap race started at 3:30pm in warm and fine conditions but it wasn't long before a first corner three car pile up behind spinning HRT driver Todd Kelly forced the remainder of the field to take evasive action, Lowndes, Besnard and Seton were among the drivers to safely find their way clear, but Besnard was the only FPR driver who did not lose track positions in avoiding the blocked circuit.

After three laps behind the safety car, the race resumed and race leader Jason Bright (Team Brock) powered to the chequered flag from start to finish, helped by the fact that his Holden rival Mark Skaife ended the race in a sand trap while chasing Bright in second position, making it two HRT retirements in the first race of the year.

With three cars home after the team's first V8 Supercar race and all three drivers displaying a competitive pace along with the scope that exists for further improvement, Ford's newest V8 Supercar team is confident of continuing their strong debut at Albert Park this weekend.

#6 Craig Lowndes - 7th - "I got off to a good start, but got caught around the outside on the grass at the first corner which cost me a few spots, but I'm glad the car got though in one piece. I'm not very happy with our race pace, we seemed to have dropped off a little bit in regard to rear end grip. But all things considered, for our first race of the year, it was very encouraging."

#19 - David Besnard - 10th - "We have once gain improved the FPV Falcon but it is still not as good as it could be, so finishing 10th with a car I know we improve on is promising. In regard to the race, I made sure to stay out of trouble and despite our set up problems I was pleasantly surprised to be catching the top ten drivers by the end of the race.

#5 - Glenn Seton - 17th - "The car was very strong during this race and it was a shame to lose positions in first corner as I was able to make up a few spots once the circuit was green again. Towards the end of the race my car developed rear traction problems but overall the Falcon is definitely better, so I'm looking forward to the next two races.

Jon Matthews - General Manager - "A better than expected result to have two cars in the top ten, three cars without damage and an inspired team as a result. With further changes to all three cars based on driver feedback, we are looking forward to improved results tomorrow."

FPR will return to the track tomorrow (Saturday March 8) at 3:25pm for a 12 lap encounter with two of the team's Falcons starting from the top ten.

-fpr-