WPS Racing
 | |
| Team Principal | Craig Gore |
|---|---|
| Debut | 2004 |
| Final Season | 2007 |
| Round wins | 0 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| 2007 position | 9th (192 pts) |
WPS Racing was a motorsport team that participated 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 bought the embattled 00 Motorsport and re-emerged as WPS Racing. In 2006, WPS Racing merged with Larkham Motorsport, and ended operations in 2008.
History
WPS takeover
Craig Gore purchased the remnants of the Forbes Racing operation when it ceased racing in 2006. During their first season in 2004, the team decided to have more of a developmental year than to chase the championship. They had four drivers, originally with veteran Mark Noske, who left before the endurance races. Alex Yoong stepped up after doing some races in the Development Series with a WPS backed AU Falcon, but was fired after the Indy round. He was replaced by Owen Kelly (no relation to V8 Supercar drivers Todd Kelly and Rick Kelly). David Besnard stuck with the team for the season and managed one race win at the Tasmania round. 2005 saw the introduction of a season-lasting second driver with Craig Baird, who teamed up with Besnard to finish eighth in that year's Bathurst 1000. Champ Car and Team Australia drivers Alex Tagliani (With Alex being the first Canadian driving a Ford Falcon ever since the famous Allan Moffat) 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 Motor Sport and took on two new drivers; former Bathurst champion Jason Bargwanna and Brazilian Max Wilson.
This season saw that Bargwanna and Wilson stayed with the team but team manager Mark Larkham and longtime partner of Larkham, Orrcon left with Orrcon re-sponsoring Mark Winterbottom and joining Ford Performance Racing. Sponsor WOW Sight and Sound increased their sponsorship by being the title sponsor to the #8 Falcon. Ford Rising Stars Racing's Grant Denyer and Michael Caruso were the team's endurance drivers for 2007. This had sparked rumors that WPS Racing and Ford have made amends after years of controversy until the folding of the team in 2008.
Withdrawal from V8 Supercars
In October, 2007, owner Craig Gore was involved in a helicopter accident which caused considerable damage to his inner ear. On medical advice he had been told to avoid any sources of loud noises, thus stopping him from attending V8 Supercar events. Attempts were made to sell the team as a going concern in late 2007 and early 2008 but it was not able to be sold. So in February 2008, it was announced that the team would no longer function or take part in the 2008 season.
Controversy
In the 2004 Tasmanian Round warm-up session, both cars were black-flagged for having the slogan "No money from Ford" on top of the windscreen. This slogan was deemed unsportsmanlike in the V8 Supercar series. The slogan was to highlight that WPS Racing's owner Craig Gore was not happy with Ford not giving the team financial backing and not having any sponsorship from the car company.