JAXQuickfit Tyres & Wheels Blog » Mark Winterbottom

Ford Performance Racing in Seventh (Surfboard) Heaven at Surfers Paradise

JAXQuickfit — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:51:32 +0000

Ford Performance Racing’s (FPR) Mark Winterbottom and Richard Lyons combined to give the team its first victory of the 2011 V8 Supercar season after taking the chequered flag first in the final 102-lap race at the Armor All Gold Coast 600 at Surfers Paradise.

Winterbottom and Lyons combined to defeat 54 other drivers around the concrete jungle that is the Surfers Paradise street circuit. The win moves ‘Frosty’ into fourth in the championship and solidifies FPR’s second place in the Team Championship.

The team earned seven of the event’s famous surfboard trophies across the weekend, including four in Saturday’s race for its double podium and an additional three on Sunday for the win and being the winning team.

“Winning on the soft (Dunlop) tyre makes it just that much sweeter as the team has been working incredibly hard and to see their smiling faces at the podium is a result of a lot of hours work so I congratulate them all,” said Winterbottom after his win.

Armor All Gold Coast 600
Race 21 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 TeamVodafone – Jamie Whincup / Sebastian Bourdais
2 Trading Post FPR Falcon – Will Davison / Mika Salo
3 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon – Mark Winterbottom / Richard Lyons

Race 22 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon – Mark Winterbottom / Richard Lyon
2 TeamVodafone – Jamie Whincup / Sebastian Bourdais
3 Fujitsu Racing GRM – Lee Holdsworth / Simon Pagenaud

Van Gisbergen Scores Breakthrough V8 Win

admin — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 10:39:06 +0000

KIWI ACE SHANE VAN GISBERGEN HAS WON HIS FIRST V8 SUPERCAR RACE AT HIS HOME EVENT, THE ITM400 HAMILTON IN NEW ZEALAND ON APRIL 15-17.

The 21-year-old bounced back in Sunday’s race in his SP Tools Falcon after crashing in pit lane during Saturday’s race, crossing the line 0.78s clear of Lee Holdsworth with Garth Tander rounding out the
podium from 19th on the grid.

The local fans went crazy as the young Ford driver brought home his maiden V8 win, the first for his Stone Brothers Racing team on home soil in New Zealand in 10 years of trying.

“I can’t believe it, I could hear the fans cheering and I was trying to keep concentrating,” said van Gisbergen.

“It was pretty tough those last few laps. It was déjà vu like Sydney last year but I knew we had plenty of fuel this time – I’m stoked!

“When you have a whole nation behind you, it’s hard not to get excited. I owe the boys some beers tonight!”

The result moves van Gisbergen up to sixth in the championship on a day where the championship front-runners hit problems – and two of them hit dramas in unison. Both Mark Winterbottom and Jamie Whincup got involved in a multi-car pile-up after Michael Caruso spun at turn three and Jason Bargwanna also became involved.

Winterbottom’s Ford was too badly damaged to continue, while Whincup’s team patched up his Commodore and he finished 18th, two laps down.

The Orrcon Steel driver now slips back to fourth in the title chase. Whincup retains the title lead by 81 points over Hamilton’s Saturday race winner Rick Kelly.

ITM400 HAMILTON

Race 5 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 Jack Daniel’s Racing – Rick Kelly
2 TeamVodafone – Craig Lowndes
3 Jack Daniel’s Racing – Todd Kelly

Race 6 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 SP Tools Racing – Shane van Gisbergen
2 Fujitsu Racing GRM – Lee Holdsworth
3 Toll Holden Racing Team – Garth Tander

Whincup claims incredible fourth Clipsal 500 victory in six years

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:06:31 +0000

TEAMVODAFONE’S JAMIE WHINCUP ROCKETED TO A SOLID CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS LEAD IN THE V8 SUPERCARS CHAMPIONSHIP FOLLOWING HIS FOURTH WIN AT THE CLIPSAL 500 IN ADELAIDE.

