2011 YEAR IN REVIEW WINNINT!
FROSTY’S BIG YEAR
WILL DAVISON’S FIRST WITH FPR
TIM EDWARDS’ REPORT CARD
2011 PICTORIAL REVIEW
MD’S MESSAGE
What another fantastic year of V8 Supercars action right around Australia. Although Orrcon Steel is now in it’s 10th year of involvement in the Championship, the ability to provide an opportunity to get our customers involved in the excitement, drama and tension that V8 Supercars generates keeps us coming back. The turnaround by the Ford Performance Racing team mid-way through the season was stunning and shows the value of innovative thinking, quality teamwork and the importance of seeing things through. Standing underneath the podium at Surfers Paradise and seeing Mark Winterbottom and Richard Lyons hold the surfboard trophies high was one of the proudest moments I can remember in Orrcon Steel’s 10 years in V8 Supercars. Especially when you add in the adversity the team was faced with just five days beforehand when Will Power was ruled out due to the awful Indy Car accident in Las Vegas. From Orrcon Steel’s point of view, we - like many businesses in Australia - have had our challenges throughout 2011.
Our team is working through those challenges with innovative thinking and we are committed to seeing things through. In spite of the floods in Queensland in January - we have expanded our Toowoomba base, South Australia is being serviced better than ever from our Gillman site and we continue to explore new opportunities for community engagement, with programs such as our barbecue trailers. The support that you as customers, staff and V8 Supercars fans show to Orrcon Steel continues to drive us every single day to continue seeing things through. To Mark Winterbottom, Will Davison, Tim Edwards and the Ford Performance Racing team, thank you - and we hope that 2012 will start just as 2011 finished. Enjoy a safe Christmas and all the very best for the new year. Leon Andrewartha Managing Director Orrcon Steel
RESULTS
2011 Results Graph - Race by Race
The above is a graphical representation of Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison’s race finishes for every single race of the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship season.
2011 Championship Graph - Event by Event
The above is a graphical representation of Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison’s Championship positions following each event of the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship season.
2011 V8 Supercars Championship - Top 10 1. Jamie Whincup 3168 points, 2. Craig Lowndes 3133, 3. Mark Winterbottom 2710, 4. Shane van Gisbergen 2672, 5. Garth Tander 2574, 6. Rick Kelly 2358, 7. Will Davison 2345, 8. Lee Holdsworth 1920, 9. Tim Slade 1904, 10. Fabian Coulthard 1839.
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we’ll see it through
EVENT 1 - ABU DHABI The V8 Supercars’ now annual trek to the UAE delivered in terms of racing drama. Orrcon Steel FPR new boy, Will Davison had a baptism of fire - qualifying mid pack for both races. He was lucky in the opening race not to sustain serious damage after a spin on the opening lap. Mark Winterbottom got his year off to a strong start, finishing the first race on the podium. The second race looked the goods for Winterbottom as well, before a late call to pit saw the Orrcon Steel racer cross the blend line too late entering pitlane. The subsequent black flag dropped him well down the order and out of contention. Despite the drama, Winterbottom left the Middle East fourth in points. Late in the year, it emerged that February’s event was the final ‘standalone’ Abu Dhabi event for the foreseeable future. In 2012, it switches to November and a key supporting role to the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. V8 Supercars organisers dodged a metaphorical bullet by cancelling the Bahrain event the weekend following Abu Dhabi. Civil unrest broke out in the Kingdom in the week the event was due to take place. The GP2 Asia Series - which retained its date in Bahrain - was caught up in the unrest. V8 Supercars teams and drivers were pleased to return home in spite of the violence.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 4th Race 1 Result: 3rd Race 2 Qualifying: 3rd Race 2 Result: 14th Championship Position: 4th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 12th Race 1 Result: 12th Race 2 Qualifying: 13th Race 2 Result: 16th Championship Position: 13th
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EVENT 2 - Clipsal 500
