As V8 Supercar racing enters its business end, Ford is close to agreeing on a deal to stay in the sport for at least another year.
Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is likely to remain so for 2014, with Ford set to stay the team’s backers despite preparing to close its Australian car manufacturing operations in 2016.
FPR drivers Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison, who comes off contract at the end of the year, are expected to remain.
It means the pair go into this weekend’s Sandown 500 with their futures and their team’s all but assured after strong seasons which have both drivers in the championship top three.
V8 insiders are bullish Ford will not only agree to stay on next year, but retain a presence in the sport even after the Falcon disappears in three years.
Ford’s mid-sized Mondeo and its American big car the Taurus could be used under current Car of the Future regulations, though the two-door boy-racer favourite, the Mustang, would need a big rules tweak.
Winterbottom will drive with former FPR regular and two-time Bathurst champ Steve Richards in the enduros, and believes Ford can win despite a dire Melbourne weather forecast for the next three days.
“Sandown is truly the lead-in to Bathurst but it is going to be tough this weekend with inclement weather forecast along with all the other factors that come into play with enduros,” Winterbottom said.
“The good thing is having two experienced guys paired up as we’ve seen everything Sandown has to throw at you.
“We believe we can win the race.”
Holden’s defending series champion Jamie Whincup holds a 55-point championship lead over Davison going into Friday practice at Sandown.
Sunday’s 161-lap race offers 300 points for the winner, and the top nine drivers in the championship are within that distance of Whincup in one of the tightest title battles in years.
The series regulars are also at the mercy of their V8 part-time co-drivers to a large degree at Sandown and Bathurst, with championship teammates not able to pair up for the enduros.
Meanwhile, V8 Supercars commission chairman Mark Skaife will stand down after next month’s Bathurst 1000 at the end of his two-year tenure.
The six-time Bathurst winner will remain with V8 Supercars in a business development role and as an adviser to the board.