So Ford fans what do you think? Can the Falcons bounce-back from yesterday’s Sandown 500 Holden domination to claim the prized Bathurst 1000 in a few weeks?
The evidence in favour of Holden seems overwhelming after Sandown where the Red Bull team of Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell fought back from 25th position to cross the line first ahead of their Red Bull Holden team-mates Craig Lowndes and Warren Luff.
Ford’s best was the works Pepsi machine driven by Will Davison and Steve Owen who placed third – hampered by a disastrous delay during a pit-stop where they ‘double-stacked’ behind team-mates Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom. Davison ‘vented’ big-time about the delay but given the pace of the Red Bull machines throughout the race, third place was probably the best outcome for the lead Falcon.
Even the fourth-placed Erebus E 63 shared by Lee Holdsworth and Craig Baird outpaced the rest of the Fords. That fourth-placed showing by the German machine was the best result of the year for the Erebus team – although the fuel issue continues to cause angst up and down pit-lane.
Ford stalwart Dick Johnson lost one of his Wilson Security Falcons on lap 35 when youngster Ash Walsh speared into the barriers at the Dandenong Road corners in a big crash which has the struggling Queensland team’s pre-Bathurst work list even more intense.
But the Fords team all have major concerns heading to Bathurst with the blistering pace of the leading Holdens. Winchup and Dumbrell dropped to 25th place after copping a pit-lane penalty in a chaotic driver change which saw the rear wheels spinning while the car was up on jacks.
In a remarkable fight-back, Whincup passed team-mate Lowndes (himself slowed by a ‘double-stacking’ pit-stop) on lap 151 to grab the lead. The Fords of Davison/Owen and Winterbottom/Richards had no answers for the speed of the Red Bull-888Racing Commodores.
In the closing stages Davison’s Ford was plagued by a rear transaxle which had run out of oil and sent the temperatures off the dial. Transaxle issues in the new-for-2013 ‘Car Of The Future’ V8s continue to have all teams on edge.
Add to the Bathurst mix the Holden Racing Team machines (James Courtney/Greg Murphy were fifth at Sandown) and the Brad Jones Racing Commodores which always perform well at Mount Panorama…well the Ford runners have some work to do.
So what do you think – can Ford conquer ‘The Mountain’ in a few weeks or is it a case of ‘by how far’ a Holden team will win Australia’s Great Race?
