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[V8SC] FPR start wet Bathurst from P3
FROSTY KEEPS COOL HEAD FOR THIRD
10 October, 2009
Further improvements saw Ford Performance Racing qualify third for tomorrow’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 after a tense top-ten shoot-out on today’s drying track.
A rain shower earlier today drenched the mountain, but the early runners and emerging sunshine saw the conditions change every lap.
Mark Winterbottom was seventh to run after setting the fourth- fastest time in yesterday’s qualifying and, facing a wet summit, used every inch of the track to set a time of 2:08.2737.
Co-driver Steve Richards watched nervously from the pit garage.
Mark Winterbottom Castrol Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
“I missed out on the front row by half-a-tenth, which is disappointing. I struggled with tyre temperature but everyone’s got the same issue.
“We were improving the car right up until the warm up lap so I only had a couple of corners to feel the new set-up. It was a lot better though.
“Keeping off the walls and the watery spots as well as judging a new set up; it’s pretty hard to nail it into turn one when you’ve got all those things to consider.
“We haven’t really talked strategy yet but when you’ve got two guys with the same lap times it doesn’t really matter so much what happens with strategy. You can either win the race in the garage or on the track.”
Steve Richards Castrol Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon
“The two races that I’ve won up here, I’ve started from 11th and 15th. We’re not starting that far back!
“Watching from the garage doesn’t get any easier for me. You know Frosty’s going to do a great job; he would have driven the car to its limit in the conditions, which kept getting better and better.
“The trick was to get some heat into the tyres and then you’re alright but it was still wet on the top of the mountain on our run.”
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 - Race 18
MOUNT PANORAMA - BATHURST
Top Ten Shoot-out
1. Garth Tander / Will Davison, HRT, 2:07.9463*
2. Craig Lowndes / Jamie Whincup, 888, +0.2768
3. Mark Winterbottom / Steve Richards, Castrol Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon, +0.3274
4. Lee Holdsworth / Michael Caruso, GRM, +0.4805
5. Jason Richards / Cameron McConville, BJR, +0.5552
6. Shane Van Gisbergen / Alex Davison, SBR, +0.8696
7. Todd Kelly / Rick Kelly, Kelly Racing, +1.9523
8. Paul Dumbrell / Craig Baird, HRT, +2.2011
9. Russell Ingall / Owen Kelly, PMM, +4.5102
10. Greg Murphy / Mark Skaife, Tasman (time excluded for regulation breach)
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