Whincup etched himself into the record books to move past Marcos Ambrose for the most race wins at the event, and finds himself with a 144 point championship lead.

This win has been made all the sweeter as, for the first time in the history of the Clipsal 500, the race started in wet conditions which meant the field were battling during the early stages of the race.“This is a huge win for us,” said Whincup.

“Yesterday things didn’t quite go our way but today we fought deep. Today’s conditions don’t get any tougher than that.”

A crowd of 81,500 watched on as Jack Daniel’s Racing’s Rick Kelly finished just 1.3 seconds behind Whincup to take second place.

“The team did a great job, I felt I could have driven it a bit better but I was trying to save fuel.” said Kelly.

“It’s a lot of fun in the wet here! The Clipsal event is awesome and to finish second here after where we were in Abu Dhabi is fantastic.”

Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon’s Mark Winterbottom closely followed Whincup and Kelly to take 3rd place in Sunday’s race.

“I made it hard on myself by going off the track twice at turn four,” said Winterbottom.

“We had a good run but it wasn’t enough to get Rick in the end.”

Winterbottom now has second place in the Championship series on 423 points followed by Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander who is third on 363 points.

CLIPSAL 500 RESULTS

Race 1 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 Toll Holden Racing Team Garth Tander
2 TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
3 TeamVodafone Craig Lowndes

Race 2 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
2 Jack Daniel’s Racing Rick Kelly
3 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon Mark Winterbottom

1 – 2 Finish for FPR Falcons in Tasmania; Courtney and Whincup Continue Championship Battle at Sandown

admin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:02:12 +0000

FORD PERFORMANCE RACING PULLED OFF AN ELUSIVE 1-2 FINISH AT THE SYMMONS PLAINS V8 SUPERCAR ROUND IN TASMANIA ON NOVEMBER 13-14, WHEN THE ORRCON STEEL FPR FALCON OF MARK WINTERBOTTOM, AND FPR-PREPARED BOTTLE-O RACING FALCON OF PAUL DUMBRELL CROSSED THE LINE IN FIRST AND SECOND PLACES RESPECTIVELY.

Starting from pole position, Frosty never looked threatened in a dominant display of speed – with the only tense moments being when asked by his engineers to lift off the gas for a few laps to conserve his soft Dunlop ‘Sprint’ tyres.

“Without sounding arrogant, I don’t think there was a stage where I was really pushing overly hard,” Frosty said.

“The car was great in the wet – no dramas at all.

“This has turned out to be a great weekend and it’s awesome to see PD (Paul Dumbrell) get his maiden podium.”

Backing up from Symmons Plains, the V8 Supercars headed straight to Sandown on November 19-20 for the penultimate round of the Series, with neither James Courtney nor Jamie Whincup giving an inch in their battle for Championship glory.

The pair finished 1-2 in the final race of the Norton 360 Sandown Challenge following the second full race re-start in as many days following a heavy accident, and the use of Dunlop’s SP Sport Maxx ‘Sprint’ tyre for the last time in 2010.

Mark Winterbottom was third and only a long outsider for the championship relying on both his rivals to make up the 150 points distance to the Whincup and 203 to Courtney.

Penrith born Courtney is 53 points ahead of Whincup with just the twin 250km legs at the Telstra Sydney 500 left in 2010

Tasmania Challenge
Race 21 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1st: TeamVodafone Craig Lowndes
2nd: Toll Holden Racing Team Garth Tander
3rd: Castrol Edge Racing Greg Murphy

Race 22 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1st: FPR – Orrcon Steel and Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon Mark Winterbottom
2nd: The Bottle-O Racing Team Paul Dumbrell
3rd: Trading Post Racing Jason Bright

Norton 360 Sandown Challenge
Race 23 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1st: The Bottle-O Racing Team Paul Dumbrell
2nd: TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
3rd: FPR – Orrcon Steel and Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon Mark Winterbottom

Race 24 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1st: Jim Beam Racing James Courtney
2nd: TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
3rd: FPR – Orrcon Steel and Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon Mark Winterbottom

Frosty Back in V8 Supercar Championship Title Fight After Townsville Triumph

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 05:49:15 +0000

Ford Performance Racing has signalled that they are well and truly back in the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship title fight, with Orrcon Steel FPR racer Mark Winterbottom securing his second victory of the season on the streets of Townsville.

