FTR Only Running 1 Car Next Year ?

Buckshot · 25 Nov 2001, 19:49 (Ref:178782)

Bill Woods mentioned on the final RPM yesterday that Steven Richards is now looking for a drive as FTR will only be running 1 car next year.

Quite frankly this is pathetic - the "factory team" only running 1 car ?

Had anyone else heard of this, what do you guys think of this and could the rumours that Lowndes will become the factory boy be a step closer to reality ?

Cheers Buck.:confused:

f1manoz · 26 Nov 2001, 00:11 (Ref:178845)

It wouldn't surprise me if Lowndes did become the factory driver. FTR have not produced the results desirable of being labelled the factory team while teams such as DJR and Stone Racing arguably produce better results.

Besides, Lowndes is now the apple of Ford's eye.

RaceTime · 26 Nov 2001, 02:24 (Ref:178863)

FTR have never been a Ford factory team - Ford have been at pains on numerous occasions to re-iterate this. They merely have large signage for Ford Tickford - not Ford..a subtle difference in Ford's eyes.

Ford have also stated, again on numerous occasions, that they fund many teams not one.

My understanding is that the amount of money tipped into FTR is not a great as some would believe.

D.R.T. · 26 Nov 2001, 04:06 (Ref:178878)

FTR have been a bit of a joke. However 1 car factory teams have been done before and have been quite successful with it. Volvo with Jim Richards in 98. Lowndes this year. 1 driver and car would get all the attention , that can't be a ba d thing.

RaceTime · 26 Nov 2001, 04:11 (Ref:178882)

Thnk you missed my point - FTR have never been a factory team and it is unlikely that they will be. They simply have sponsorship from Tickford Engineering.

Buckshot · 26 Nov 2001, 04:20 (Ref:178885)

Quote:

However 1 car factory teams have been done before and have been quite successful with it. Volvo with Jim Richards in 98.

Didn't somebody Adderton (Mark ?) drive a 2nd Volvo in 98 ? Man I used to love those S40s - pity Volvo don't get something running in one of the Procar categories.

racer69 · 26 Nov 2001, 07:14 (Ref:178894)

Adderton raced the second Volvo in 1999, replacing Mark Williamson, and Adderton was in turn replaced by McLean. In 1998, it was only Richards, TWR didn't have enough S40s to go around, the 5 from 97 went to Sweden (2), Australia (1), and TWR kept the other two for testing and one for the museum.

On FTR, a heap of cash must have gone Seton's way in 1999, he changed the team name, and the media promoted it as the first factory team since 1973, although FTR i reckon is more like the Moffat Ford Dealers team of 1976-78. Now with Lowdnes, they seemed to have lost interest in FTR.

On Volvo in PROCAR, Ford run the Mustang in GT Performance, meaning Volvo can't run there, and they don't have a suitable car for Nations Cup, and GT-Production hasn't got that much air time this year. I hope they get back in somehow though, John Cotter seemed to be a real enthusiest.

Ray Bell · 27 Nov 2001, 17:23 (Ref:179425)

John Cotter sure is... he's been racing for years, was running a Torana at Club events back in the mid seventies.

The one-car 'factory' teams are not all that unusual. Moffat was often the only Ford-backed entry, while the Holden Dealer Team often only had one car run the ATCC series. Robbie Francevic was the only Volvo driver the first year the turbocharged car ran and Jim Richards was the only BMW driver for a while.

Buckshot · 27 Nov 2001, 21:22 (Ref:179533)

All I'm saying is that in this day and age where all the small teams are saying they need 2 cars so they can compare data and get faster times it seems very ordinary that the Ford "Factory" team is scaling back to one car - it really appears as if Ford have totally lost confidence in Seton.

RaceTime · 27 Nov 2001, 22:39 (Ref:179564)

Quote:

Originally posted by Buckshot
it really appears as if Ford have totally lost confidence in Seton.

If you were running Ford Motorsport, wouldn't you have lost confidence in Seton by now as well? His results certainly aren't what they should be given the level of signage on the car from Tickford.

Emfa · 27 Nov 2001, 22:53 (Ref:179566)

Quote:

Originally posted by RaceTime

If you were running Ford Motorsport, wouldn't you have lost confidence in Seton by now as well? His results certainly aren't what they should be given the level of signage on the car from Tickford.