Clipsal is arguably the biggest and best event V8 Supercars goes to and on-track, it meets those expectations and this year was no exception. The opening race didn’t go to plan for the Orrcon Steel FPR boys, with strategy being compromised by Safety Cars - Winterbottom was stuck in a congested pitlane and Davison had any advantage from his stop nullifed by a late race Safety Car. The second 250km Clipsal race saw Davison score his first pole position for his new team. Damp conditions at the opening of the race delivered a thrilling fight between Davison and Jamie Whincup for the lead. Rain falling as Davison entered the pits forced a last minute change from slicks to wets and the subsequent holdup dropped him well down the field. Winterbottom dropped from his third starting position back to fourth, where he remained for some 70 laps, before snaring the final podium position late in the epic encounter. The result put Winterbottom into a position to challenge for the Championship lead come the next event - and Davison was brought into the top 10, but was rueing what might have been.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 5th Race 1 Result: 6th Race 2 Qualifying: 3rd Race 2 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 2nd
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 9th Race 1 Result: 9th Race 2 Qualifying: 1st Race 2 Result: 7th Championship Position: 9th
N.c. EVENT - Aust F1 g.p. The Australian Grand Prix support races aren’t high on the memorable moments of 2011 for the Orrcon Steelbacked FPR team. Utilising the soft tyre for the first time on the Albert Park Grand Prix circuit, it was here that the woes the team would go on to experience later in the season first started to appear. Davison had handling issues in the opening race - severe oversteer dropped him down the order after switching from the soft to the hard tyre. A problem with a wheelnut cascaded Winterbottom in the second race, meaning he’d start race three from the 20th position. From there, he was playing catchup and did and enormous job to broach the top 10 in race three. The third and final race showed that Davison was going to be a livewire and become a real personality in the Championship after a coming together with Todd Kelly late in the race enraged the Melbournite. Overall, the pair finished the weekend - one of the real marquee events every single season in Australian motorsport - in the top 10.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Qualifying: 4th Top 10 Shootout: 8th Race 1 Result: 22nd Race 2 Result: 20th Race 3 Result: 11th
#6 - WILL DAVISON Qualifying: 3rd Top 10 Shootout: 6th Race 1 Result: 11th Race 2 Result: 10th Race 3 Result: 13th
EVEnt 3 - ITM 400, N.Z The V8 Supercars visit to New Zealand proved pivotal in Mark Winterbottom’s Championship year. He suffered only one DNF all season and it came in the Sunday race of the ITM 400. Winterbottom was an innocent bystander in a three car pileup on the notorious hairpin that claimed teammate Paul Dumbrell in qualifying on the Saturday. A shocking qualifying effort put him well down the order for that Sunday race. Doubly significant was the fact the incident claimed any chance Winterbottom had of returning from the trip across the ditch in the Championship lead - which was a real possibility after Saturday’s affair, where he finished fourth. Despite Hamilton being the first event ever conducted entirely on the soft Dunlop rubber - and the first time it had been tested on a true street circuit - the FPR pair were looking good for strong finishes. It was a sloshy affair in New Zealand conducted on mixed track conditions - Saturday’s race was mainly in the wet and the conditions caught out a number of key competitors. Both Winterbottom and Davison carded top 10s in the carnage and were on track for more of the same on Sunday - Davison improving on his Saturday performance and recording his first top five finish for FPR.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 11th Top 10 Shootout: N/A Race 1 Result: 4th Race 2 Qualifying: 21st Race 2 Result: DNF Championship Position: 5th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 13th Top 10 Shootout: N/A Race 1 Result: 6th Race 2 Qualifying: 10th Race 2 Result: 4th Championship Position: 7th
STEEL FOCUS
Mark Winterbottom a life changing year