His stellar performance was further enriched by his Dunlop Super Dealer FPR team-mate Steve Richards cementing a fifth place and the FPR-prepared Bottle-O entry driven by Paul Dumbrell crossing the line just outside the podium in fourth place.

The trifecta of FPR Falcons in the top five will no doubt silence recent critics of the Campbellfield outfit.

“To have three FPR Falcons finish in the top five is just awesome,” race winner Frosty said.

“It’s a real credit to the guys who have been working so hard to get us back to the podium,” he added.

“That was one of the best wins for me so far…our strategy and pit stops were just awesome.”

Frosty’s win elevates him back into third place on the V8 Supercar Championship points table with 1623 points, 324 points off leader James Courtney and 204 behind second placed Jamie Whincup.

The V8 Supercar Championship Series now enjoys a well deserved nine week break before racing resumes with the first of the endurance races at the Phillip Island 500 on September 10.

Sucrogen Townsville 400

Race 15 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 TeamVodafone: Jamie Whincup
2 Toll Holden Racing Team: Garth Tander
3 FPR – Orrcon Steel & Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon
Mark Winterbottom

Race 16 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 FPR – Orrcon Steel & Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon
Mark Winterbottom
2 Jim Beam Racing: James Courtney
3 Toll Holden Racing Team: Garth Tander

Frosty Scores FPR’s Maiden Win for2010

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 11:30:45 +0000

FORD PERFORMANCE RACING’S MARK WINTERBOTTOM SCORED HIS MAIDEN WIN IN THE 2010 V8 SUPERCAR SEASON DURING THE FIRST OF TWO RACES AT THE SKYCITY TRIPLE CROWN IN DARWIN ON JUNE 18-20.

Starting from pole, Winterbottom was never challenged for the lead over the 42 laps in what was his most dominant performance this year.

“I can’t express how good it feels to get our first win out of the way,” Frosty said.

“It is the culmination of a lot of hard work by the whole team over the past few weeks… the car is feeling about as good as it gets right now so hopefully we can continue to build on this and really get our championship campaign back on track.”

It has been a long time between drinks for Frosty whose last race win was on the streets of Surfers Paradise last year.

“We’ve really found it a challenge to get the car up to a level where we can fine tune it over the course of a practice or qualifying session, but now that Campbell (Little – his engineer) has most of his pieces in place on the car, a tenth here and there is a lot easier to find,” he said.

SKYCITY Triple Crown

Race 13 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 FPR – Orrcon Steel and Mark Winterbottom – Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon
2 TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
3 Stone Brothers Racing Shane van Gisbergen – Irwin Racing and SP Tools Racing

Race 14 – V8 Supercar Championship Series
1 TeamVodafone Jamie Whincup
2 FPR – Orrcon Steel and Mark Winterbottom -Dunlop Super Dealer FPR Falcon
3 Stone Brothers Racing Shane van Gisbergen – Irwin Racing and SP Tools Racing

V8 Supercar Results (Goodyear Dunlop Traction March 2010)

admin — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 13:33:39 +0000

WHINCUP REIGNS SUPREME IN ABU DHABI
TeamVodafone’s Jamie Whincup has taken a clean sweep of the Yas V8 400, winning both 200km legs of the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series season opener at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

The reigning champion was virtually unchallenged over the second 43 lap race and went on to take the chequered flag four seconds ahead of Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom who started from pole position.

TeamVodafone’s Commodores enjoyed the perfect debut and Whincup acknowledged his team had given him a rocketship.

“The car was bullet-proof, and we were sort of in control from the start,” Whincup said.

“I am almost in shock from what has panned out this weekend. Having a brand-new car, a brand-new circuit and to almost have a perfect weekend, well that’s good enough. It is just an amazing feeling.”

