Skaife, Lowndes forecast Ford Bend dominance

Mark Skaife and Craig Lowndes have both backed Ford teams to lead from the front in Tailem Bend.

The 2022 season will resume next weekend at The Bend Motorsport Park.

The sweeping Tailem Bend circuit plays into the Ford Mustang’s strengths.

The Grand Prix-style track features fast turns and long straights, and the Mustang has been the car to beat.

Since its 2019 debut, the Mustang has taken 10 of 11 wins, and 10 of 11 ARMOR ALL Pole Positions.

The last seven Bend wins have been by Ford drivers, as well as the last eight poles in a row.

Anton De Pasquale and Cam Waters, who are second and third in the points, both won at The Bend last year.

Waters defeated van Gisbergen last May

De Pasquale's win was also Ford's 400th ATCC/Supercars race victory.

Grove Racing also broke through courtesy of Andre Heimgartner, who won from pole.

The Braeside team has turned a corner in 2022, with David Reynolds scoring six podiums.

“At Tailem Bend, those Mustangs will be very strong,” Skaife said on Supercars Trackside.

“The Shell V-Power cars will be strong, so will Cam Waters.

“There are going to be a few of those people who will continue to take it to Red Bull Ampol Racing.

“Three different Fords were the winners across that weekend. Three different winners, but Ford dominated.”

Waters, Will Davison and Shane van Gisbergen have shared the last 10 poles in 2022.

Ford drivers have taken 15 of the season’s 20 pole positions, but only five wins.

Van Gisbergen, meanwhile, has taken a season-high 11 wins and leads De Pasquale by 274 points.

The defending champion is the only driver to have prevented the Mustang from having a perfect record at The Bend.

However, Lowndes believes the Ford drivers, considering their performance in Townsville, will be hard to beat.

“The Mustangs are very fast there. It’s a fast, flowing natured circuit,” Lowndes added.

“I think you’ll see that again… it’s a Mustang circuit. The circuit is undulating, more than what TV presents.

“We’ve seen a shift; we’ve seen the DJR guys step up, Cam Waters step up.

“Qualifying, and transferring it into race pace.

“That’s going to be really good for them going to Tailem Bend.”

The 2022 season will resume at the OTR SuperSprint on July 30-31. Purchase your tickets now.

Results at Tailem Bend (2018-2021)

*The second Tailem Bend round in 2020 used the 3.41km West Circuit