Tickford at 700 Supercars races: The key milestones

Tickford Racing bring up a major milestone at this weekend's bp Adelaide Grand Final, with the team racking up 700 race starts in the Repco Supercars Championship.

Tickford, who have also been known as Ford Performance Racing and Prodrive Racing Australia throughout their history, bring up the milestone where their journey began 22 years ago.

Both Cameron Waters and Thomas Randle will be racing for wins this weekend, with both drivers bowing out of championship contention a fortnight ago at Sandown.

It's a weekend of milestones in Adelaide, with Brad Jones Racing notching up 350 round starts, Andre Heimgartner his 300th race start, and James Courtney, Will Davison, and Nick Percat all making their last starts before full-time retirement.

The organisation is guaranteed to win silverware in Adelaide, with Super2 drivers Rylan Gray, Lochie Dalton, Nash Morris, and Reuben Goodall the only drivers in contention for the development series crown.

2003: Lowndes wins third race of FPR era

Born out of Glenn Seton Racing, the factory-backed Ford squad entered Supercars with a bang, running three cars for Seton, David Besnard, and Craig Lowndes. It only took three races for Lowndes to make his mark, winning a wet, wild, and ultimately shortened race at Phillip Island. Lowndes and Seton would later claim second in FPR's first Bathurst assault.

2006: Wins Sandown 500, Winterbottom arrives

2006 marked the beginning of what has arguably been Tickford's most important era. After serving a two year apprenticeship at Larkham Motorsport, Mark Winterbottom arrived at Tickford, and immediately established himself as a frontrunner. Alongside incumbent Jason Bright, the duo won that year's Sandown 500, Winterbottom's first career win. Winterbottom would finish third in the standings, his year capped off by a maiden solo race win at Phillip Island.

2007: Bathurst heartbreak for Winterbottom

It was a quieter beginning to 2007 for Winterbottom, however that turned at Bathurst, where he stormed to a fine Shootout pole, his and FPR's first. Alongside new teammate Steven Richards, the pair were the combination to beat as the rains arrived in the last hour. Winterbottom was the first car on the scene as the rain poured down at The Chase, with FPR's Bathurst hopes slipping away at 300km/h.

2008: Falls short of championship with Winterbottom

Winterbottom had a point to prove in 2008, and led the championship heading into the enduros at Phillip Island and Bathurst. However, after missing all three races at Hamilton following a qualifying crash, Jamie Whincup had ground to make up, and won seven races in a row across Bathurst, the Gold Coast, and Bahrain. Winterbottom was forced to concede the title to his great rival.

2012: Beaten by Triple Eight in season-long battle

2012 was one of the great team battles in the history of Supercars, as Triple Eight and FPR won every single race of the season. Despite Winterbottom and Will Davison combining for some extraordinary triumphs, including Winterbotton getting one up over Whincup in Hamilton, and Davison making the most of Winterbottom playing rear gunner in Perth, FPR and both of their drivers finished behind Triple Eight, who went 1-2 with Whincup and Craig Lowndes. David Reynolds also went within a whisker of claiming an upset Bathurst win in the third Rod Nash Racing entry.

2013: Winterbottom delivers first Bathurst win

Revenge would be served in 2013, as Winterbottom broke through for a long-awaited maiden Bathurst win. Fittingly, it came after an epic late race duel with Whincup, forcing the four-time Bathurst winner into a mistake at Griffin's Bend on the last lap.

2014: Mostert claims stunning Bathurst win

FPR would only have to wait another 12 months to add to their Bathurst win tally, this time doing it in the most extraordinary circumstances. On a day where anything that could happen did happen, Chaz Mostert - in his first year with FPR - went from last to first, capped off with a last lap pass on Whincup, who ran out of fuel.

2015: Mostert crashes, Winterbottom claims team's first championship

FPR was no more as Ford reduced their backing, with the team renamed Prodrive Racing Australia, however despite the hurdle, 2015 would prove the team's best year. Winterbottom and Mostert were superb in the brand-new FG X Falcon, sitting 1-2 in the standings before Mostert's awful qualifying crash at Bathurst. Winterbottom would claim his first and only title, whilst Reynolds would finish a career-best third.

2017: Waters claims first Supercars win

Amid Prodrive's dominant 2015 campaign, rising star Cam Waters also dominated the Super2 Series, and was duly promoted to the main game in 2016. He truly arrived in 2017, and in scenes reminiscent of those 11 years prior with Winterbottom, he claimed his first career win with a superb Sandown 500 drive alongside Richie Stanaway.

2018/2019: Winterbottom, Mostert depart

The changing of the guard truly came across the next two years, as first spearhead Winterbottom departed at the end of the 2018, the Ford hero doing what many thought impossible and crossing the divide to join Team 18 and Holden. Mostert joined him entering the new decade, becoming Walkinshaw Andretti United's marquee man amid a dificult run. Waters quickly went from the young charger to the team leader at the once-again rebranded Tickford outfit.

2023: Claims first Gen3 win in Supercars

The new era began on the streets of Newcastle, with Waters third behind Shane van Gisbergen and Broc Feeney. However, when the Red Bull duo were disqualified due to a technical infringement, Waters was duly promoted to being the first-ever Gen3 race winner.

2024: Downsize from four to two cars

In 2013, Tickford expanded to four cars, running under Charlie Schwerkolt's #18 license. The fourth entry had then run as a customer operation with Super Black Racing and 23Red Racing, whilst also spending time as an in-house operation.However, for 2024, a streamlined Tickford operation slimmed down to two entries, with Waters and Thomas Randle both claiming top five points finishes in a much improved showing.

2025: Re-signs Waters and Randle, secures new ownership

The duo were rewarded for their 2024 seasons, signing bumper contract extensions through 2027, with options for 2028. Also announced in the last few days was a new ownership structure, which promises to set the team up for the future.

Key Supercars stats (active teams)*

*Correct to 2025 Penrite Oil Sandown 500

Note: Podium finishers were top three for the overall round between 1960 and 2008. From 2009 onwards, they have been the top three in every race