How would you rate the season overall? It had its ups and downs, but I rate it highly to bounce back to be third at the end of the year right behind the Vodafone cars. Something that our FPR team does well is push ahead in times of adversity and they have done that again and ended the season on a high. Mid-way through the season, you must have been questioning where it was headed. It wasn’t looking good at all, especially at Winton and Queensland Raceway. The soft tyre was a real weakness for us. We had a bad car that wasn’t quick enough and at that time, we just didn’t have the answers. Everyone really pulled together and although there was lots going on around the enduros, it was at that time that we were able to unlock something and the Gold Coast was proof of that. Mid way through the year, nobody was looking at us - but now we’re on their radar and they are watching us closely. I’m happy with how we ended. Off-track, the year was one of contrasts and very busy for you. It was a hard year off track. Oliver was the greatest thing that ever happened to us and every day you get to see him it makes it all worthwhile. Doing Cars 2 and everything around that was an amazing experience and one that I am very fortunate to have been part of. Obviously losing your mother is the worst thing that can happen and losing mum of course was a low point of the year. I turned 30 at Winton, but I didn’t want to celebrate it, it wasn’t something I could think too much about. Did the pressures you were under off-track have an effect on track? No. Pulling the helmet on is almost an escape. When you get into the racecar, you’re there to do a job and you can block everything out for that time. Privately, of course you dwell on things and have your moments - but when it’s time to go on track you are focused on the job at hand. We’ve had lots of support throughout the year,
especially Renee’s mum and dad who come to the races with us and look after Oliver. Now the season is finished, we’re heading overseas for a break. Renee and I will use that time to reflect on the year and celebrate everything that has been good about this year, especially Oliver - he’s the best thing to ever happen to us. We’ll use the trip to reward ourselves for such a big year and come back relaxed and ready to go. What was the highlight of the season for you? The two wins of course are what I look back on and think were the best parts of the season. The Gold Coast win was incredibly satisfying. We were smashed by everyone after Queensland Raceway’s soft tyre round - and by nobody more than ourselves. It was great to show that our team - which is full of some very smart people could pull together in that manner and use those poor results as motivation. It was a big relief to finally get that win. That entire Gold Coast week had been difficult on everyone with the accident in Las Vegas and then the change at the last minute bringing Richard in when Will couldn’t come. I think that has galvanised the team and we have a fantastic spirit there now. Everyone’s committed to using that as our catalyst to jump forward even more next year. You ended the year with a win can you pick up in 2012 where you left off in 2011 and chase down that Championship - that has so far proven elusive? I think so. Next year is next year, obviously, but it has given all of our guys a huge boost heading into the summer break. We have ironed out many of the issues that have plagued us and I think we have arguably the strongest combination of anyone at the moment. Of course, we aren’t going to know until Clipsal in March, but we are carrying momentum, Adelaide is a very similar track to where we’ve taken the win in Sydney - so there’s no reason why we can’t start on a high. We’re already champing at the bit, we can’t wait.
EVENT 4 - Perth A return to sprint-style racing saw a three race format deployed for the return to Barbagallo. V8 Supercars had shunned the Western capital for 12 months - but an outcry from fans in the West and teams - many of whom rely on sponsors that have major operations in the W.A. market (Orrcon Steel included) - saw the Series organisers with no choice but to make the trek across the Nullabor. With Orrcon Steel having a huge presence at the event, it was important for FPR to do well. Instantly, it paid dividends, with Will Davison completing Saturday’s race on the podium. Winterbottom’s run of top 10s continued in eighth, but that was where the highlights of the weekend stopped. It was a round that mixed the hard and soft tyres. Sunday’s races - especially the third and final race of the weekend - really exacerbated the issues that FPR was beginning to realise on the soft tyres. Both drivers were complaining about the lack of rear grip and oversteer. A test day afterwards would focus on the issues. The round overall was characterised by the Sunday morning smash that accounted for Steve Owen and Karl Reindler - the latter’s car engulfed in a massive fireball.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 12th Race 1 Result: 8th Race 2 Qualifying: 11th Race 2 Result: 13th Race 3 Result: 26th Championship Position: 9th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 2nd Race 1 Result: 3rd Race 2 Qualifying: 8th Race 2 Result: 8th Race 3 Result: 15th Championship Position: 5th
