Back to Back Wins for Ford at Bathurst with a Falcon 1-2-3
October 8 2007
Reigning Bathurst 1000 champions Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup were today crowned the 2007 endurance champions when they won the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 three weeks after their victory at the Sandown 500.
It was the first Ford 1-2-3 since 1988 as the #888 Team Vodafone Falcon crossed the line just seconds ahead of the #4 Jeld-Wen Racing Falcon of James Courtney and Dave Besnard, followed by the #17Jim Beam Falcon of Steve Johnson and Will Davison.
There were eight Ford's in the top ten at the gruelling endurance event and the Blue Oval has secured the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship lead with Jamie Whincup out in front.
The Blue Oval dominated all weekend with Mark Winterbottom scoring pole after putting in the best flying lap in Saturday's Top Ten Shoot Out in his #6 Ford Performance Racing (FPR) Falcon and Steve Johnson topping the practice timesheets on Thursday.
Winterbottom and co-driver Steve Richards led the charge for much of the 161 lap race including breaking the lap record before Winterbottom speared off across the sand trap at Caltex Chase giving the lead to fellow Ford driver Whincup.
Light rain caused an incident which called for a safety car and the race became a ten lap sprint to the end with Lowndes duelling with Courtney and Johnson before taking the chequered flag and with it his and Whincup's second consecutive Peter Brock Memorial Trophy.
Ford's dominance at Bathurst nicely rounded out its clean sweep of both the Sandown and Bathurst endurance events in 2006 and 2007, and cements Whincup in the lead of Championship 16 points ahead Lowndes in second with the next round at the Lexmark Indy 500 on October 18-20.
CRAIG LOWNDES
"It's great to see different Ford teams up the front. It's not just one or two that have the ability to win, there's a real depth in the Ford camp now. For us we didn't have the fastest car here but we got the result. It's fantastic to partner Jamie. I said last year he was a whiz kid and he's done a great job once again.
"It means so much to us to win the Brock Memorial Trophy again, and the good results aren't going to stop there - we head to Indy with a lot confidence. Last year the Championship came down to the wire at Phillip Island and it comes down to who has the most reliable car and makes the least mistakes"
JAMIE WHINCUP
"This year's Bathurst win is so much sweeter because I know what it really means now.
This is a great result for the 888 team and for all the Ford fans out there.
"We've won Sandown and back to back Bathurst's and I'm now leading the Championship with four rounds to go - things are certainly starting to go my way."
STEVE JOHNSON
"We made it hard work for Lowndes today, and he made it hard work for us - that's what racing is all about. It was a deserved result for Will and I, and for Dad (Dick Johnson) and all the team."
WILL DAVISON
"We didn't luck it being on the podium at Bathurst this year, our cars have absolutely been on form up to this point. It is a full credit to the team, plus to Dick, Jill and Adrian. Third at Bathurst feels like an absolute victory to us at the moment."
JAMES COURTNEY
"We stayed out of trouble on the lead lap and made sure we were in contention - we pushed heard on the last stint of 35 laps, and it paid dividends. I was happy to see the spots of rain at the end as I thrive in those conditions. Our cars just keep getting better and better."
DAVE BESNARD
"It wasn't up to me today to get the result - it was up to James and he did an awesome job. It's amazing to be standing on the podium at Bathurst and even more amazing to be here with him as we've known each other since we were kids."
TOM GORMAN
"This is a fantastic result for the Blue Oval - it's the first Ford trifecta at Bathurst since 1988 and follows another Blue Oval victory last weekend when Geelong Football Club won the AFL Premiership."
Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 results
1. Craig Lowndes/Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone, Ford
2. James Courtney/Dave Besnard, Jeld-Wen Motorsport, Ford
3. Will Davison/Steve Johnson, Jim Beam Racing, Ford
4. Greg Murphy/Jason Richards, Tasman Motorsport, Holden
5. Alan Simonsen/Richard Lyons, Team Vodafone, Ford
6. Steve Owen/Tony D'Alberto, Autobarn Racing, Holden
7. Jason Bargwanna/Max Wilson, WPS Racing, Ford
8. Alex Davison/Andrew Thompson, Jim Beam Racing, Ford
9. Cameron McLean/Greg Ritter, Valvoline Cummins Race Team, Ford
10. Steve Richards/Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, Ford
2007 Championship Points
1. Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone, Ford 461
2. Craig Lowndes, Team Vodafone, Ford 445
3. Rick Kelly, TOLL HSV, Holden 443
4. Garth Tander, TOLL HSV, Holden 434
5. Todd Kelly, Holden Racing Team, Holden 324
6. Mark Skaife, Holden Racing Team, Holden 273
7. Steven Richards, Castrol/FPR, Ford 258
8. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Credit/FPR, Ford 258
9. Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing, Ford 245
10. James Courtney, Jeld-Wen Motorsport, Ford 228
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