FPR drivers Mark Winterbottom and Will Davison given green light to fight out V8 Championship

FPR boss Tim Edwards has given teammates Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom the green light to fight to the bitter end.

Will Davison

TIM Edwards has declared there will be no orders at his all conquering stable with the Ford Performance Racing boss giving teammates Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom the green light to fight to the bitter end.

In a move that could potentially hand Holden's Jamie Whincup his third consecutive title, the veteran team principle said he would not issue the dreaded order for one teammate to support another, even though the pair are stealing championship from their respective title bids.

Despite having the fastest and most reliable cars all season, Ford Performance Racing (FPR) trail Team Vodafone's Whincup in the race to the title with Winterbottom and Davison's personal inter-team war costing them valuable championship points.

Edwards said he would be devastated to surrender the 2012 title, but ruled out ordering one of his driver's to play tail-gunner for the other.

"I am absolutley aware of the situation and it is an interesting situtation," Edwards said.

"Both of them have a chance of winning the championship so there is no way either of them would be respective even if I was thinking about issuing team orders.

"It is well and truly not on the radar but there is no doubt both Will and Mark are robbing points from each other. But there is a long way to go in the series."

Edwards has performed a minor miracle this season, giving FPR the fastest machines following several seasons of woe.

The well backed team has a history of failure, underperforming and under-delivering, but have this year been almost unstoppable with both Winterbottom and Davison on the charge.

Whincup has battled with his Commodore, but still leads the championship heading into the Townsville 400.

Edwards is hoping Team Vodafone will be presented with a similar problem with Whincup's teammate Craig Lowndes beginning to find form with a last start win in Darwin.

"Craig is right there now too," Edwards said.

"He is only a couple of hundred points away and really all four of them could win the championship. The Team Vodafone guys had this problem last year but there was nobody that could have taken it from them. They were battling themselves."

Edwards said he would review the situation heading into the final three rounds of the championship.

"At this stage there is no discussion or thought of team orders," Edwards said.

"It would have to be the last few rounds before I would even consider that. If we have one guy in with a clear shot at that point of the season, then we would have to look at it. At the moment we are so far away from that. My only orders are that they don't take each other out."

Edwards said one crash could change the championship.

"I want them racing, nice and close, and that is fine and I will let them continue," Edwards said.

"I mean we just have to be careful of DNFs because one at a place like Bathurst would cost you 300 points and that would put you out of the championship.

"Really making sure we finish races and compete for wins has to be our focus, not anything else.

"The reallity is they are both driving well and both have a chance of winning this thing. I just need to let them go and do their thing.

"It would be frustrating not to win the championship after the form we have shown but the reality is that it is still very early in the season. I am sure they will be in the right place at the right time."