EVEnt 5 - Winton Winton should have been a 30th birthday celebration for Mark Winterbottom and in some cases, it was! A pole position on Sunday morning - the 18th of his career - was the start of a run of poles that went close to eclipsing the V8 Supercars Series record. Sadly, the fairytale for Winterbottom was not to be. The icy conditions and grey skies that greeted drivers carried through into Sunday’s race. The Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon used its soft tyres very early in the race and Winterbottom drifted back in the field to finish the second race in 19th position. Saturday’s race featured a spirited battle between Winterbottom and Davison, Orrcon’s man of steel gaining the ascendency in that one - finishing the event in ninth to Davison’s 13th. Davison was aiming for a strong finish at the team’s nominated test track, however was the innocent victim in a multi-car pileup. He was able to continue on, but finished well down the order. Winterbottom vowed that the Pole Position he scored on Sunday was the catalyst for something big within the team. Winton also marked the first race meeting that Mark and Renee’s son, Oliver attended. He would go on to be a fixture at V8 events around the country.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 8th Race 1 Result: 9th Race 2 Qualifying: 1st Race 2 Result: 19th Championship Position: 10th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 9th Race 1 Result: 13th Race 2 Qualifying: 15th Race 2 Result: 24th Championship Position: 8th
EVENT 6 - DARWIN The theme of Darwin was oh, so close, but oh, so far! Mark Winterbottom was close to annexing his first win of the 2011 season before a slip-up on a Satety Car restart cruelly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Winterbottom - who had earlier topped the timesheets in qualifying dragged the Orrcon Steel #5 into pole position by 0.005 of a second. Winterbottom went on to lead 36 of the 42 laps. A late race restart saw Whincup unsettle Winterbottom and heading into turn one four wide, it was the FPR pilot that got the worst of it being caught on the marbles and drifting to 15th at the drop of the chequer. Will Davison had an equally interesting day, starting deep in the pack, he showed some true mettle to work his way back to fifth. On Sunday, Winterbottom scored a hat-trick of pole positions - and $2,500 Armor All cheques. Starting on the harder tyres, he had to yield to those around him on softs. Once onto the softs himself, whilst hanging tough in third, he didn’t have the tyre life in his factory Falcon that others did - nevertheless still hung on for his first podium of 2011 on the more pliable Dunlop rubber. Davison was on a late race charge and got himself to seventh. As the last driver onto the softs, a late race Safety Car counted against him.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 1st Top 10 Shootout: 1st Race 1 Result: 15th Race 2 Qualifying: 1st Race 2 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 9th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 20th Top 10 Shootout: N/A Race 1 Result: 5th Race 2 Qualifying: 6th Race 2 Result: 7th Championship Position: 6th
EVEnt 7 - townsville The northern swing continued for the Sucrogen Townsville 400 on the streets of North Queensland and the poles just kept flowing for Mark Winterbottom. A fourth consecutive pole position saw Winterbottom get a cracking start, but was soon gobbled up by those opting for the soft tyres. Winterbottom was forced into a long 21 lap stint to finish the race on softs and the tyres showed more life than over recent events. He was able to bring the car home in fifth placing. Davison on the other hand survived a sensational battle with Craig Lowndes - the Orrcon Steel-backed FPR driver having the multiple Champion mere millimetres from his bumper for the final laps of the race. The next day, Winterbottom narrowly missed out on equalling the Series record of five consecutive pole positions, instead qualifying second. Some slick pit work ensured he was in a position to take the #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon to a podium. Davison was forced to queue in pitlane under Safety Car conditions, thus losing several spots in the process. Whilst trying to make ground, he was struck by Jason Bright and spun, which dropped him down the order. Winterbottom was incredibly happy to have scored another podium in Townsville - although recognised the team still had more work to do.