MIDDLE EAST REPEAT AT BAHRAIN
TeamVodafone’s Jamie Whincup continued his perfect record and perfect points haul in the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series, winning races three and four at the Gulf Air Desert 400.

Whincup held off the Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom in the final race in the Middle East, who got the jump on Whincup at the start but finished second at Bahrain International Circuit.

The top three finishing positions replicated the Yas V8 400 results in Abu Dhabi the week prior, with Stone Brothers Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen finishing in third place.

Whincup described his battle with Winterbottom throughout the race as a dogfight and he believes it will continue.

“Frosty threw it at us and we were able to come away with it,” he said.

“We predicted they (FPR) would be strong all year, they’ve made a great start and it’s going to be a dogfight right until the end.”

TANDER WINS ON EMPTY AT CLIPSAL
In what will go down in history as one of the greatest V8 Supercar races ever, Toll Holden Racing’s Garth Tander won the second leg of the Clipsal 500 Adelaide in dramatic circumstances.

The 90,000 spectators held their collective breath as Tander – with very little fuel left in his tank – hung on to finish ahead of a charging James Courtney, and Ford Performance Racing’s Mark Winterbottom.

It was a race that had everything, including a brave fuel strategy, a controversial black flag, late rain and a broken kerb at the dangerous turn eight.

It all came down to the last 20 laps when a kerb at turn eight broke up causing a safety car period. The five ensuing laps under the safety car was the break Tander needed as he was unlikely to have made it to the end of the race with the fuel he had left in his tank under normal racing conditions.

When the race was re-started it created a sprint to the end with Tander tight on fuel, Whincup okay on fuel but struggling on old tyres and Courtney looking good on both fuel and tyres, while Winterbottom was also in the mix.

Light rain added spice to the action as it caused Tander to slip on a wet painted white line allowing Whincup momentarily into the lead, before the former took control again.

Then Courtney gave Whincup a nudge causing a piece of the #1 TeamVodafone Commodore to come loose. Whincup was subsequently black-flagged, but the part flew clear before he could head to the pits.

However, under racing rules once a black flag has been displayed it can’t be rescinded until the car returns to pitlane for an inspection.

Whincup (771 points) still holds the Championship lead, but Winterbottom (714 points) has closed the gap to just 57 points. The next round of the Series will be the QANTAS Australian F1GP at Melbourne from March 25-28.

Monroe: Adelaide Based Automotive Giant Joins Forces with Mark Winterbottom

admin — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 13:07:08 +0000

February 4, 2010 – Adelaide based company, Tenneco, manufacturers of Australia’s market leading shock absorber brand, Monroe, announces a new and exciting marketing partnership with one of Australia’s most talented racing drivers ahead of the city’s hosting of the opening Australian V8 Supercar round, the Clipsal 500.

Ford Performance Racing (FPR) V8 Supercar team driver Mark Winterbottom visited Adelaide today to make this announcement which will see the 28 year old joining forces with Tenneco to become the company’s lead ambassador for Australia’s most trusted shock absorber brand, Monroe Shock Absorbers.

Known as “Frosty” by fans and the media, Winterbottom will unveil a completely re-designed helmet livery based on the world renowned Monroe logo throughout the challenging 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

This alliance makes Winterbottom the face of the well known Monroe brand through customer communications, print media advertising and point of sale material.

“I couldn’t think of a better place to make this announcement than here in Adelaide, which hosts the most outstanding race of our season each year with the Clipsal 500. This is also the Australian home of Monroe, whose quality ride control products are a glowing testimony to the dedication of the South Australians who manufacture them,” Mark said.

Mark Winterbottom will appear at major trade and consumer events representing the Monroe brand during the year and will also promote the highly successful Monroe Safety Specialist trade program. In leveraging this new marketing partnership, Tenneco will also unveil a number of exciting Monroe shock absorber sales promotions and competitions to take place during 2010.

According to Tenneco’s Aftermarket Director, Roger Lassen, the association with Mark Winterbottom is part of an exciting marketing strategy for the company.

