The arrival of Ford Tickford Racing (FTR) was an important day for Australian motorsport as it marked the return of Ford as an official entrant in top-level touring cars and not just a background player.

Until then, Ford had helped several teams as a support sponsor, including (as of 1999) Dick Johnson, the Stone Brothers, Mark Larkham and Tony Longhurst.

FTR runs two AU Falcons in the Shell Championship Series – for the first two years those cars were campaigned by Glenn Seton and Neil Crompton. In 2001 the drivers will be Seton and Steven Richards.

The formation of FTR saw Ford return to Australia’s top category of motor sport as an entrant in its own right for the first time since 1973.

FTR is based in the Melbourne premises that Glenn Seton Racing had used for its eight years of operation. The team also uses Ford/Tickford technical resources in Australia and has access to the international operations too.

Glenn Seton Racing started with sponsorship from Phillip Morris, an arrangement that lasted until the tobacco money died in the early Nineties. The highly experienced Seton then picked up support from Ford Credit which he held for several years – including 1997 when he won the Championship – until the merger with Ford and Tickford.