Ford teams to honour Geoff Polites

Release date: 08/05/2008 BLACK OVALS will honour the man who sparked Fords revival both on the track and off it at Barbagallo Raceway on the weekend.

The Ford teams will carry black emblems with the name “Geoff” in them along the flanks of their cars as a tribute to former Ford Australia boss Geoff Polites who died after a fight with cancer recently.

Polites was the man who led Ford through the development of the BA model Falcon and the ground-breaking Ford Territory.

He also brought motorsport back into the front line for Ford.

Stone Brothers Racing has printed decals via its in-house facility for all those Ford teams that have put up their hands to participate.

"Geoff Polites played an integral part in the development of Ford Australia's role in V8 Supercars," said Ray Price.

"It is certainly fitting for V8 Supercar teams to have the opportunity to show their respect for a man who was heavily involved in the sport. 

"Sydney Swans players were able to show their respect for (former team manager) Geoff by wearing black arm bands during a match.  These black oval decals are a way our sport can display a similar sentiment at the first race event since Geoff's unfortunate passing.

"Geoff meant a great deal to many people in the V8 Supercar industry, and he helped shaped the Ford careers of talents such as Marcos Ambrose and Craig Lowndes - in fact, he was the mastermind behind bringing 'the kid' over from the red side. His impact will never be forgotten."

Geoff Polites lost his battle with cancer after returning from overseas to be with his family for the birth of his first grandchild. He passed away in Melbourne.

In his time at Ford Australia he had a major involvement in V8 Supercars and was responsible for the development of various champions, including current Nascar star Marcos Ambrose.

"I signed my first major contract with Ford through Geoff and it gave me so much pleasure to reward him with the first of my V8 Supercar championships," said Marcos Ambrose.

"He was a true 'Australian' who was passionate about everything he did and everything he was involved in.

"He maintained a strong interest after he moved from Australia and took delight in Ford's on-going championship success and Bathurst wins.

"It was great that his beloved Swans got the job done for him a couple of years ago.

"Geoff Polities had a major influence on my career and was a guy I was proud to call a friend."