V8 Supercars: Winterbottom Believes Ford Can Break Duck In Hamilton

Ford Performance Racing's Mark Winterbottom is keen to end Holden's eight year domination of the New Zealand V8 Supercar event this weekend.

Holden has won every round held across the Tasman since 2001, leading the way when V8 racing made its debut at Pukekohe, before continuing its stranglehold on the event after the race was moved to Hamilton's street circuit in 2008.

The Blue Oval's dismal performances in New Zealand are highlighted by the fact it has only recorded one race win in 24 starts, a statistic Winterbottom hopes to change this weekend.

“Holden’s had some golden years here but I think the odds are with Ford to even the score a little this year, especially since we’ve got some new bits at FPR,” he said.

“Last year I got caught out by a red flag in qualifying. I was on a good lap and did half but then the session got canned with seven minutes to go and that was it for the weekend really.

“I had a crash in race one and went to the rear. In race two I had a lot of passing to do but eventually finished fifth so there’s definitely potential for some good racing.”

New Zealand's V8 round has sometimes resembled a battlefield for Ford in past appearances, with casualties strewn all over the track.

But Kiwi Steven Richards said Ford's awful record can simply be attributed to bad luck, although he believes the sprint style races of the past have put them at a disadvantage.

“I think it’s just a coincidence that Ford hasn’t done so well in New Zealand in the past. We went really well there last year but it’s all about qualifying,” he said.

“There’s no doubt the race format didn’t suit this circuit last year but if you had a sprint race around Adelaide it wouldn’t be that good a race either; a long distance race should be much better.”