Ford... Out? In? Who With? Why?

[GTRMagic]

Nissan came out a few weeks ago and announced a healthy injection of technical support, and funding, and promotional execution in the V8Supercar category wrapped around the Kelly Racing operation.

Holden came out last week and stated categorically that they are 100% behind V8Supercars, and extended deals with 888 and the WP/HRT operation.

Ford said they will make a decision sometime or other but wont be rushed...

Story Here

Story Here Too

So... we seem to have a couple of people at the top of the Ford tree who are making the right kind of noises about Ford's continued participation in V8Supercar...

Indeed the Ford Australia CEO Mr Graziano was firmly tucked away in the FPR pit bunker for the weekend... in time for the 'factory' team to perhaps deliver on many years of unfulfilled promise...

The V8X article is perhaps more pessimistic than the Speedcafe one, suggesting that the Ford V8supercar budget may continue on at a high level to the FPR team, with the other teams currently running Fords either reducing or perhaps even eliminating financial support for their operations.

I thought it interesting that the 3 FPR-prepared cars were rebadged on Sunday at Clipsal, with their windscreens adorned with the Ford ECOBOOST brand... the 4 cylinder turbo Falcon we apparently have to have... while the other Ford team in SBR remained with the generic Ford branding on the windscreens... and the rest have Ford stickers here and there...

Will Ford remain in the V8Supercar series on the way towards Car Of The Future? That they own a joint venture in the FPV business with the owner of FPR shouldnt preclude a rational look at promise versus delivery... blighted of course by a recency effect..

Will Ford remain with loyal soldiers SBR & DJR? Each team has been involved in the blue oval programs for some years, providing main game and customer teams with cars and equipment... will it continue.. or will these guys do as the V8X article suggests, and swap manufacturers?

More importantly, will Ford actually let these teams know the investment their brand will make in their teams sooner rather than later so that either an alternative car manufacturer, or replacement sponsor, can be lined up to take the windscreen strips....

When there is no noise... its not necessarily a bad sign, but also not necessarily a good one neither....