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2006 V8 SUPERCAR: ADELAIDE  

RACE RESULT

		RACE 2	MARCH 26, 2006
	POS	DRIVER	CAR	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
	1	Jamie Whincup	Ford BA	Triple 8			78
	2	Rick Kelly	Holden VZ	HSV		1.93
	3	Todd Kelly	Holden VZ	HRT		9.95
	4	Garth Tander	Holden VZ
	5	Steven Richards	Holden VZ
	6	Paul Dumbrell	Holden VZ
	7	Rusell Ingall	Ford BA
	8	Max Wilson	Ford BA
	9	Steven Johnson	Ford BA
	10	Jason Richards	Holden VZ
	DNF	Craig Lowndes
		James Courtney
		Mark Skaife
		Cameron McConville
		Greg Murphy

		RACE 1	MARCH 25, 2006
	POS	DRIVER	CAR	TEAM	TIME	GAP	LAPS
	1	Craig Lowndes	Ford BA	Triple 8			78
	2	Rick Kelly	Holden VZ	HRT		1.26	78
	3	Jamie Whincup	Ford BA	Triple 8		1.62	78
	4	Cameron McConville	Holden VZ			2.77	78
	5	Greg Murphy	Holden VZ
	6	Todd Kelly	Holden VZ
	7	Steven Richards	Holden VZ
	8	Garth Tander	Holden VZ
	9	Rusell Ingall	Ford BA
	10	Steven Johnson	Ford BA
	DNF	James Courtney	crash
		Mark Skaife	crash
		Jason Bargwanna

RACE 1 WINNING TEAM REPORT

• Dual podiums for Team Betta Electrical in V8 Supercar season opener
• Team Betta Electrical has finished the opening 250km leg of the Clipsal 500 today in spectacular style with Craig Lowndes winning the grueling race and Jamie Whincup coming home third.
• Whincup and Lowndes were the only Ford drivers to start in the top ten and through a combination of strategic pit stops and consistent pace achieved the dual podium result.
• Lowndes worked his way from seventh on the opening lap to take control of the 78-lap race on lap 32, and maintained his lead through three safety car periods that were largely the result of fatigue due to temperatures soaring into the mid 30's.
• "After a lengthy off season with the cars being totally reviewed it is encouraging and certainly confidence building to race so competitively today," Lowndes said.
• "This is a great result for the team and particularly for Jamie who is fitting in so well.
• "Our starting strategy was to be cautious and take the race as it came for the first few laps and when it became obvious we had strong race pace, we were able to leap frog a few positions in our first pit stop.
• "We were also able to capitalize on the first safety period where we re- fueled and maintained the lead that we had.
• "I will sleep easier tonight knowing that we are on the front row of the grid and I have my team mate right behind me," Lowndes stated.
• Whilst Lowndes has enjoyed podium success at Clipsal before this is Whincup's first ever sprint race podium in his inaugural race for both Team Betta Electrical and Ford.
• "I was so excited to have the opportunity to join Triple Eight and to achieve a podium in my first race is almost surreal," Whincup said.
• "The team have been absolutely fantastic in making me feel welcome and preparing me to race at the most competitive level.
• "I will be going home to do some homework tonight, this category is very tough but I am lucky that I have a top engineer in Ludo Lacroix and a seat in the best team in the championship," Whincup concluded.
• Team boss Roland Dane was delighted with the opening result particularly as all four Triple Eight Race Engineering Principals are in attendance this weekend.
• "We couldn't have asked for a better start to the season," Dane said.
• "Craig obviously enjoys this circuit and his pace and consistency is very encouraging however I am most impressed with the maturity shown by Jamie and the car #88 crew today.
• "I am confident that the two drivers will compliment each other in many races to come but tomorrow is another day and another long race," Dane commented.

RACE PREVIEW (TOP OF PAGE)

One goal for Holden in 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series (MAR 22, 2006)

