Ford aces to team up event bigger than title

The lure of one of the most coveted prizes in international motorsport has convinced the factory-backed Ford Performance Racing team to pair their star drivers Steven Richards and Mark Winterbottom for next week's Bathurst 1000.

FPR copped a fair bit of flak when they split the two drivers for the Sandown 500 earlier this month — a decision caused by conflict between major commercial partners.

The race was won by another Ford entry, Team Vodafone, who paired their leading drivers Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup.

However, high level negotiations, which have also involved Ford Australia, have resulted in a compromise which will give FPR their best crack at the Bathurst win this year.

The team has been runner-up twice at Bathurst since its inception in 2003.

Richards and Winterbottom will now co-drive the No.6 FPR Falcon at Bathurst which will combine all three of the teams major sponsor brands Castrol, Orrcon and Ford Credit.

The drivers were split for Sandown but both produced commendable results with less experienced co-drivers — Richards was third and Winterbottom eighth.

Their co-drivers, Owen Kelly and Matt Halliday, have been rewarded with the drive in the No.5 FPR Falcon.

“A great deal of compromise and understanding from all parties has been required for this to take place,” a Ford spokesman said yesterday.

The FPR team is operated by the UK based Prodrive team owned by the international motoring identity, David Richards.

“We now couldn't be in a stronger position with our main drivers paired,” FPR team principal Tim Edwards said yesterday.

“We were strong at the Sandown 500 with one endurance race driver in each of our cars but nothing counts more at Mt Panorama than experience.

Holden's Toll Racing team last week announced they, too, would pair their leading drivers after splitting Rick Kelly and Garth Tander — mainly to keep alive the championship hopes of each.

They are first and second in the 2007 title chase.