WPS Racing

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**WPS Racing**

Manufacturer	Ford
Team Principal	Craig Gore
Team Manager	TBA
Race Drivers	Jason Bargwanna and Max Wilson
Chassis	Ford BF Falcon
Debut	2004
Drivers' Championships	0
Round wins	0
Pole positions	0
{{{Last_season}}} position	{{{Last_position}}}

WPS Racing is a motorsport team currently participating in the V8 Supercars competition in Australia sponsored by Wright Patton Shakespeare, a financial management company. The team was founded in early 2004 by Queensland-based businessman Craig Gore, who decided to start his own team instead of sponsoring an existing team.

[edit] History

Gibson/00 Motorsport

Originally, the team was called Gibson Motorsport and was owned by Fred Gibson and ran two Ford AU Falcons with Holden star Craig Lowndes and current Channel Seven V8 Supercar commentator Neil Crompton, and renamed themselves as 00 Motorsport. After Lowndes and Crompton left, they were replaced by youngster Greg Ritter and Rodney Forbes. After a few disappointing rounds, the team folded.

WPS Takeover

After the team folded, it was bought by Aussie Finace giant Craig Gore and his WPS company. During their first season in 2004, the team decided to have more of a developmental year than to chase the championship and had four drivers, originally with vetran Mark Noske to only leave before the endurance races, then Alex Yoong stepped up after doing some races in the Development Series with a WPS backed AU Falcon but was sacked after the Indy round. He was replaced by young-gun Owen Kelly (no relation to V8 Supercar drivers Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly.) David Bensard stuck with the team for the season and managed one race win at the Tasmania round. 2005 saw the introduction of a perement second driver with Craig Baird who teamed up with Bensard to finish eighth in that year's Bathurst 1000. Champ Car and Team Australia drivers Alex Tagliani and Marcus Marshall teamed up together in the #8 Falcon which was repainted to look like their Champ Cars and race suits.

In 2006, WPS Racing merged with Larkham Motorsport and took on two new drivers; former Bathurst champion Jason Bargwanna and Brazilian Max Wilson.

2007 Season

It has been confirmed that Bargwanna and Wilson will stay but team manager Mark Larkham and long time partner of Larkham, Orrcon have left with Orrcon re-sponsoring Mark Winterbottom and joing Ford Performance Racing. Sponsor WOW Sight and Sound have increased their sponsorship to WPS Racing by being the title sponsor to Max Wilson's car.

[edit] Trivia

They are only one of two teams not to be sponsored by either Ford or Holden in the V8 Supercar Series.
The team also runs two of the oldest Ford chassis (alongside Paul Cruickshank Racing), as both BF #10 and #8 were originaly built in 2003 for Greg Ritter and Rodney Forbes as BA's.
2005 endurance driver Alex Tagliani was the first North American to race in the Australian Touring Car Championship ever since Allan Moffat.

[edit] External links

Teams contesting the 2007 V8 Supercar Championship Series
Toll HSV Dealer Team	Holden Racing Team	Tasman Motorsport	Stone Brothers Racing	Ford Performance Racing	Jack Daniel's Racing
1 Rick Kelly 16 Garth Tander	2 Mark Skaife 22 Todd Kelly	3 Jason Richards 51 Greg Murphy	4 James Courtney 9 Russell Ingall	5 Mark Winterbottom 6 Steven Richards	7 Shane Price 11 Jack Perkins
WPS Racing	Team BOC	Dick Johnson Racing	Supercheap Auto Racing	Team Kiwi Racing	Britek Motorsport
8 Max Wilson 10 Jason Bargwanna	12 Andrew Jones 14 Brad Jones	17 Steven Johnson 18 Will Davison	20 Paul Dumbrell 50 Cameron McConville	021 Paul Radisich	25 Jason Bright 26 Alan Gurr
Garry Rogers Motorsport	Team Sirromet Wines	Autobarn Racing	TeamVodafone	Paul Cruickshank Racing
33 Lee Holdsworth 34 Dean Canto	39 Fabian Coulthard 67 Paul Morris	55 Steve Owen	88 Jamie Whincup 888 Craig Lowndes	111 John Bowe