Ford has had a profound and influential impact on motorsport in Australia, particularly on the Australian Touring Car Championship, which has developed into V8 Supercars.
We have seen different models of Fords, from the Cortina to the Mustang to the Sierra to the Falcon, over so many years. As a result, Ford has won 23 drivers’ championships, the most of any manufacturer in Australian Touring Car Championship/V8 Supercars history.
Ford’s history is not only about the statistics and success that it has had in V8 Supercars, but also the passion from the fans. All the fans of the sport have enjoyed the rivalry of Ford versus Holden. You see plenty of blue Ford flags in the crowd at each and every single V8 Supercars event, and you see the fans buying Ford merchandise.
This great passion, combined with the direction the sport in terms of the Car of the Future rules and regulations opening it up to new makes, means Ford has absolutely no reason to leave the sport.
The details of who Ford supports, and the model of Ford that is introduced in the sport to replace the Falcon if they stay in V8 Supercars, is a great issue that is raising questions over the future of Ford in the sport further.
The Ford Motor Company should only support Ford Performance Racing (FPR), and make sure that there are four factory-backed Fords on the grid at the least.
With the demise of Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV) when the final generation of Falcon is launched confirmed, Ford’s Special Vehicle Team should take over this role to give FPR all the technical support it needs to ensure great performance and competitiveness of the team and manufacturer going forward into the future.
This leads onto the type of car Ford should select to replace the Falcon, once it has become redundant at the end of 2016. The Ford Motor Company, with the support of Ford Australia and its dealers as well as the support of the Ford Special Vehicle Team, should select the United States-made Fusion beyond 2016 for use in V8 Supercars.
The Fusion is perfectly suited to V8 Supercars, and the name Fusion is exactly what the Car of the Future regulations are about, bringing everyone together to help each other in the car industry, to create great competition not only on and at the race track but also at the dealers at each manufacturer. That creates a bigger identity for the brand, and it is the brand that the people support, irrespective of whether it’s a Falcon, Mustang or Fusion.
Another thing that is clouding the minds on the board at the Ford Motor Company is the situation at Dick Johnson Racing (DJR). I feel Ford should not worry about supporting DJR for certain reasons.
One of those reasons is that Steven Johnson, who is now the General Manager of DJR, and the son of Dick has taken up a drive in the V8 Supercars Endurance Cup with rivals Erebus Motorsport. A person with such a standing within a team would not desert that team without a good reason to help out, for example, looking to improve the business and looking to change manufacturers and gain a bigger budget for DJR as a result.
Dick Johnson is open to a change of manufacturers to keep his team in the game as a competitive force, and V8 Supercars chairman Mark Skaife claiming that “at least one” manufacturer will join in 2014 with an announcement expected by the end of the year.
With Volvo coming into the sport next year with Garry Rogers Motorsport to create Volvo Polestar Racing, the remarks of Skaife suggest that there is another manufacturer hiding outside the shop window who is keen to get into the sport, possibly Chrysler. And with Brad Jones seemingly not being that interested in gaining more manufacturer support, or changing manufacturers, DJR is the next team in line to bring a new manufacturer into V8 Supercars.
Lastly, I plead on behalf of everyone in Australia to you, the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan, to stay in V8 Supercars for the good of your brand, the Ford brand on a global level outside of the United States, including Australia.
If you leave, you will be leaving a hole in Australia that cannot be filled, and your brand in Australia is on a similar level to what Ferrari and McLaren is to Formula 1, and it would be unthinkable for them to leave Formula 1.
You will benefit if Ford stays in V8 Supercars into the future.
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