Indeed. I'm a little surprised that no-one nominated Seton/FTR for the 'downer of the year award' (see Crash's other thread).

Buckshot · 27 Nov 2001, 23:03 (Ref:179569)

Yeah I guess...he seems to pull out the occasional hot qualifier and then just disappears during the race to the middle of the field or suffers from bad luck like he did at Eastern Creek this year.

RaceTime · 27 Nov 2001, 23:15 (Ref:179570)

Quote:

Originally posted by Emfa
Indeed. I'm a little surprised that no-one nominated Seton/FTR for the 'downer of the year award' (see Crash's other thread).

Probably because his results are no different from 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 etc etc

Unfortunately - nice guy - shame about the teams results.

DAVID PATERSON · 28 Nov 2001, 02:47 (Ref:179611)

Originally posted by Ractime:

Quote:

Probably because his results are no different from 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997 etc etc

Err, Glenn won the chamnpionship in 1997. In fact he is the only driver outside HRT to have won the championship since 1995.

RaceTime · 28 Nov 2001, 04:57 (Ref:179634)

OK - so take 1997 out and that really only helps strengthen my point - since then he hasn't maintained the momentum, has he?

Crash Test · 28 Nov 2001, 05:20 (Ref:179642)

Saying that, 1997 HRT honestly had a shocker....

How many times did Murphy fail to complete the warm up lap?
Brock was also on the way out, although he did put in one or two decent performances... Murphy was quicker but had no luck on his side.

Glenn really was one of the better Ford punters in 1999, but he was always stuck behind the HRT etc before the Seton luck set in...

I'm fairly certain, like everyone else out there, that he gives 110% every race meeting- so what is missing? I've heard some fairly horrible things about Seton built cars, from people within the V8 Supercar construction business, and form people who have driven his used cars.... the move to a Beehag shell seemed to help a bit, but it never really caught on.

racer69 · 28 Nov 2001, 06:23 (Ref:179651)

I think Seten is probably beginning to lose interest in running his team, and his driving is starting to suffer. He was great when he was with Gibson in '86 and '87, but when he went out on his own it took him 5 years to be competitive, when he won in 1993 through to 97. From then on, the extra competitiveness of the series has hurt him, he seems less interested, shame, the promise of '87 only seems part fulfilled.

Why did Seton go on his own for 1989?

RaceTime · 28 Nov 2001, 06:35 (Ref:179653)

Anyone know what the real reason behind the split between Glenn and Bo was all about? That's when he really started to appear to slide downhill IMHO

Crash Test · 28 Nov 2001, 11:05 (Ref:179704)

Didn't Bo and Glenn split after Bathurst 1995? It was a big fat kick in the nuts for all concerned...

Remember it took a little while in 1996 for Glenn to get over the loss of Peter Jackson... he has always been there or there abouts near the front of the field up until this season.

Airhead · 29 Nov 2001, 12:12 (Ref:180140)

Quote:

Originally posted by DAVID PATERSON
Originally posted by Ractime:

Err, Glenn won the chamnpionship in 1997. In fact he is the only driver outside HRT to have won the championship since 1995.

Thanks David I was all set to jump in there. Got Glenn to sign my son's shirt that day.

Airhead · 29 Nov 2001, 12:17 (Ref:180143)

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash Test
....he has always been there or there abouts near the front of the field up until this season.

Yes, he has always been there year in year out, week after week with the notable exception of Bathurst.

DJR seem to have the momentum over the last two years with the Stone Bros. also going stronger (especially this year with Marcus).

Going to one car is however a mistake.

Ray Bell · 29 Nov 2001, 12:30 (Ref:180149)

Quote:

Originally posted by RaceTime
Anyone know what the real reason behind the split between Glenn and Bo was all about?

Yes.

DAVID PATERSON · 1 Dec 2001, 12:54 (Ref:180893)

Watching race 1 from Sandown this arvo, i saw Seton and Richards running very close together on track. I had to have a chuckle and wonder if Carrot top might give his boss a friendly farewell gesture.

RaceTime · 1 Dec 2001, 23:44 (Ref:181078)

Quote:

Originally posted by Ray Bell

Yes.

And..........

Morris 1100 · 2 Dec 2001, 00:30 (Ref:181092)

Come on Ray you can tell me.

I can remember Glen racing the Ford Escort in his dads driving suit at the real Surfers Paradise!

So I would like to know what caused the split.

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