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 3rd Top 10 Shootout: 1st Race 1 Result: 5th Race 2 Qualifying: 2nd Race 2 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 5th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 6th Top 10 Shootout: 3rd Race 1 Result: 3rd Race 2 Qualifying: 5th Race 2 Result: 18th Championship Position: 6th
STEEL FOCUS
Will Davison a fresh start
How would you rate your first season at FPR? It’s been great, very enjoyable. Since the start of the season we’ve really come on strong. I’ve started to enjoy my racing again and feel very comfortable within the team. All of the guys have made me feel very welcome. What were some of the highlights for you? Definitely getting to Adelaide and setting pole on the Sunday, it showed that we were right on it from the beginning. We didn’t convert that to a win - and we had a number of poles that didn’t turn into wins, so from that point of view, we really need to convert. Getting the first podium in Perth was a cool feeling and it was good for the boys - and of course winning the race at Phillip Island - and getting to give Harry Kewell a ride in my car! And lowlights? Queensland Raceway was probably the lowest point. The feeling within the team that Sunday afternoon was so low - but it drove every single one of us to work hard and push on and we saw the results of that at the back end of the season. Bathurst was disappointing too, we were looking very good and it was really unfortunate that Luke (Youlden) speared off when he did. The other lowlight was Sydney - we had the chance to finish in the top five and also to have a perfect finishing record for the season, but it just wasn’t to be. You have been close on many occasions, but yet to score that win - it must be frustrating? As a racecar driver, your aim is to win every time that you’re out there. We’ve been very close on occasion to scoring a win and to get a win in the qualifying race at Phillip Island was pleasing. We had some issues through the year, particularly with the soft tyre, but we worked together to combat that. How have you found partnering up with Mark Winterbottom? Frosty’s a top level performer in the Championship and is as good as anyone. He’s the one that you have to mark yourself against as a teammate and we’ve had a good working relationship throughout the year. He hasn’t made it easy for me - and nor should he - but overall we have a great
relationship and I think with this season under our belt, we’re in a good position as a team next year. The Ford Performance Racing team underwent many changes last offseason, including a new sponsor in Tradingpost - how does the experience compare to other teams that you’ve been involved with? Busy! I’ve probably done twice the PR opportunities this year at track and leading into events that I did last year. I think it speaks volumes for the team and the sponsors they have on-board. Meeting people all around the country is great fun and something that I really enjoy. The guys at Tradingpost have been terrific and like me, they have been feeling their way through the program - it’s a great partnership that we’ll grow even further next year. You’ve also worked closely with the Orrcon Steel program - what are your thoughts seeing that first hand? Amazing. The guys at Orrcon Steel do a fantastic job at leveraging their sponsorship. When I turned up in Adelaide and saw a waterfall with my photo behind it, I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never seen anything like that here in Australia before. It is cool stuff like that which really makes you proud to represent a sponsor and a team. The guys get right behind Frosty as well and really take ownership of our team, so it’s great to see and great to be a part of. What are your hopes for 2012? Naturally the Championship is our goal. We’ve shown that we have now got the pace all around and I believe we can take that package to round one and be on it from the very beginning. It won’t be easy and Frosty is going to be right in there fighting for it as well. I really can’t wait for March and the season to get back underway. We’re keen, we’re ready and just want to attack it from the start.
