Ford Wins 2008 Manufacturer's Championship on Gold Coast
Ford has secured the 2008 V8 Supercar Manufacturer's Championship with Jamie Whincup on top of the podium at the Coffee Club Challenge on the streets of Surfer's Paradise.
The eighth win at round 11 of 14 Championship events claimed the title for Ford ahead of Holden with still four hit-outs remaining.
Ford's V8 Supercar Falcon's have been the dominant force in 2008, with wins spread across three Blue Oval outfits including TeamVodafone, Ford Performance Racing and Jim Beam Racing.
"We were fairly confident that we would secure the Manufacturer's Championship before the final few rounds," said Ray Price.
"In the past it has gone down to the last round, and with an equal number of events this year it had the potential to be a much closer competition.
"Ford has a variety of strong teams and drivers, we pride ourselves on that depth, and if you look at the spread of wins this year it confirms our potential for results across the board.
"Garth Tander is the only driver who has managed a win for the red side, with three to his name."
Contributing drivers include Whincup with four round wins - one shared with Craig Lowndes at Bathurst - Mark Winterbottom who has so far claimed two, plus Will Davison and Steven Richards with one round win each.
Ford had back-to-back Manufacturer's Championship glory in 2005 and 2006 with Holden taking out last year's title.
The Blue Oval is firmly on top in 2008 and is primed to do a clean sweep on awards night by complementing its Bathurst and Manufacturer's Championship wins with a driver's title.
Whincup and Winterbottom (third on podium today) are firm contenders in the fight, currently sitting first and second on the leader board with just 75 points between them. The duo are set battle it out to the end to secure maximum glory.
"Of course we'll keep working to tip the scales in our favour, keep on the winning streak, and with the consistency we are seeing among the Falcon's there is no reason we won't keep taking the win," said Price.
"We've achieved two goals already this year with Bathurst and the Manufacturer's title, now of course we are looking to top it off with a Ford driver being number one come the Grand Finale."
Ford's V8 Supercars next hit the track at the Gulf Air 400 in Bahrain, 6-8 November, followed by Tasmania and Oran Park to finish off the season.
FORD'S 2008 V8 SUPERCAR ROUND WINS
Round 1 @ Clipsal, 21 - 24 February: Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone Falcon
Round 2 @ Eastern Creek, 7-9 March: Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing Falcon
Round 4 @ Perth, 9 -11 May: Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Falcon
Round 5 @ Sandown, 7-9 June: Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone Falcon
Round 6 @ Darwin, 4-6 July: Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing Falcon
Round 7 @ Ipswich, 18 - 20 July: Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing Falcon
Round 10 @ Bathurst, 9-12 October: Craig Lowndes / Jamie Whincup, Team Vodafone Falcon
Round 11 @ Indy, 23 - 26 October: Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone Falcon
V8 SUPERCAR CHAMPIONSHIP TOP TEN
1. Jamie Whincup, TeamVodafone, Ford - 2616 pts
2. Mark Winterbottom, Ford Performance Racing, Ford - 2541 pts
3. Garth Tander, HRT, Holden Racing Team, Holden - 2510 pts
4. Craig Lowndes, TeamVodafone, Ford - 2103 pts
5. Will Davison, Jim Beam Racing, Ford - 2033 pts
6. Steven Richards, Ford Performance Racing, Ford - 1988 pts
7. Rick Kelly, HSV Dealer Team, Holden - 1940 pts
8. James Courtney, Stone Brothers Racing, Ford - 1906 pts
9. Russell Ingall, Supercheap Auto Racing, Holden - 1666 pts
10. Steven Johnson, Jim Beam Racing, Ford - 1649 pts
