Ford Performance Racing has concluded a busy yet successful day of testing at Winton in northern Victoria where all four of the team’s Endurance Cup co-drivers got to sample their new rides for 2013.
The factory Ford team was led by Will Davison who shared seat time with new co-driver, Steve Owen.
Davison felt the team made ground.
“I think it has been a really good test today,” he said. “You never get carried away with testing but track conditions were perfect and the car felt good all day.
“We made a lot of positive changes and I really enjoyed the car, which is always a good sign. We tried some very interesting things on the car and they were quite promising so it was good to get such a positive response. I am really excited to continue working with these new developments for the next few races so I can’t wait to get to Darwin.”
Owen – who drove the Car of the Future Falcon for the first time today – was glad to get some time in the car.
“It was good to get some laps and get a feel for the car and the team,” the former full-time V8 Supercar driver said. “We did some pit stop practice and some different length stints so it was a busy day. I use Will’s belt position and seat insert and I like the way his pedals are set-up, so I haven’t changed anything at all which is great.”
Mark Winterbottom was absent from the test so his co-driver Steven Richards had the car they will share almost exclusively to himself, aside from a handful of laps for FPR rising star Chaz Mostert who assisted with pit stop practice.
David Reynolds resumed his pairing with Dean Canto who had his first taste of the 2013-spec Car of the Future Falcon, while Alex Davison was joined for the first time by John McIntyre, who also had his maiden run in the new car.
Canto was surprised at the feel of the new car. “I was expecting the car to be massively different to the old one but it reacts nicer and it is quite a refined package,” he said. “That said, the tuning window seems to be quite small so it is still a learning curve but I was very impressed. I am really looking forward to getting in the car again soon.”
McIntyre enjoyed his run in the car and said it was ideal to sample it in “so many different guises”.
“The car has been consistent and handled well so it has been a productive day,” the #18 co-driver said. “Alex and I are gelling well and the car is really comfortable so that has meant we’ve just been able to get on with our program which is what you want.”
All eight drivers worked across an extensive program of developments while the crew took part in numerous pit stop simulations throughout the day.
