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Ford Tickford Racing Latest News
HIDDEN VALLEY SET TO BE HAPPY VALLEY FOR FTR
07 May, 2001
Ford Tickford Racing (FTR) is set to turn qualifying speed and a race leading performance, into victory at round four of the 2001 Shell Championship Series at Darwin’s Hidden Valley on May 12 -13.
Steven Richards and Glenn Seton started from positions three and four respectively at round three at Sydney’s Eastern Creek, and then found themselves in the first two positions.
If not for an untimely safety car period to remove a damaged car, which ruined the team’s pit stop strategy, the FTR duo could have gone on for a historic one-two finish in the opening race.
Seton finished the day in 10th overall to hold down ninth in the championship standings, one place ahead of his teammate.
Although disappointed with the result Glenn Seton is confident that the third part of the equation - winning - is very much achievable in Darwin.
Seton finished third overall in 2000 at Hidden Valley and is confident of leading an even stronger result this year.
"Both Steven and I are delighted with the performance of our race cars, and our entire team is very much looking forward to getting the job done in Darwin," said Seton.
"If you look at the successful teams in our sport, they have both cars near the front, that’s exactly where we are heading at Hidden Valley.
"The entire crew is confident, which makes a massive difference when you prepare for a race meeting, and Darwin is a tough place at the best of times.
The trip to Darwin during the cooler months for the Melbourne based FTR crew is one of the highlights of the year.
Since his arrival at FTR in the off-season Steven Richards has continually worked on improving his racecar.
The two-time Bathurst winner is now fully confident of getting the job done at Hidden Valley.
"I said after Adelaide that the FTR race car is the best I have ever driven - now I’m after even better performance from it," said Richards.
"You need to be on the money in Darwin, the tight corner at the end of the long front straight is one of the best places to pass.
"If your car isn’t quick enough along that straight, you can’t pass and even worse others can get by you.
"I’m sure our cars have some of the best straight line speed of anybody out there, so I’m very much looking forward to using that power to my benefit.
Three races make up the program at Hidden Valley as well as a top-10 shootout. The Shootout and race one (17 laps) will take place on Saturday with two 35-lap races on Sunday. The Sunday races feature a compulsory pit stop for tyres.
Details for Round Four of the 2001 Shell Championship Series at Hidden Valley Raceway are:
Top-10 Shootout: Saturday 12 May - 1.50pm
Race One (17 laps - 49.3 km): Saturday 12 May - 4:15pm
Race Two (35 laps - 101.5 km): Sunday 13 May - 11am
Race Three (35 laps - 101.5 km): Sunday 13 May - 2.30pm
Circuit: Hidden Valley Raceway (Darwin)
Length: 2.90 km
Lap Record: 1m.08.6062s (qualifying) - Lowndes (2000) - 1m.09.4917s (race) - Bright (1999)
Estimated Average Speed: 147 km/h
Estimated top Speed: 250 km/h - Start/Finish Line
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