Falcon: AU
Round Results:
Round 1 Adelaide Parklands Circut - 23rd
Round 2 Phillip Island - 8th
Round 3 Eastern Creek - 24th
Round 4 Hidden Valley - 12th
Round 5 Canberra - 31st
Round 6 Waneroo (Barbagallo) - 24th
Round 7 Oran Park - 12th
Round 8 Winton Motor Raceway (Long) - 20th
Round 11 Surfers Paradise - 25th
Round 12 Oran Park - 23rd
ENDURANCE ROUNDS - Co Driver: Owen Kelly (500) and David Besnard (1000)
Round 9 - Queensland 500 - DNF
Round 10 - Bob Jane T-Marts Bathurst 1000 - DNF
SPECIAL EVENTS
Albert Park Netspace V8 Supercar Challenge: [R1 - 15th] [R2 - 17th] [R3 - DNF]
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Late 2002 the announcement was to be made that a deal between Tickford and the U.K's Prodrive was to be made. 2002 was the year that Ford Australia was going to finally throw away the much troubled AU and replace it with the BA Falcon.
Tickford was to be rebranded as Ford Performance Vehicles and as such Tickford no longer required promotion in 2002. Vast amounts of money was not reaching Glenn Seton at the percieved Ford factory team of FTR. With Criag Lowndes sapping most of the blue ovals dollars at the troubled 00 Motorsport team, the team once was Gibson Motorsport. And this new venture between Ford and Prodrive, the big dollars were finally pulled at the end of 2001.
News emerged that the big Ford Tickford Racing team was one big branding excercise. The team was and always had been Glenn Seton Racing acting as 300kp/h bill board for Ford and it's perfomance arm Tickford. Steven Richards was released from his contract and found a home at Perkins Engineering in a Castrol Commodore. Owen Kelly was picked up as test driver and endurance partner, with rumours circulating of a GSR backed V8 Lites car for 2003, this would have been a positive step for the V8 rookie, however rumoured GSR backing in the V8 lites never eventuated.
Ford Credit returned to sponsering the silver Falcon for the remainder of the year, yet it was always apparent that Ford Credit money was nearly not enough to run the single car team competitivley.
The Clipsal 500 was home to Glenn Seton's 150th Champion start and a fairly good result of 18th in the first leg of the 500. The second race Glenn bowed out after clouting the wall at the turn 9 high speed sweeper (made famous by Brad Jones flipping at the corner in 2000). The car was repariable and Glenn sustained a cut chin from hitting his steering wheel.
2002 was to be met with one top ten result at the teams test track of Phillip Island. Glenn has attained 27th spot on the grid after a rainey qualifying session. The eventual disqualification of Greg Murphy following the accident he was deemed to have caused with Jason Bargwanna further elevated Glenn Seton.
A run in the top ten shootout at Bathurst, which resulted in a oil leak and retirement. However due to a penalty imposed on the #18 Falcon of Greg Ritter and Alan Jones, the GSR Falcon was elevated to 14th. This was to be the final time Seto qualifyed for a endurance round.
Saturday saw doubts cast over Owen Kelly suffering an illness and a sickening crash at the second corner by the Besnard/Gardner Caltex Stone Brothers Racing Falcon. The brakes had not been properly installed and when Wayne Gardner attempted to brake nothing occured, other than the car destroying crash. The accident left Wayne Garnder severly shaken, so shaken he didn't return to racing V8 Supercars. With Owen sick a deal was struck between GSR and Stone Brothers to secure David Besnard for the race.
Sadly Owen Kelly recovered, however the changes could not be made. A consistent run was punctuated by a late pitstop forcing the GSR Falcon to lead the race during a safety period and then Bathurst recruit David Besnard flew through the sand trap at the esses damaging the oil cooler. The resulting effect of over heating oil retired the GSR Falcon.
An idea for a second GSR car for 2003 was floated with either Owen Kelly, Greg Ritter and Jason Bargwanna citied as possible candidates for the seperetly sponsered second GSR car.
This was the very final year Glenn Seton Racing was to compete in the V8 Supercar series as a deal was struck between new comers Prodrive and Glenn Seton for the purchase of his license to run a team. V8X magazine suggested a deal not materialising to sponser the second GSR car as reason for Seto's sale. Glenn Seton also revealed the stressful world of team owner politics as impacting on his racing,
