Photo: BAM Media

Winterbottom leads after Sandown

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Mark Winterbottom in his FPR Falcon left Sandown International Raceway as Championship points leader in this nail-biting 2008 Series.
Winterbottom has leap-frogged Garth Tander to take the top spot with a 52 point advantage.
And with team-mate Steve Richards’ good results, Ford Performance Racing remains ahead of Triple 8 in the team championship after five rounds.

Both FPR drivers struggled for grip in the greasy conditions. With light rain continually falling throughout the first race of the day, Frosty struggled to hold position and slipped to sixth from second on the grid.

Richards on the other hand made up seven places over the 39-lap race but was left battle-scarred after some fierce mid-field racing.

The day’s final race saw a much stronger set-up and Winterbottom launched off the grid to run second after three laps. A win looked likely after the 27-year-old leap-frogged James Courtney on the pit stop, but Jamie Whincup returned the favour to snatch his second win of the weekend.

Winterbottom said after the race: “Towards the end of race three there were spots of rain hitting the window and it was nearly dark so the risk of going off was quite high. It wasn’t dangerous but it was just hard to judge how wet it was.”

Richards did well to finish a steady ninth: “The car was good but we just didn’t have good enough drive exiting some corners to be in the right position to make a pass. It was very fast on its own for one lap, but when you were behind you couldn’t make any impression. That’s the way it goes. We’ve got to have a weekend where luck flies our flag.”

Winterbottom was pleased with the team’s effort and results over the holiday weekend: “It’s the first time FPR has led the championship and we’re excited about how we’re going. It’s a great feeling; it’s an achievement in itself.

“The team did a great job; they play a massive role in the whole scheme of it and I’m very pleased to be with such a great bunch. Obviously the car was close to good enough but Jamie [Whincup] had a solid weekend.