Ford wins 2019 Supercars Manufacturers’ Title with Mustang, following Race 20 victory at the Century Batteries Ipswich SuperSprint in Queensland
Ford Performance Mustang Supercar wins Race 20 of the 2019 Virgin Australian Supercars Championship at the Century Batteries Ipswich SuperSprint, giving Ford an unassailable lead in the 2019 Supercars Manufacturers’ Title
Melbourne, 29 July, 2019 – The Ford Performance Mustang Supercar has won Race 20 of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship to give Ford an unassailable lead in the the Manufacturers’ Title. The win at the Century Batteries Ipswich SuperSprint came from series leader Scott McLaughlin, who drove his Shell V-Power Mustang Supercar from pole position to set a lap record and secure the title for Ford.
The Supercars Manufacturers’ Title is based on the number of victories in a championship season. With six Mustangs in the 2019 field, the #17 Mustang fittingly sealed the title by posting Mustang’s 17th race victory. Twelve races remain.
Winning Mustang drivers in the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship include Tickford Racing’s Chaz Mostert, who won at the Melbourne 400 in the #55 Supercheap Auto Tickford Mustang, as well as Shell V-Power’s Fabian Coulthard, who was first home at Symmons Plains, Tasmania, and at the following Phillip Island round.
Coulthard is also in the record books for having secured the Mustang Supercar’s first ever Armor All Pole Position, achieved at the season-opening Superloop Adelaide 500, while Pole Positions throughout 2019 have been posted by Coulthard’s Shell V-Power teammate McLaughlin, as well as Mostert and Cameron Waters, who drives the #6 Monster Energy Tickford Racing Mustang.
“We cannot thank the teams for their day-in, day-out hard work and dedication in bringing Ford the Supercars Manufacturers’ Title,” said Ford Australia and New Zealand President and CEO, Kay Hart. “We’re so proud of the partnership we’ve built between Ford, Ford Performance, Shell V-Power Racing and Tickford Racing, and we know how fortunate we are to have such talented and determined people behind Mustang. There are many people behind this result who have all worked tirelessly to contribute to a fantastic group effort.”
The Ford Performance Mustang Supercar was homologated for the 2019 season, and is the first two-door model to compete in Supercars since the series inception in 1993. Ford Performance competes at the highest level in racing categories including IMSA, the World Endurance Championship and World Rally Championship, with Supercars presenting another challenge and the opportunity to collaborate with some of the category’s best and brightest through the partnership with such accomplished teams.
“We're honoured to have clinched the Supercars’ Champion Manufacturers’ Title for 2019 in our first year with the new Ford Mustang,” said Ford Performance Global Director, Motorsports, Mark Rushbrook, who was on hand when Mustang made its race debut in Adelaide in February.
“We are grateful to have clinched it, but we certainly could not have been in this position without all the assistance of our great teams Shell V-Power Racing and Tickford Racing,” Rushbook said. “They were key to helping us bring the new Mustang to the series, and their preparation and race craft during these race weekends has been outstanding. We could not be prouder to have such great partners, and we are thrilled for the Ford fans of Supercars who have been behind us all the way.”
Shell V-Power Racing extended its lead in both the drivers and team championships at the Century Batteries Ipswich SuperSprint, which saw a Race 19 held over 39 laps on Saturday, with Race 20 a 65-lap contest on Sunday afternoon. In the #17 Mustang, McLaughlin scored pole position for both races, and while he finished fourth on Saturday, it was his Sunday victory that saw a new race lap-record and the Manufacturers’ title secured for Ford, adding to the overall win tally from both Tickford Racing and Shell V-Power Racing.
“Days like today, when we not only get to stand on the middle step of the podium, but where we can reach milestones such as the Manufacturers’ championship, are all because of the people behind the team,” said Dr Ryan Story, Shell V-Power Racing Team Principal and co-owner. “It’s an extraordinary achievement and one that a lot of people, not just here in Australia, but in the United States with Ford Performance, can take a great deal of pride in.”
Tickford Racing’s speed at the Ipswich round was apparent immediately, with Will Davison and Chaz Mostert swapping lap times in qualifying before converting that into a strong performance during Saturday’s Race 19. Davison finished a season-best second place, his first podium at the wheel of the 23Red Racing Tickford Mustang, while Mostert finished closely behind in third place. It was Tickford Racing’s second double-podium of 2019, after Mostert and Waters’ two-three finish in Race 4 at the Beaurepaires Melbourne 400 in March, which saw Mostert win the Larry Perkins Trophy as the overall winner of the event.
“For the investment that Ford has made in coming back into the sport, there’s no better way to reward everybody in the US and Australia than to win the Manufacturers’ Championship,” said Tickford Racing team manager Tim Edwards. “It’s no mean feat. This is a real testament to the effort that Ford has put in to get us to this point of winning the title.”
“It was a strong weekend for us [in Ipswich]. We’ve said that we’re continually improving our car and we’ve been inching forward, and I think that shows in the performance. We’re able to qualify higher, all of the cars have good race pace, so all the effort we’ve been putting in – the improvements we’ve been making to the car – are all starting to pay off. We’ve just got to keep pushing as hard as we can.”
Scott McLaughlin leads the Drivers’ Championship in the #17 Mustang, with 2438 points, ahead of Shell V-Power Racing teammate Fabian Coulthard (2005 points). Chaz Mostert sits in fourth place (1898), Cameron Waters in seventh (1600), Will Davison eighth (1523) and Lee Holdsworth tenth (1383 points).
Shell V-Power Racing leads the Teams’ Championship on 4383 points, with The Bottle-O/Supercheap Auto Tickford Racing third (3231) and Monster Energy Racing fifth (3043).
Round 10 of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship will take place between 23 –25 August with the OTR SuperSprint at Tailem Bend, South Australia. Tickets can be purchased via supercars.com.au
