Mark Winterbottom
Encyclopedia
Mark "Frosty" Winterbottom, (born 20 May 1981 in Sydney
, Australia
) is a racing driver who has competed in the V8 Supercar
category since 2003. He currently drives for the Ford Performance Racing
team. Mark is the son of the 1969 and 1974 Australian Sprintcar Champion
and former chairman of the Sprintcar
Control Council of Australia, Jim Winterbottom.
He moved up to the Australian Formula Ford Championship
, for the 2002 season, and finished as the runner-up to fellow V8 Supercar
racer Jamie Whincup
, with five wins and two pole positions. He was given the Rookie of the Year title.
and made an amazing impression with the Stone Brothers Racing
team by winning the championship with five round victories and six pole positions. He also made his debut in the V8 Supercar
series in the two endurance races at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 sharing on both occasions with Mark Noske. He impressed at Bathurst, running third until he retired at around three-quarter distance.
series with Larkham Motorsport but did not do him good, with only one top-five in two seasons. That again came at the Bathurst 1000
in 2004.
as the driver of car #5 replacing Greg Ritter
. Winterbottom started the season pretty badly with a 22nd and a 19th at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide
. But has improved with his first podium at the New Zealand round at Pukekohe and his first round win with team – mate Jason Bright at the Sandown 500 in Bright's usual car.
He finished the 2006 season with a win and second on the podium in the final round at Phillip Island. He finished third in points.
In 2007 he remained with Ford Performance Racing
. At the third round of the year at Pukekohe Park Raceway
in New Zealand
, he achieved his career first pole by edging out Holden's Garth Tander
. He finished the first of three races for that round in second place but an involvement in a race 2 accident ruined his weekend. He came fifth in the 2007 season with a win at Bahrain.
He lives with his wife Renee, in Melbourne
, Australia
.
Mark raced to runner-up honours after winning four races out of six rounds – missing one Victorian Formula Ford Championship round due to his Karting commitments. Winner of the Ford Kart Stars Scholarship Championship, gaining a Ford supported drive in the 2002 (National) Australian Formula Ford Championship.
Presented with 2002 Avon Formula Ford Rookie of the Year Award.
Debuted at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 with SBR, sharing a BA Falcon with Mark Noske. Winterbottom qualified 16th at Bathurst and retired at three-quarter distance while running third. At Sandown he qualified 14th and finished 11th.
Mike Kable V8 Supercar Rookie of the Year Award recipient.
Claimed his first V8 Supercar Round victory with Jason Bright at the Sandown 500 (R8) and gained 2nd place overall finishes at R2 (NZ) and R10 (Surfers Paradise). By the mid point of the season, Winterbottom had climbed from 22nd to 3rd in the Championship standings and with two further podium finishes with a third at R11 (Symmons Plains) and second at R13 (Phillip Island), this round also including his first V8 Supercar sprint race victory. With nine top ten finishes for the season, Winterbottom had secured third place in the Drivers Championship in his third season of main V8 Supercar Series competition.
Second place podium finishes at Clipsal and Eastern Creek.
A dominant round victory at the BigPond 400 at Wanneroo's Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, Western Australia. Winterbottom achieved pole position and wins in race 1, race 2 and race 3. Mark also won the City of Ipswich 400 at Queensland Raceway. With further good results at Surfers Paradise and Symmons Plains, he placed 2nd in the championship, which is FPR's best result to date.
He also put the #5 Falcon on pole position for Race 3 of the championship at the Hamilton 400 in New Zealand, as well as a pole for race 5 at Winton Raceway but had troublesome races at both rounds which resulted in little or no points for the races. In race 6 at Winton, Mark recovered from race 5 to finish in second position.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) is a racing driver who has competed in the V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
category since 2003. He currently drives for the Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship...
team. Mark is the son of the 1969 and 1974 Australian Sprintcar Champion
Australian Sprintcar Championship
The Australian Sprintcar Championship is a Dirt track racing championship held each year to determine the Australian national champion. The single championship meeting runs in either late January or early February and has been held year after year since 1963...
and former chairman of the Sprintcar
Sprint car racing
Sprint cars are high-powered race cars designed primarily for the purpose of running on short oval or circular dirt or paved tracks. Sprint car racing is popular in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa....
Control Council of Australia, Jim Winterbottom.