• The goal of returning Holden to the status of V8 Supercar champions begins this weekend at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and, with minimal disruptions or movements during the off season the General's teams are well placed to mount an assault that will reassume the #1 plate for the `red' side.
• A twoday test session last week at W inton Motor Raceway in Victoria gave the six Holdenbacked teams based in Melbourne their first ontrack hitout for 2006 before heading to Adelaide.
• One of Holden's major strengths is the continuity in its frontline teams, with Holden Racing, Toll HSV Dealer Team and Jack Daniel's Racing all retaining their driving lineups and others making small refinements during the offseason with minimal staff movements or interruptions.
• Bathurst champions Mark Skaife and Todd Kelly return for the factory Holden Racing Team, while Toll adds its backing to the HSV DT Commodores of Garth Tander and Rick Kelly.
• Larry Perkins retains Steven Richards and Paul Dumbrell in his team and pulled off the sponsorship coup of the off season by signing Jack Daniel's to replace Castrol, giving his team perhaps its strongestever assault on the V8 Supercar Series.
• Supercheap Auto Racing has strengthened its lineup with the addition of Cameron McConville to partner fourtime Bathurst champion Greg Murphy, while the emerging Tasman Motorsport has increased funding due to a new sponsorship initiative.
• Bathurst runnerup Jason Richards is joined by former V8 Development Series champion Andrew Jones, while Garry Rogers Motorsport will give reigning Development Series champion Dean Canto a ticket back into the main series in addition to rookie Lee Holdsworth.
• Team Sirromet W ines and Team Kiwi Racing will retain their technical alliance with Paul Morris and Paul Radisich again driving, while Morris will also run another car to be shared between young guns Alan Gurr and Fabian Coulthard. The former will drive this weekend before Kiwi Coulthard drives at Albert Park and Pukekohe.
• Holden Motorsport Manager Simon McNamara said that keeping a strong portfolio of loyal Holden drivers will be the cornerstone of success in 2006.  "While we may have not won the championship for the past three seasons, there's no doubting the strength and depth of our team and driver lineups," he said.
• "In all honesty, a wide range of our teams and drivers have been at the front of the field over the past few seasons, whereas only two teams from the other side stand out well above the rest and one of those only just began to reach those levels last year.
• "HRT and HSV DT have fast cars and experienced drivers, Perkins has a new major backer and a new enthusiasm, Supercheap has a strong technical package and Tasman continues to improve and has become a major player. There's a lot to look forward to in 2006."
• Holden will also be well represented in the Fujitsu V8 Development Series, which is the main support to the Clipsal 500.
• Nathan Pretty and Geoff Emery (Mack/Smiths Trucks Racing), Tony D'Alberto (GMAC Racing), Mark Porter (MSport Racing) and Jack Perkins and Shane Price (Perkins Motorsport) will all drive Commodores in the seven round series.
• Practice begins this Thursday in Adelaide for the Fujitsu Series teams, while the main series drivers will hit the track on Friday.
• HOLDEN MOTORSPORT QUOTEBOOK
• Mark Skaife (#2 Holden Racing Team Commodore VZ) "There were plenty of positives to come out of testing at W inton, although we probably lost half a day to the weather. My car is a new chassis and it's pretty close to spoton. It's basically the same spec of chassis we ran with last year, albeit with a few tricky engineering tweaks which we spent a bit of time testing and walked away feeling pretty confident going into the Clipsal 500."
• Greg Murphy (#51 Supercheap Auto Racing Commodore VZ) "I believe you have to win races to win the championship and Adelaide is definitely one of the races to win. This year is going to be tough, tougher than ever before, but I'm confident we're ready for it. The Supercheap Auto Racing team is a good team, a strong operation with solid support. W e've worked hard over the summer break and we're ready to begin the new season."
• Jason Richards (#3 Tasman Motorsport Commodore VZ) "The year we're going to Adelaide so far in front of where we were last year in all aspects. Our engines are more developed, we've got the same crew of guys who work well together and that gives you the confidence to pick up where we left off at the end of 2005 and start the year with a whole bunch of points in the bag."
• Garth Tander (#16 Toll HSV Dealer Team Commodore VZ) "We were very happy with the new car in testing at W inton, and while you can always make things a little better, we believe we already have a better package than last year. This year, we believe we can do a lot better, and our aim is to keep the car straight and leave Adelaide in the top three in the championship."

