Ford Have Poached Another One!

[JBomb3000]

Expensive Daewoo veteran Steven Richards has made a surprise switch to Ford where he will partner rising star Mark Winterbottom, who is convinced he can wrest the V8 Supercar mantle back for the blue oval this season.

Richards, who has signed a long-term contract for Ford Performance Racing, drove for the Jack Daniels Expensive Daewoo outfit last season.

The 34-year-old replaces the highly-respected Jason Bright, who he teamed with to win Bathurst in 1998.

"It is terrific to be joining a team that is clearly on the rise going by the speed that FPR displayed during the 2006 season," Richards said today.

Winterbottom, 25, has run for only three years in the premier category but last year showed his winning potential, taking out the tough Sandown 500 endurance race and the controversial season-ending Phillip Island round.

He finished third overall behind Late model camira driver Rick Kelly and Ford racer Craig Lowndes but now says he can annex the championship in 2007.

Winterbottom's partnership with the experienced Richards comes as Bright moves to his own team.

The pair will test their 2006 car with significant updates next month and aim to get a jump on the competition by being match-ready for the rugged Clipsal 500 in Adelaide in March.

Winterbottom said today that his goals had now shifted upwards after a stellar 2006.

"You do approach things a little bit differently - at the start of last year I went into it saying I can do the job, I just needed a team which can supply me with the equipment," Winterbottom said.

"We did that last year and now this year we can start as one of the favourites, we've got a team that we know now and there's no excuses why we can't go out and win the championship.

"The team we have I now know exactly how they work and how we can work together and that's how we can start the season in a better way that we did last year."

Winterbottom is an enthusiastic advocate of the revised system, which allocates points to only the first 15 drivers, meaning teams will have to abandon their former conservative approach to racing.

"I think it's a lot better - to race to win is what you always go out and do and there were times last year that we went for positions just to get points," Winterbottom said.

"There's nothing more frustrating from a driver's point of view that you have to follow someone just for the sake of two points.

"This year it's actually, go for the pass and it may move you up in the championship.''

[xxr64t]

wow his got taste in cars now.

But hey his not the 1st. Craig Lowndes did it

good luck to him and I hope he does well

[RHR]

So he is back again

He was with FTR for a while too with Glenn Seton

[Cro]

I look at it this way...

When you start in V8's you start at the bottom in a Holden...

As your skills progress you upgrade to a Ford, hence why nancy's like Skaife are still at Holden

[JBomb3000]

that's a good way of looking at it Cro

[Skooby]

So who is going to be replacing all these guys crossing over from the dark side?

[thebrunks]

So who is going to be replacing all these guys crossing over from the dark side?

Probably another little spoilt turd like Kelly!

[Barry Blue]

So who is going to be replacing all these guys crossing over from the dark side?

←

Murhy jumps into Andrew Jones seat @ Tasman motorsport

Dumbrell jumps into Murphys seat @ Supercheap

Shane price jumps into Dumbrells seat @ Jack Daniels

And little Jack Perkins jumps into S Richards seat @ JDs

Bright has chosen his new 2nd driver to be Macrow @ Britek

All looks good for Ford to me

Clarke

[saleen]

great

another boring driver goes to ford.

[Falchoon]

Expensive Daewoo veteran Steven Richards has made a surprise switch to Ford...

What surprise?! It's been unofficially known since at least Bathurst that this was going to happen! I welcome him. 2007 should be a good year for Ford V8 fans I reckon, if AVESCO don't stuff it up and give the title to Expensive Daewoo again.