“As an Adelaide based company which is Australia’s market leader in ride control products, it makes perfect sense to align the Monroe shock absorber brand with a leading V8 Supercar driver who has enormous talent and broad appeal to both our trade customers and end users. Mark is also a strong advocate for road safety through his dedicated work off the track with the V8 Supersafe program. This fits in well with the enhanced road safety messages that we deliver through our Monroe shock absorber marketing. We are looking forward to an exciting year with Mark and wish him and his team every success in the fight for the 2010 V8 Supercar Championship.”

This announcement follows Winterbottom’s signing of a new three year contract with FPR, representing the next chapter in his meteoric career with the Prodrive owned team which is Ford Australia’s major team competing in V8 Supercars.

“It is truly great to be aligned with a world famous automotive brand such as Monroe. I am proud of the fact that Tenneco manufactures world class Monroe shock absorbers here in Australia and look forward to playing my part in promoting this quality brand through my V8 Supercar racing efforts. We are heading for a remarkable racing season, starting in Abu Dhabi later this month, then here on the streets of Adelaide to kick off our national tour that extends all the way through to December.” Mark Winterbottom added.

Since joining FPR in 2006, Winterbottom has raced to 14 V8 Supercar event victories, 51 podium (top three) finishes and 12 Pole positions (top qualifier). He has finished in the top ten in 80% of the races in which he has competed with FPR. In a sport whereby qualifying differences are measured in tenths, hundredths and thousandths of a second, Winterbottom has qualified in the top three in no less than 44% of his races with FPR. In the past five seasons, he has not finished outside of the top five in the V8 Supercar Championship Series, the highlight being his runner-up placing in 2008.

The new Monroe brand ambassador is without a doubt one of the most exciting talents to compete in Australia’s premier motor racing category.

From perfecting the first self-oiled, single-barreled tyre pump in the USA back in 1918, the Monroe Auto Equipment Company developed what they called a shock eliminator to make cars more comfortable and easier to control in the 1920’s. Within 25 years, the Monroe-Matic, the first double action shock absorber, was the best known shock absorber in the world, used by most American car makers through the 1950s. From that point on the Monroe shock absorber range has been synonymous with enhancing road safety and comfort through optimum control and tyre grip. Today, parent company Tenneco is one of the world’s largest automotive component manufacturers and marketers, with brands such as Walker and Lukey Performance joining Monroe as leading Original Equipment and Aftermarket suppliers of choice in Australia and across the world. Tenneco employs 655 South Australians in its major manufacturing plants located in Clovelly Park and O’Sullivan Beach and a further 150 staff across Australia.

Winterbottom defies the pain to take out SuperGP at Gold Coast

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 05:40:13 +0000

Mark Winterbottom defied pain and numb legs with a breakthrough win for his Ford Performance Racing team at the Gold Coast SuperGP and now promises to be a real contender for victory in the remaining races in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series.

Winterbottom threw his Orrcon FPR Falcon around the daunting Surfers Paradise track, despite a week-long debilitating illness that had him running on “30 per cent capacity” and sheer adrenalin on a gruelling second 300km day.

He beat home Toll Holden Racing Team’s Garth Tander and Jim Beam Racing’s ‘comeback kid’ James Courtney in the second race while many of the rest of the field, including Championship leaders Jamie Whincup and Will Davison, stumbled on the dramatic day.

“That’s awesome,” Winterbottom said. “It’s been a tough weekend and I’m glad that it’s over. It’s a massive relief because we are a team that should be winning. Now we expect to be there for the rest of the year.”

GOLD COAST SUPERGP EVENT RESULTS

Race 19 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series
1. Garth Tander – Holden Racing Team
2. Mark Winterbottom – Ford Performance Racing
3. Will Davison – Holden Racing Team

Race 20 of the V8 Supercar Championship Series
1. Mark Winterbottom – Ford Performance Racing
2. Garth Tander – Holden Racing Team
3. James Courtney – Jim Beam Racing