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Sponsorship issues continue at Broadmeadows.

Monday, 6th November 2006

BroadIP and now Caterpillar - two major sponsors for Ford Performance Racing in 2007 have, in the case of the latter announced their departure from the team for 2007, or in the instasnce of the former, disappeared from the scene entirely. Matthew Agius takes a look at today's shock announcement from Ford's current darlings.

By Matthew Agius

Prodrive’s Australian racing branch, Ford Performance Racing, has confirmed its spilt from foundation partner Caterpillar as of the conclusion of the 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series, further adding to questions raised over the changing sponsorship scene at the Broadmeadows operation.

Having sponsored the #6 Ford Performance Racing BA Falcon since the team’s initiation to V8 Supercars in at the 2003 Fosters Australian Formula One Grand Prix, Caterpillar will full withdraw from Ford’s new force in the premier class of Aussie Touring Cars.

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It was originally anticipated that Caterpillar would continue to back the lead FPR Falcon into 2007, despite the second major driver loss to the team in two years. However despite a supposedly high profiled drive being signed to drive the lead Falcon out of the Broadmeadows operation in 2007, negotiations between CAT and FPR have broken down.

Team Commercial Director Rod Barrett noted the difficulty with separating from such a loyal and high profile sponsor, however thanked the company for its four-year commitment to the flagship Ford operation.

"It was an extremely difficult decision for FPR to part with the CAT team, and one that took some time to reach. We thank Caterpillar for the long term contribution that the company has made to the establishment and development of FPR into a front running team during this mutually successful marketing partnership."

The CAT Falcon has become a notorious unit in V8 Supercar racing. At the inception of Ford Performance Racing in 2003, a high-profile former champion in Craig Lowndes was signed to pilot Ford’s newest championship hope. However after reliability issues plagued the team in 2004, Lowndes switched to Prodrive’s arch-rivals in Triple Eight Race Engineering before Jason Bright, the 1998 Bathurst winner, joined as replacement for 2005. It was announced this year that Bright would move to his own operation for 2007, leaving a gap at the ultra-competitive factory operation for next year.

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