DEAN CANTO AND LUKE YOULDEN BOLSTER FPRs 2008 ENDURO CAMPAIGN

February 7, 2008 Ford Performance Racing (FPR) is delighted to welcome Dean Canto and Luke Youlden to the Prodrive team for the 2008 V8 Supercar endurance races.

This highly experienced duo will join FPR full season drivers Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom at the inaugural L&H 500 at Phillip Island in Victoria on September 14 and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 on October 12.

Both Youlden (30) and Canto (27), will take part in all FPR test days and the new 2008 Enduro Driver Sessions at the Eastern Creek, Sandown, Queensland Raceway and Winton rounds, ensuring that they become quickly accustomed to the intricacies of the FPR BF Falcons ahead of these crucial long distance races.

FPR could not have selected two more experienced and versatile enduro drivers ahead of what is expected to be the blue oval team's most competitive V8 Supercar season to date. Canto has competed in seven Bathurst 1000 events with a best finish of fifth (2001), while Youlden has a career best Bathurst result of third (2003) also from seven main series starts at Mount Panorama.

Both drivers are former V8 Supercar Development Series front-runners and have gained several seasons of endurance racing and testing experience with some of the most competitive teams in the V8 Supercar field prior to being selected by FPR for this important role.

Although FPR did have an option on 2007 FPR endurance race driver Owen Kelly, by mutual agreement the team has not exercised this option for the 2008 endurance races in order for the talented driver to pursue racing opportunities in the United States. All at FPR wish him every success and thank him for the valued contribution he has made over the past 12 months.

According to FPR Team Principal, Tim Edwards, "It is great to have secured two highly experienced and competitive V8 Supercar drivers as our endurance race drivers ahead of the start of the new season. Both Dean and Luke bring extensive endurance racing expertise to FPR, while their participation with the team this season will also be invaluable to us."

FPR will announce its confirmed driver pairings for the two forthcoming V8 Supercar endurance races in due course.

Career highlights summaries for FPR endurance race drivers Dean Canto and Luke Youlden follow, images of both drivers appear below, along with images of full time FPR drivers Steve Richards and Mark Winterbottom and their 2008 liveried FPR Falcons.

DEAN CANTO - 2008 FPR Endurance Race Driver - Career Summary

Started racing at 8 years of age in Karts, won the Junior National Heavy Championship in 1996 along with other event titles. Made car racing debut in the 1998 GT Production Championship and finished second in class in a Subaru WRX. He moved into the Super Touring Car Championship in 1999 driving a Ford Mondeo, taking runner-up honours in the Privateers Cup. Canto made his V8 Supercar debut that same year as endurance race driver with Wayne Wakefield at the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000 in a VS Commodore. Canto contested the 2000 V8 Supercar Development Series with his own team and an ex Glenn Seton Racing EL Falcon, taking outright Championship honours in a close fought season that saw several victories. Canto was then selected as endurance race driver with Glenn Seton Racing (GSR), partnering Neil Bates at the Queensland 500 and racing his own AU Falcon at Bathurst.

Canto made his main V8 Supercar Series debut in a number of rounds over the 2001 season with his own team, the highlight being a top ten finish at the Clipsal 500. Later that year he contested the endurance races with GSR, racing to 8th in the Queensland 500 and 5th at Bathurst, co-driving with Jim Richards. The next season saw Canto compete in the V8 Supercar enduros with Briggs Motorsport and driver Max Wilson. Canto competed in his first full V8 Supercar Championship Series in 2003 with Briggs Motorsport driving a BA Falcon. The following season saw Canto join Triple 8 Racing for the endurace races partnering Yvan Muller with reliability issues hampering their efforts for a top result. 2005 saw Canto compete in the full V8 Supercar Development Series with Dick Johnson Racing, gaining six Pole positions, five round victories and his Development Series title. Canto was selected to join Glenn Seton at DJR for the enduros, gaining his second top ten finish at Mount Panorama. He competed with Garry Rogers Motorsport in the 2006 and 2007 seasons with a number of top ten round and qualifying results.

LUKE YOULDEN - 2008 FPR Endurance Race Driver - Career Summary

Luke Youlden's racing career started in cars at the age of 16, racing a limited program of state level Formula Ford rounds, winning a number of races and gaining top qualifying positions along the way. Raced to his first victory in the 1999 Formula Ford Bathurst Cup leading to his national Formula Ford series debut the following year, when he won the Championship by a single point in his rookie season, beating fellow current V8 Supercar drivers Rick Kelly and Will Davison among others. He also competed in the British Formula Ford Festival that year. Youlden was presented with the 2000 Motorsport News Young Achiever Award for his efforts.

Youlden made his V8 Supercar debut with Perkins Motorsport co-driving with Christian Murchison at the Queensland 500 and Bathurst 1000. In 2001, Youlden also competed in and won the GT Production Car Championship, before re-joining Perkins Motorsport for the V8 Supercar endurance races sharing driving duties with Adam Macrow.

He was selected to join Steve Ellery Racing (SER) for a limited program of Development series and main V8 Supercar series races driving an AU Falcon in 2002. The highlight was Youlden's victory of the one hour Bathurst Development series race and a top ten finish with Steve Ellery at 9th in the Bathurst 1000. He continued with SER in the 2003 Development series and endurance races in a BA Falcon, finishing a superb second at the treacherously wet Sandown 500 coupled with an outstanding third place in the Bathurst 1000 with Ellery. Youlden was a regular podium visitor in the 2004 Development series, finishing equal first on points for the title, but was relegated to runner-up on countback. He then raced to the Rookie of the Year honours and a top five Championship finish in the 2005 Porsche Carrera Cup series and was selected to join major Ford team Stone Brothers Racing (SBR) for the enduros racing to 5th place at Bathurst with Russell Ingall.

Youlden then competed across the Tasman for BA Falcon team Powerbuilt Racing over 2005 and early 2006 taking a top seven New Zealand Touring Car Championship finish and the Rookie of the Year title. Youlden re-joined SBR as an enduro driver once again in 2006 partnering Ingall, fractionally missing the podium at 4th in the Bathurst 1000. Competed in the NZ Trans-Am Series in 2007, racing to Pole position at every round, set new lap records at every round and won ten out of fifteen races, before returning for a third consecutive season with SBR, partnering Ingall in the enduros, with the highlight being 7th place at Sandown. Youlden returned to the V8 Supercar Development series last season, gaining three race victories and a top five Championship finish once gaining a BA Falcon by the mid point of the season.