Early career
He started his motor racing career in 1989 at the age of 8, racing 50cc and 80cc motorbikes, and then moved on to go-karts at the age of 10. He would remain in karts until his early twenties, winning an astonishing 10 Australian Kart Championships and 25 State Karts Championships.He moved up to the Australian Formula Ford Championship
Australian Formula Ford Championship
The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series...
, for the 2002 season, and finished as the runner-up to fellow V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
racer Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup
Jamie Whincup is Australian auto racing driver who competes in the V8 Supercar, driving for TeamVodafone. He is a two-time V8 Supercars champion and three-time Bathurst 1000 winner.-Early career:...
, with five wins and two pole positions. He was given the Rookie of the Year title.
Stone Brothers Racing
In 2003, Winterbottom moved up to the Konica V8 Supercar seriesFujitsu V8 Supercars Series
The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series is an Australian touring car competition, specifically the second tier series for V8 Supercar competitors. Competing vehicles are older than those utilised in the V8 Supercar Championship series and are run by smaller teams with lower budgets...
and made an amazing impression with the Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing
Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team...
team by winning the championship with five round victories and six pole positions. He also made his debut in the V8 Supercar
V8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
series in the two endurance races at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 sharing on both occasions with Mark Noske. He impressed at Bathurst, running third until he retired at around three-quarter distance.
Larkham Motor Sport
2004 saw him move full-time into the V8 SupercarV8 Supercar
V8 Supercars is a touring car racing category based in Australia and run as an International Series under Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile regulations...
series with Larkham Motorsport but did not do him good, with only one top-five in two seasons. That again came at the Bathurst 1000
Bathurst 1000
The Bathurst 1000 is a touring car race held annually at Mount Panorama Circuit in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia...
in 2004.
Ford Performance Racing
For 2006, Winterbottom moved to Ford Performance RacingFord Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship...
as the driver of car #5 replacing Greg Ritter
Greg Ritter
Greg Ritter is an Australian racing driver. He was the winner of the 1999 Australian Formula Ford Championship. and shared the winning drive at the 2004 Betta Electrical 500-Career results:-External links:*...
. Winterbottom started the season pretty badly with a 22nd and a 19th at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. But has improved with his first podium at the New Zealand round at Pukekohe and his first round win with team – mate Jason Bright at the Sandown 500 in Bright's usual car.
He finished the 2006 season with a win and second on the podium in the final round at Phillip Island. He finished third in points.
In 2007 he remained with Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing
Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship...
. At the third round of the year at Pukekohe Park Raceway
Pukekohe Park Raceway
Although Pukekohe Park Raceway is better known internationally as a motor racing circuit, it is primarily a horse racing circuit in New Zealand. It is located south of Auckland City in the North Island. The track is now owned by Pukekohe Park Limited...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, he achieved his career first pole by edging out Holden's Garth Tander
Garth Tander
Garth Tander is a multiple-championship winning Australian motor racing driver. Since 1998 Tander has been a competitor in touring car racing series V8 Supercar Championship Series. Tander was the 2007 series champion for the HSV Dealer Team and is a three-time winner in Australia's most...
. He finished the first of three races for that round in second place but an involvement in a race 2 accident ruined his weekend. He came fifth in the 2007 season with a win at Bahrain.
He lives with his wife Renee, in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
1987 to 1992
Took up the sport of soccer from the age of six and by eleven Mark was competing with a state level team, (Blacktown United) in matches across New South Wales. He made the decision to give up soccer to pursue his motor racing ambitions at the age of eleven.1989
Made his motorsport debut racing motorbikes, racing in club level 50cc events, progressing to the 80cc class and competing in fields that included riders Anthony Gobert and Chad Reed. Mark raced whenever he could between his soccer commitments.1991
Raced a dirt Mini-Speedcar and won the NSW and ACT State Championships. Competed in his first kart race in the Cadet class at Wollongong (NSW) and would continue racing Karts successfully to the age of 21.1991 to 2001
Won ten Australian Kart Championships and 25 State Kart Championships in an outstanding rise through Australias Club karting levels. Marks national titles included six Clubman Light titles, three Junior National Lights titles and one Junior Clubman title.1998
Visited America on a family holiday and heard about a major Karting event taking place close by – so a last minute decision was made to rent a kart locally and compete. Mark then won the Knoxville State Championship Title race.2001
A busy year which saw Mark crowned as Australian Formula A Kart Champion (Rotax 125cc Class) and he also made his Formula Ford debut in the Victorian Formula Ford Championship.Mark raced to runner-up honours after winning four races out of six rounds – missing one Victorian Formula Ford Championship round due to his Karting commitments. Winner of the Ford Kart Stars Scholarship Championship, gaining a Ford supported drive in the 2002 (National) Australian Formula Ford Championship.