EVENT 8 - ipswich Ipswich was a turning point in the Orrcon Steel-backed FPR team’s season. Post-event, Winterbottom said it was ‘embarrassing’ and Tim Edwards labelled it arguably the worst day in the team’s rich history. It was the results obtained here that spurred every single member of FPR’s race team to never have a feeling like that again. And so it was that results took a dramatic turn for the better. The highlight of the weekend was Mark Winterbottom’s 10th placing in the Saturday event. A revolutionary race format saw Saturday operate to two sprint races with a 15-minute football style half-time break in the middle. It served to put crews as well as drivers under pressure. Sunday and FPR’s soft tyre form was laid bare for all to see. Winterbottom finished 19th and Davison drifted to 21st at the end of the race. It was a weekend the team would happily wipe clean, however, it would generate enough energy that a complete 180 degree turnaround was about to come. Orrcon’s team of Steel would only have to wait until the next deployment of the soft tyres to see the fruits of their labour.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 12th Race 1 Result: 13th Race 2 Result: 10th Race 3 Qualifying: 20th Race 3 Result: 19th Championship Position: 7th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 14th Race 1 Result: 15th Race 2 Result: 15th Race 3 Qualifying: 10th Race 3 Result: 21st Championship Position: 8th
EVEnt 9 - L&H 500 Hitting endurance mode, the Orrcon Steel-backed FPR team welcomed Steven Richards and experienced campaigner, Luke Youlden in to partner the regular drivers. Davison set pole for his qualifying race, which he duly went on to win recording the team’s first victory of the year. Luke Youlden’s solid effort in the second qualifying race ensured the #6 Tradingpost Falcon was on pole for the big race. Starting well, Davison and Youlden tuned the car throughout the race and walked away with a hard earned podium. Another lap or so and Davison could have climbed further with the late race deflating tyre that was hurting Shane van Gisbergen. Winterbottom and Richards were looking good early in the race. Despite starting ninth on the grid, Richards advanced the #5 Orrcon Steel FPR Falcon to fourth at the time of the first pitstop. A collision with one of the FujitsuGRM drivers damaged the rear end and dropped the pairing down the order. Whilst working into the top 10, Winterbottom suffered steering damage after a collision with a DJR machine. He was able to muscle the car home into 17th. Regardless, the event signalled that FPR had bounced back and were going strong into the back end of the season.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race A Qualifying: 21st Race B Qualifying: 13th Race A Result: 21st Race B Result: 4th L&H 500 Result: 17th Championship Position: 7th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race A Qualifying: 1st Race B Qualifying: 11th Race A Result: 1st Race B Result: 15th L&H 500 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 6th
STEEL FOCUS
Tim Edwards
a changing dynamic
FPR Team Principal
2011 was a year of significant change for FPR - you would have to say? There were many elements in the off-season that completely changed for our guys. We welcomed a new driver in Will Davison. A new major sponsor in Tradingpost, along with new staff and a newly created technical role for Mathew Nilsson - who came to us from Walkinshaws with Will. So it was, in many ways a fresh start for us. How would you say the existing staff, drivers included, adapted to the off-season changes? Very well, I’d have to say. We brought in people to bolster us on the technical side, made a few changes in the commercial area as well. For Mark (Winterbottom) and Paul (Dumbrell), having someone with Will’s breadth of experience coming into the team was a new challenge for them. Will brought some great ideas to the table - which is exactly what we wanted from him. Will was fast from the time he entered the team, where would you rate his season overall? In Championship terms, he can consider himself unlucky to have not finished in the top five if not even higher. He came to us after a humbling season in 2010 and from the first test at Eastern Creek showed his intentions. His passion for racing and his job is inspiring. He is the sort of driver that will have a crack - and we saw that in Sydney - he was desperate to stand on the podium, any thought of the Championship top five went out the window - and that’s precisely what we’re after. What about Mark. To finish third was a great result. We couldn’t have asked for anything more from him. Considering our position at some points of the season for Mark to finish third in the Championship was an amazing achievement. Mark had a difficult year, but also a rewarding one. He showed at the back end of the season what can be done if we put the car underneath him.
Finding answers on the soft tyre was something the team was looking for throughout much of the season - how pleasing was it to finally crack the code? Enormously satisfying, unbelievably so. We had a problem there and our guys worked tirelessly to get to the root of the problem and do something about it. It cost us a great deal in development time, but it had to be done and we’ve now got a very good package on that tyre. To chase down the bloke that has been the best by far on that tyre and beat him brought a few smiles into the garage. Is there one - or more things you will look back on this year fondly? There are plenty of moments. Definitely the wins on the Gold Coast, Sydney and Phillip Island. Thinking back to the start of the year when Will scored pole at Clipsal - that was a great moment for the team. For me though, the best memory will be effort that each one of our guys put in when their backs were against the wall. Every single member of our team dug their heels in and worked to come up with a solution to the problems we were facing. In 12 months time, when we have this same chat, where do you see FPR? Look, I could sit here and say that we’re going to be the strongest outfit come Adelaide and we’re going to clean up and everything else - but that, in all honesty, is not our aim. This year, between the FPR drivers we had eight pole positions and only two race wins - plus Will’s qualifying race win at Phillip Island. So from that point of view, we have to work on getting that qualifying pace into race pace and getting race wins. That is our focus. We’ll totally be working to give each of our drivers the best chance to win. Once we achieve that aim, only then can we begin to worry about Championships.