WPS READY FOR SEASON OPENER (MAR 22, 2006) (TOP OF PAGE)

• The new-look WPS Racing outfit will take to the circuit for the first time during the opening round of the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide later this week.
• Less than two months ago the Gold Coast team announced it had joined forces with long-time V8 Supercar identity Mark Larkham and a group of his key staff to ensure WPS Racing continues its evolution in the V8 Supercar Championship.
• Since the announcement it has been all systems go for the dedicated band of engineers and mechanics combining their resources in an effort to prepare the two WPS Racing Falcons to be driven in this year's championship by Jason Bargwanna and Max Wilson.
• "It has been a huge task to combine the staff, resources and experience of the two teams into one outfit but I'm confident that we will be fully prepared for some very solid results as we build our momentum throughout the year," said team owner Craig Gore.
• Bargwanna, a former Bathurst champion, has fond memories of the Adelaide street circuit finishing on the podium in 2000 and the 34-year- old believes this weekend will be a real test for all teams in the championship.
• "It's going to be very unusual this weekend having Adelaide as our first hit out of the year. Normally we have the opportunity to do at least one test day before heading to the Grand Prix in Melbourne and give the cars a real shakedown in race trim but this year no-one has had this opportunity (with the non-championship Grand Prix event being next weekend), so it's going to be very interesting," said Bargwanna.
• "The guys in the team have been working hard to ensure we'll have a competitive package for the opening round, now the focus is on getting a good result in Adelaide."
• The WPS Racing pair completed their first test day of the year yesterday with a hit out at Queensland Raceway.
• "It was good to be back behind the wheel again and shake out the cobwebs," said Wilson.
• "The test day provided me with an opportunity build a relationship with my new crew and engineers. We continually improved our pace throughout the day to finish up with a package which I think will be quite competitive this weekend."
• Wright Patton Shakespeare Financial Services is the parent sponsor of WPS Racing. It is joined by Orrcon, the steel tube and pipe manufacturer and WOW Sight and Sound as co-sponsors. Fish Liquor, Sikkens, DeWALT, Atkinson Gore Group, Big State Earth moving, Consolidated Construction, Cosworth, PRD Nationwide, Toolworx, Maui Jim, AAT Limousines and Revolution Racegear are associate sponsors of WPS Racing.
• Opening practice for the V8 Supercar Championship will be conducted at 9:35am on Friday March 24 followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The opening 250km (78 laps) race will be contested on Saturday March 25 with the round highlighted by the second 250km leg on Sunday March 26.

FPR PREPARED FOR SEASON OPENING STREET FIGHT IN ADELAIDE (MAR 20, 2006)

• March 20, 2006 - Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is ready for the start of the 13 round, V8 Supercar season that starts on the streets of Adelaide this weekend.
• This is the eighth time that the exciting former Grand Prix street circuit has hosted a V8 Supercar round and the fourth time that the Clipsal 500 has been the season opener. It is without a doubt the most physically and mechanically demanding circuit in the Championship, featuring two 250 kilometre races on Saturday and Sunday.
• CAT FPR Falcon driver Jason Bright arrives in Adelaide on Wednesday direct from finishing second in class and 4th overall at the Sebring 12 Hour race in the United States with Aston Martin Racing. The 33 year old Victorian driver is in prime race fitness ahead of the Adelaide street races. After winning this event in 2001, and appearing on the Clipsal 500 podium on three occasions since, Bright is eager to return to the podium in the car that he spent a major part of last season developing into a front runner.
• According to Bright, "Adelaide always turns it on for the start of our racing season and these races are very hard work behind the wheel. I head to the season opener with the advantage of having completed more pre-season preparation than ever before, with our own successful team test last week and having competed at Sebring with Aston Martin Racing. The team has completed a great deal of development work during the summer and we should be in for a strong showing at the season opener."
• Ford Credit FPR Falcon driver Mark Winterbottom is also no stranger to success in South Australia, winning his first V8 Supercar race on the Adelaide Parklands circuit in 2003. Starting the 2006 Championship with Ford's major V8 Supercar team at this spectacular event can't come soon enough for the 24 year old Melbourne based driver.
• "I have said for a while now that the start of the new season can't come soon enough and after our promising test last week I couldn't think of a better place to make my racing debut with FPR than at the Clipsal 500.", Winterbottom said. "This street circuit has it all and the fans are sure to be in for some close racing judging by what we have seen in pre-season testing. This is the start of what I think will be a very exciting Championship for FPR, given the non-stop development work that has taken place in preparation for it," he added.
• FPR Motorsport Director Tim Edwards believes that the team is more than ready for the challenges ahead. "We are anxious to start the season after an intense summer of detailed preparation. We are also eager to see how we shape up against the competition in Adelaide as we were very strong towards the end of last season."
• Interestingly, this weekend's two Clipsal 500 street races represent the only two-race formatted V8 Supercar event of the season. Action starts in Adelaide with two practice sessions and qualifying on Friday March 24, followed by the two gruelling 78 lap races scheduled to start at 2:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday.

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