2002
Finished second in the Australian Formula Ford Championship with two round victories, five race wins and two pole positions.Presented with 2002 Avon Formula Ford Rookie of the Year Award.
2003
Konica V8 Supercar Series Champion in debut season. Mark raced with Ford team Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) to five round victories and six pole positions in an almost perfect result. Two of Marks race victories were gained from rear of field reverse grid starts. (Missed out on making a clean sweep of the series due to an engine failure in the 5th round at Phillip Island)Debuted at the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000 with SBR, sharing a BA Falcon with Mark Noske. Winterbottom qualified 16th at Bathurst and retired at three-quarter distance while running third. At Sandown he qualified 14th and finished 11th.
Mike Kable V8 Supercar Rookie of the Year Award recipient.
2004 to 2005
Joined Ford V8 Supercar Team Larkham Motor Sport (LMS) and competed in the 2004 and 2005 V8 Supercar Championships. Highlights of debut season included a 5th place finish at Bathurst and 6th place result at Sandown in 2004. Marks best qualifying result was 5th at Darwin in 2005.2006
Joined Ford Performance Racing (FPR) as driver of the number 5 Ford Credit FPR Falcon for the 2006 and 2007 V8 Supercar Championship seasons. This appointment continued Marks career-long involvement with Ford Australia from the karting ranks all the way to a lead role with Fords major V8 Supercar team.Claimed his first V8 Supercar Round victory with Jason Bright at the Sandown 500 (R8) and gained 2nd place overall finishes at R2 (NZ) and R10 (Surfers Paradise). By the mid point of the season, Winterbottom had climbed from 22nd to 3rd in the Championship standings and with two further podium finishes with a third at R11 (Symmons Plains) and second at R13 (Phillip Island), this round also including his first V8 Supercar sprint race victory. With nine top ten finishes for the season, Winterbottom had secured third place in the Drivers Championship in his third season of main V8 Supercar Series competition.
2007
Raced to 5th in the Championship, winning his first solo V8 Supercar round at the Desert 400 in Bahrain, preserving FPRs undefeated record at this prestigious international round. Winterbottom gained four Pole positions at Pukekohe Park (NZ), the Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000 and at the Desert 400 (Bahrain) to claim the 2007 V8 Supercar Pole Award, with three further top five overall round results in Perth, Queensland & Tasmania. FPR secures Winterbottom as the driver of the number 5 FPR Falcon for a further three years.2008
A dominant round victory at the BigPond 400 at Wanneroo's Barbagallo Raceway in Perth, Western Australia. Winterbottom achieved pole position and wins in race 1, race 2 and race 3. Mark also won the City of Ipswich 400 at Queensland Raceway. With further good results at Surfers Paradise and Symmons Plains, he placed 2nd in the championship, which is FPR's best result to date.
2009
Mark Winterbottom won a race at the Australian Grand Prix non-championship round.He also put the #5 Falcon on pole position for Race 3 of the championship at the Hamilton 400 in New Zealand, as well as a pole for race 5 at Winton Raceway but had troublesome races at both rounds which resulted in little or no points for the races. In race 6 at Winton, Mark recovered from race 5 to finish in second position.