EVENT 10 - Bathurst
The Orrcon Steel FPR team went to Bathurst full of confidence after solid results at Phillip Island and knowing their car was as strong as any other when it came to soft tyre running. During qualifying, Mark Winterbottom got his #5 Orrcon Steel machine into the top three, whilst Will Davison just missed out on the top 10. A post-qualifying technical infringement for Lee Holdsworth elevated Davison into the top 10 - and he put in a storming lap - one that wasn’t defeated until fifth quickest, Greg Murphy deposed the Melbourne racer. Just prior to Winterbottom heading out on his lap, the heavens opened, giving him no chance to set a lap time and meaning he would start the race from 10th. A solid start from Davison saw the #6 machine into the lead early, whilst Steve Richards had to fight back from a bungled start. Davison’s charge was halted when Luke Youlden misjudged a restart and found the Murray’s Corner sandtrap. Meantime, Mark Winterbottom charged his way forward. The #5 pair picked off competitor after competitor and although they didn’t crest the podium walked away satisfied with their fourth placed finish. Davison on the other hand was left to wonder what may have been - many predicting that was certainly the one that got away.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Qualifying: 2nd Top 10 Shootout: 10th Bathurst 1000 Result: 4th Championship Position: 5th
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Qualifying: 10th Top 10 Shootout: 2nd Bathurst 1000 Result: 18th Championship Position: 6th
EVEnt 11 - gold coast The epic turnaround in the FPR team’s fortunes was complete on the streets of Surfers Paradise, when Mark Winterbottom and Richard Lyons stole victory in the Sunday race. It wasn’t the fact they won. They won on soft tyres, caught and passed the soft tyre king - Jamie Whincup. The team was rocked early in race week when Will Power was ruled out of contention in the horrendous IndyCar finale at Las Vegas. Tim Edwards was quick to get on the telephone to Irish international, Richard Lyons and he had no sooner placed his bags down after Bathurst (where he partnered Jonathon Webb) and he was back on the plane to Australia! The pair finished on the podium the day before - where they were joined by Will Davison and former F1 ace, Mika Salo. Considering the Orrcon Steel machine started back in 17th, it was a spectacular fightback. The Finn and Davison were less fortunate on Sunday, being caught in some of the melee that ensues on the streets of the Gold Coast, they were forced into an unscheduled pitstop for a broken upright. Once that was fixed, the pair salvaged a top 15 position. The event set up the back end of the year for the FPR pair and signalled the real beginning of Frosty’s charge for the top three in the Championship!
