Hidden Valley: Ford Performance Racing preview

FPR Heading To Hot V8 Supercar Territory

May 17, 2004 - Ford Performance Racing (FPR) drivers Craig Lowndes and Glenn Seton head north to the tropical heat of Darwin for this weekend's fourth round of the 2004 Australian V8 Supercar Championship Series.

FPR intends to make this weekend's round a more competitive event for this Ford V8 Supercar team following the mechanical problems and general lack of pace displayed in New Zealand three weeks ago.

The major factor for the FPR drivers and race engineers in Darwin will be the Northern Territory heat, coming after the relatively cool ambient temperatures and heavy rain encountered by the V8 Supercar Series at both Eastern Creek and New Zealand.

CAT FPR Falcon driver Craig Lowndes and Ford Credit FPV Falcon driver Glenn Seton have competed in all six Hidden Valley V8 Supercar rounds since the circuit's introduction to the V8 Supercar Series in 1998. This experience has made the FPR duo well aware of the physical strain the three Darwin races will place on them with both drivers having undertaken special heat training in order to best cope with the conditions expected.

The team's decision to air freight the two FPR Falcons back from New Zealand proved to be a wise move, enabling the team to continue important chassis and engine work ahead of this first of two long haul domestic V8 Supercar rounds.

#6 Craig Lowndes - "It should be an exciting weekend in Darwin and we intend to gain a strong result there. I have had some disappointing races there lately so it would be good to turn that around. This is a difficult race for all of the drivers due to the heat - making it more of a challenge in regards to who is best prepared for the trying conditions. I have always enjoyed racing there and I hope that we can turn things around after what was a hard weekend in New Zealand."

#5 Glenn Seton - "The Darwin round always has a great atmosphere, the crowds are great and the enthusiasm is high, which always makes it a great event. I thoroughly enjoy racing there as it is a challenging circuit with the longest straight in the series, which lets us wind out our V8 Supercars as hard as they will go, heading into a very hard braking corner which is always a challenge, particularly when battling for position during the races. As the hottest event that we compete at during the season, this makes it even more of a challenge and we hope to make amends for our bad run in New Zealand with stronger results in Darwin."

FPR Chief Engineer, John Russell - "After a torrid New Zealand round, FPR move into Darwin with renewed vigour to put things straight. Having flown the cars back from New Zealand, we were able to carry out thorough preparation and correct faults prior to this event. Let's hope the hot Darwin sun shines on the team at this important round."

V8 Supercar action starts at Hidden Valley with the first practice session on Friday afternoon, followed by qualifying and the first of three top end races taking place on Saturday. Two 150 kilometre races on Sunday with compulsory pit stops will ensure a tough day at the V8 Supercar office for all competitors.

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