Bathurst 1000K Shifty Business?

1)
DJR Team Penske has been charged with breaching team orders regulations in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Members of the team including driver Fabian Coulthard were summoned by officials post-race to explain what occurred after the Safety Car was deployed on lap 135.

Coulthard was running third behind leader Jamie Whincup and teammate Scott McLaughlin when the yellows were called.

With the field preparing for critical fuel stops, Coulthard – who was facing a double-stack behind McLaughlin – slowed dramatically, backing up the pack.

That ensured Whincup and McLaughlin were able to pit and comfortably rejoin ahead of the other stoppers, some of which had less fuel to take onboard.
DJRTP managing director Ryan Story said on the television broadcast that the #12 car was having overheating issues, brushing away the incident as “one of those things”.

Coulthard was dealt a drive-through penalty for slowing excessively and eventually finished sixth in the race, won by McLaughlin and co-driver Alex Premat.

After the inquiry into the matter, officials charged the team with breaching rule D24 of the Supercars Operations Manual, prohibiting team orders.

A hearing will take place before the Gold Coast 600.

2)

Scott McLaughlin is unconcerned by the team orders controversy involving his squad at the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, saying it’ll “sort itself out”.
Shell V-Power Racing has been charged with breaching rules prohibiting team orders after instructing Fabian Coulthard to slow excessively under Safety Car.
The result of Sunday’s race therefore remains provisional ahead of a stewards hearing that is set to take place next week, prior to the Vodafone Gold Coast 600.

While McLaughlin’s win is technically unconfirmed until the results are final, a fine or teams’ championship penalty are thought to be the most likely outcomes if the team is found guilty.

Third-placed Coulthard slowed dramatically under the lap 135 yellows, dropping 47 seconds to his second-placed teammate McLaughlin from Turns 6 to pitlane.

That enabled McLaughlin and leader Jamie Whincup to pit and rejoin the circuit in the top two positions, unchallenged by any rival behind who had held a fuel advantage.

:173go1:

Rule D24)

Rule D24.1 prohibits Team Orders and provides that an instruction to a Driver or Team member, either verbal or otherwise the effect of which may interfere with a race result is a Team Order.

After the Race Director announced the Pit Lane drive through Penalty on Car #12, the Stewards noted on broadcast footage an interview by a Supercars Media commentator of the Authorised Representative of Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd, Mr Story, during which Mr Story was invited to explain the reason why the gap between Cars #17 and #12 had been so large and whether it was the result of a ‘plan’.

While denying that suggestion, the response of Mr Story and the extraordinary increase in the gap between Cars #17 and #12 during the SC deployment caused the Stewards to hold concerns that Rule D24.1 may have been breached.

Following the Race the Stewards summonsed the Authorised Representative of Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd, the Driver of Car #12 and Car #12’s engineer to a Hearing and requested that the DRD obtain a recording of the radio communications between Car #12 and Car #12’s engineer during the SC deployment. That Hearing commenced at 2000hrs on Sunday 13 October.

After interviewing Mr Story, the Driver of Car #12 and Car #12’s engineer, and reviewing Hawk Eye footage of the incident, including in-Car footage from Car #12, the interview of Mr Story and Supercars telemetry data for Car #12, the Stewards, while making no findings, determined that the evidence was sufficient to call upon Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd to answer whether it breached Rule D24.1 and recommended to the DRD that he consider laying a charge of a breach of that Rule.
The DRD having determined to lay such a charge, and the Authorised Representative of Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd having explained that he required an opportunity gather and present evidence in defence of that charge and the DRD having sought an opportunity to secure further evidence, the Stewards closed the Inquiry at 2210hrs.
The charge will be heard by a panel of Stewards prior to the commencement of track activities at the forthcoming Gold Coast 600. In the circumstances, the Classifications for Race 25 remain Provisional.

The Stewards re-iterate that no findings have been made against Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd at this stage and the Driver of Car #12 is not accused of any breach of the Rules beyond the breach of Rule D10.2.2.3 for which a Pit Lane drive through Penalty was issued during the Race and was served.

Stupid call by Ryan Story as the backing up of the field was blatantly obvious.
:173go1:

I have no issue with Team Orders - that's why there are TEAMS....
If they want to ban team orders, then ban team, otherwise, it's ridiculous non-logic.....

The issue is not so much 'Team Orders' Ed, it has more to do with failing to follow the pace car at the required distance.
Backing the field up to over 40 seconds when the car running in P3 was only a few seconds behind the two lead cars is not only against the regulations (imagine the screaming if this was EffWun!). it is also blatant bad sportsmanship and ruined a decent race.
I'm personally surprised that the second Penske team driver did what he was ordered to do, Coulthard is a really decent bloke and (was) well liked, while Scottie Mac is really talented and hardly needs that kind of 'help'.
This type of 'win at all costs' approach is not a good look especially when 'DJR Racing' has long been at the leading edge of bending the rules for many years.
Shame that Penske and McLaughlin's first Bathurst win ended up smelling of fecal matter.

"I have no issue with Team Orders - that's why there are TEAMS...."...........................maybe but it would be bloody crowded with the entire crew stuffed into a 'Team' car.

Rule D24.1 prohibits Team Orders and provides that an instruction to a Driver or Team member, either verbal or otherwise the effect of which may interfere with a race result is a Team Order.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wombat666

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I'm personally surprised that the second Penske team driver did what he was ordered to do, .

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Not surprising at all if you want to race for Roger for a long time......

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Panther_99FS

Not surprising at all if you want to race for Roger for a long time......

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Perhaps 'The Captain' needs to be informed that we don't race like that in Oz!
The last time something like that happened the fans vented their irritation big time.
:pirate:

Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat have kept their Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 victory, despite DJR Team Penske being found guilty of breaching FIA rules during the race.

CAMS stewards delivered their verdict after a hearing on Saturday, handing DJRTP a $250,000 fine and deducting 300 points from their teams’ championship tally.

The team’s #12 Fabian Coulthard/Tony D’Alberto entry was also dumped from sixth to 21st in the results, the last of the classified finishers.

Stewards opted to suspend $100,000 of the fine until the end of 2021.
Saturday’s hearing took place after Coulthard’s slowdown under Safety Car on lap 134 of 161 raised suspicion that the rules had been breached.

Stewards concluded the team breached the FIA’s Obligation of Fairness regulations, but stopped short of implicating the squad’s #17 McLaughlin/Premat entry in their findings.

The fine is the largest in Supercars history and, together with the points penalty, the biggest sanctions able to be applied by the stewards for the breach.

DJRTP now holds a greatly reduced 423-point lead over the Red Bull Holden Racing Team in the teams’ championship.

Coulthard meanwhile drops from third to fourth in the drivers’ standings, now 907 points adrift of leader McLaughlin.

A fair enough decision given the politics surrounding the incident.