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 17th Top 10 Shootout: N/A Race 1 Result: 3rd Race 2 Qualifying: 3rd Race 2 Result: 1st
#6 - WILL DAVISON Race 1 Qualifying: 7th Top 10 Shootout: 3rd Race 1 Result: 2nd Race 2 Qualifying: 4th Race 2 Result: 14th
WWW.ORRCONRACING.COM.AU
EVENT 12 - TASmania With the team buoyed after a victory on the Gold Coast, they were cautiously optimistic about their chances in Tasmania - warning they didn’t want the soft tyre form to be a flash in the pan. It wasn’t. The weekend proved to be another good one for the FPR team and showed the late season charge was well and truly alive. Beating Jamie Whincup off the line in Saturday’s race, Winterbottom led the opening stanza of the race, with the Championship leader sitting right in his wheeltracks. Whincup got past on the 11th lap and proceeded to work towards another victory, meantime the Orrcon Steel flyer completed Saturday’s race just off the podium in fourth position - with Davison home in fifth. The pairing survived a scary moment with Paul Dumbrell post-pitstops where the satellite FPR driver got out of shape and both Davison and Winterbottom had to take avoiding action. It was one of the better moments for FPR during season 2011, when both Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison stood side-by-side on the podium. Yet another hard-earned result. Winterbottom was now elevated into the top three of the Championship - and with two events to go had an (albeit slight) opportunity to chase the Championship should any poor luck befall the Triple 8 tearaways.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 2nd Race 1 Result: 4th Race 2 Qualifying: 2nd Race 2 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 3rd
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 7th Race 1 Result: 5th Race 2 Qualifying: 5th Race 2 Result: 2nd Championship Position: 6th
WWW.ORRCONRACING.COM.AU
EVEnt 13 - sandown Melbourne could not have produced, well more Melbourne weather conditions for V8 Supercars’ heritage round at Sandown. Temperatures broaching 38 degrees on Friday gave way to wind, cold and treacherous rain on Saturday. The conditions were some of the worst that Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison had ever experienced in their time in the sport and both were fortunate to finish in a strong position. Winterbottom advanced 10 spots from his 17th starting position, whilst Davison came home fourth after starting in third. In the Sunday race - conducted in fine - but cool conditions - Winterbottom annexed another front row starting position, whilst Davison started from P6. Winterbottom had a great run going and finished the day on the podium in second position. Davison - who was now in a fight for fifth in the Championship - was able to bring his Tradingpost Falcon home in third.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 17th Race 1 Result: 7th Race 2 Qualifying: 2nd Race 2 Result: 2nd Championship Position: 3rd
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 3rd Race 1 Result: 4th Race 2 Qualifying: 6th Race 2 Result: 3rd Championship Position: 6th
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EVEnt 14 - sydney There could have been no better way to round off the 2011 season than the way in which Mark Winterbottom dominated the Sunday race at the Sydney Telstra 500. A wet-dry start saw Winterbottom take the decision to pit for slicks on the warmup lap - and that last minute strategy shift proved crucial as the day shook out. Once the ‘wet’ runners - which included pole-sitter Will Davison visited for their compulsory service, it emerged that the decision to go onto the dry tyres was the correct one. It was one of Winterbottom’s finest victories and ensures the team will carry a great deal of momentum across the summer break. On the other side of the garage, Davison finished his with disappointment. He recorded his only two DNFs of the season in the final two races. After securing pole on both days of the Sydney event, he ended both in the wall. Saturday, it was due to a broken steering arm (which forced FPR into manufacturing new parts and flying them in overnight) and Sunday, he was fighting back through the field, took a lunge for third late in the race and got caught on the marbles, crashing out just a few laps from the chequers. Winterbottom’s win, coupled with a fifth placing in Saturday’s topsy turvey affair assured his status as third placed driver in the Series. Davison - who was fighting for fifth placing - drifted to seventh in the points standings.
STAT ATTACK
# 5 - MARK WINTERBOTTOM Race 1 Qualifying: 3rd Top 10 Shootout: 3rd Race 1 Result: 5th Race 2 Qualifying: 3rd Race 2 Result: 1st Championship Position: 3rd
#6 - WILL DAVISON
Race 1 Qualifying: 2nd Top 10 Shootout: 1st Race 1 Result: DNF Race 2 Qualifying: 1st Race 2 Result: DNF Championship Position: 7th
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2011 - the steel stats
3 countries 6 states 1 territory 15 events 4 ride days
61723.2km
8 test days 35 staff
total travel distance 730 flights
41 practice sessions 28 qualifying sessions 8 pole positions 3 wins 15 podium placings 1956 race laps
6800
total race kilometres WWW.ORRCONRACING.COM.AU
168 hard tyres 264 soft tyres per car
864 total tyres used
17,545,000
total television viewers
1,731,529
total event attendees
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