Career results
| Season | Series | Position | Car | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ford Kartstars Series | 1st | ||
| 2001 | Australian Formula Ford Championship Australian Formula Ford Championship The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series... |
17th | Spectrum 06b Ford | Bosch Batteries |
| 2001 | Victorian Formula Ford Formula Ford Formula Ford is a single seater, open wheel class in motorsport which exists in some form in many countries around the world. It is an entry-level series to motor racing.... Championship |
7th | Spectrum Borland Racing Developments Borland Racing Developments is an Australian championship winning manufacturer of open wheel racing cars, principally in the junior categories of Formula Ford and Formula Vee.... 06 Ford |
|
| 2002 2002 Australian Formula Ford Championship The 2002 Australian Formula Ford Championship was open to drivers of Racing Cars complying with CAMS Formula Ford regulations.-Calendar:The title was contested over an eight round series with two races per round.... |
Australian Formula Ford Championship Australian Formula Ford Championship The Australian Formula Ford Championship is a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title for drivers of Formula Ford racing cars. It has been held annually since 1970, originally as a national series, and later as the 'Driver-to-Europe' series... |
2nd | Spectrum 09 Ford | Borland Racing Developments Borland Racing Developments Borland Racing Developments is an Australian championship winning manufacturer of open wheel racing cars, principally in the junior categories of Formula Ford and Formula Vee.... |
| 2003 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series The 2003 Konica V8 Supercar Series was an Australian touring car series held for V8 Supercars. It was the fourth series held for second tier V8 Supercar teams. The season began on 23 February 2003 at Wakefield Park and finished on 31 August at Mallala Motor Sport Park... |
Konica V8 Supercar Series Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series The Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series is an Australian touring car competition, specifically the second tier series for V8 Supercar competitors. Competing vehicles are older than those utilised in the V8 Supercar Championship series and are run by smaller teams with lower budgets... |
1st | Ford AU Falcon Ford AU Falcon The Ford AU Falcon and Fairmont are the first of the sixth generation series of the Ford Falcon, a full-size car produced by Ford Australia... |
Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team... |
| 2003 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2003 V8 Supercar Championship Series was a motor racing series for V8 Supercars. The series, which was the eighth V8 Supercar Championship Series, began on 22 March 2003 in Adelaide and ended on 30 November at Eastern Creek Raceway after 13 rounds... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 44th | Ford BA Falcon Ford BA Falcon The Ford BA Falcon is a full-size car, produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia between September 2002 and October 2005. The exterior styling of the BA was a substantial revision of that used for the preceding AU model. A new independent rear suspension setup was fitted to all sedan... |
Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing Stone Brothers Racing is an Australian motor racing team competing in the International V8 Supercars Championship, formed in 1998 by experienced New Zealand-born motorsport veterans, Ross Stone and Jim Stone after buying out their partner in their previous racing team... |
| 2004 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2004 V8 Supercar Championship Series featured the sixth running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 21 March 2004 in Adelaide and ended on 5 December at Eastern Creek Raceway after 13 rounds... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 18th | Ford BA Falcon | Larkham Motor Sport Larkham Motor Sport Larkham Motor Sport was a motorsport team contesting the V8 Supercar Championship. The team ceased operations at the end of 2005, with the owner Mark Larkham selling the team to WPS Racing.- History :... |
| 2005 2005 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2005 V8 Supercar season was the seventh running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 18 March 2005 in Adelaide and ended on 27 November at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit after 13 rounds.-Teams and drivers:... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 29th | Ford BA Falcon | Larkham Motor Sport Larkham Motor Sport Larkham Motor Sport was a motorsport team contesting the V8 Supercar Championship. The team ceased operations at the end of 2005, with the owner Mark Larkham selling the team to WPS Racing.- History :... |
| 2006 2006 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2006 V8 Supercar season was the 8th running of the V8 Supercar Championship Series. It began on 25 March 2006 in Adelaide and ended on 10 December at Phillip Island after 13 rounds.-Race Calendar:... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Ford BA Falcon | Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship... |
| 2007 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2007 V8 Supercar season featured the ninth V8 Supercar Championship Series which began on 1 March and finished on 2 December. This championship consisted of 14 rounds covering all states and the Northern Territory of Australia as well as rounds in New Zealand and Bahrain... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 5th | Ford BF Falcon Ford BF Falcon The Ford BF Falcon was a full-size car that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in Victoria, Australia. The BF Falcon started production in October 2005 and a MkII update was released in October 2006... |
Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship... |
| 2008 | V8 Supercar Championship Series | 2nd | Ford BF Falcon | Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship... |
| 2009 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series was the eleventh V8 Supercar Championship Series and the thirteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 5th | Ford FG Falcon Ford FG Falcon The Ford FG Falcon is a full-size car produced by the Ford Motor Company of Australia since 2008. The FG series is the current model of the Ford Falcon and is the seventh generation of the car... |
Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship... |
| 2010 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series The 2010 V8 Supercar Championship Series was an FIA sanctioned international motor racing series for V8 Supercars. It was the twelfth V8 Supercar Championship Series and the fourteenth series in which V8 Supercars have contested the premier Australian touring car title... |
V8 Supercar Championship Series | 3rd | Ford FG Falcon | Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing Ford Performance Racing is a British-owned Australian-based motor racing team that contests the Australian International V8 Supercars Championship... |