FPR: We want to represent Ford!
Ford Performance Racing co-owner Rod Nash hopes the team's victory in last Sunday's epic Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 acts as a catalyst to convince the blue oval to stay involved in V8 Supercars racing.
Ford's future in the category became a centre of attention on Friday at Bathurst after News Limited reports predicted Ford would have no involvement beyond 2015.
FPR's deal with Ford expires at the end of 2014, but it has committed - along with newly formed DJR Team Penske - to homologate and run the new Falcon FG X in 2015.
Ford Australia president Bob Graziano was at Bathurst to watch FPR defend its 2013 victory and told v8supercars.com.au that negotiations for a new deal were ongoing but no announcements would be made until post-season.
Ford ceases Australian production and kills off the Falcon no later than October 2016.
Post-race, Nash said the victory underlined just how proud FPR is to represent Ford.
"We physically cannot represent anybody any better and we want to represent Ford," Nash told v8supercars.com.au.
"I think we would all like - meaning the whole V8 Supercars family - to see the whole Ford thing finalised so we can get on with it and keep representing them the way we are."
Nash showed a rare public hint of frustration at the drawn out negotiation period over a new deal.
"If you ask both sides, they just say the same old thing. Absolutely highly respectfully, they both say 'yep we are continually talking'.
"But there's got to be a point where that is brought to a head and I would expect a fair hearing from our point of view because we can't do anything else."
While Chaz Mostert and Paul Morris drove from last to first to win the race in their Pepsi-Max Falcon, Nash pointed out all five FPR-managed entries had strong runs, adding to the strong promotion of the blue oval out of Bathurst.
Mark Winterbottom and Steve Owen were shaping up as potential winners until their Pepsi-Max Falcon was spun by Craig Lowndes; the Bottle-O Falcon of David Reynolds and Dean Canto was emerging as race favourite until an alternator failure; the Jeld-Wen Falcon had its strongest run of the year in the hands of Jack Perkins and Cam Waters and the Super Black Racing wildcard only just missed the top 10 after a clean run.
Ford stocks were also boosted by strong runs for the two privateer Dick Johnson Racing Falcons before they struck dramas.
"At one point there I made the comment there that all our five cars were in the top 10," said Nash. "To have the five Fords in the top 10 at a certain point in time was great."
But Nash was modest in victory, acknowledging the amazing race could have been claimed by any number of cars and brands.
"Talk about heartbreak hill! Everyone has copped a taste of it ... Everyone has had the chance where they have dropped into the slot and been in with a chance only to be taken out of the slot and dumped on the sidelines.
"To finish in the end as a winner is very impressive," he said. "It's just one that we will take as a hard-earned ending. But all brands had the right to that win."
