DJR TEAM PENSKE CHARGED!

DJR Team Penske charged – Photo: InSyde Media

DJR Team Penske has been charged with potentially interfering in the result of the Bathurst 1000.

By BRUCE NEWTON

The charge, applied by CAMS stewards under rule D24 of the Supercars Operations Manual, relates to a team order to driver Fabian Coulthard to slow dramatically behind the safety car during a safety car period called on lap 135.

Potential penalties are understood to extend to team championship points and monetary fines. AA understands Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat’s win in the race in the other DJRTP Ford Mustang is unlikely to be affected.

Coulthard served a drive-through for backing the field up and eventually finished sixth in the race with team-mate Tony D’Alberto.

The team says it ordered Coulthard, who was running third behind McLaughlin and Red Bull Holden Racing Team’s Jamie Whincup at the time, to take the action because his Ford Mustang’s V8 engine was overheating.

But it also meant Coulthard, who was more than 40 seconds slower than his team-mate on that lap, could take on fuel and tyres and have his engine’s radiator topped up without stacking behind McLaughlin.

It also resulted in the Red Bull Holden Racing Team swapping strategies and pitting Shane van Gisbergen for fuel rather than leaving him out as originally planned in that safety car period.

Van Gisbergen, who went on the finish second in the race had a fuel advantage over the two DJRTP Mustangs and Whincup if Coulthard had stayed close behind the leading cars the factory Holden team says it would have kept van Gisbergen out to take the lead and all-important track position.

Post-race team boss Ryan Story, Coulthard, his engineer Mark Fenning and team manager Ben Croke were ordered to face the CAMS stewards to explain their behaviour.

The hearing in relation to the charges will take place before the Gold Coast 600.

The rule states:

D24.1 Team Orders
24.1.1 Means an instruction to a Driver or Team member, either verbal or otherwise the effect of which may interfere with a race result.
24.1.2 It is not permitted for any sponsor, supplier, entity or related entity, including an Automobile manufacturer, importer or their representative to impose or seek to impose Team orders, on any Team.

Excerpt from the statement from the CAMS Stewards Bathurst 1000 – Judicial Outcomes:

After the Race the Stewards determined to conduct an inquiry into the incident on Laps 134-135 during the Safety Car deployment when the gap between Cars #17 and #12 increased significantly to the disadvantage of all Cars behind Car #12 because they were concerned that the incident may have been the result of Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd having issued an instruction to the Driver of Car #12 to slow and create an unwarranted large gap between Cars #17 and Car #12 for tactical reasons.

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.

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