Supercars tweaks pitlane release rules after Whincup incident
Supercars has tweaked the pitlane release rules following contact between Jamie Whincup and Fabian Coulthard in the final race of the Darwin Triple Crown.
Triple Eight released Whincup just as Coulthard was about to turn in from the fast lane to enter the DJR Penske pitbox, which is located right ahead of T8’s.
That forced Coulthard to slam the brakes and the two made minor contact, although both were able to continue without any serious damage to their cars.
The incident was investigated by the stewards, but Triple Eight was cleared of any wrongdoing, allowing Whincup to beat Coulthard and become only the second driver in history to win the Darwin Triple Crown after Scott McLaughlin.
Whincup managed to escape a penalty because of the wording in the regulations, which state that a driver must “give way to a car already wholly in the fast lane”.
This didn’t cover for the situation Coulthard found himself in, as he was turning in on his way to his pitbox while he made contact with Whincup.
Supercars has now widened the definition of the regulations, with the new rule stating that “a Car being released from its Pit Bay must do so without impeding any other Car in Pit Lane”.
The new ruling has received full support from the Supercars Commission, according to Supercars’ Head of Motorsport Adrian Burgess.
“We all saw what happened last week,” Burgess told Supercars.com.
“[Driving Standards Advisor] Craig Baird correctly adjudicated the situation by the way the rulebook was written.
“I think everyone has acknowledged it was handled correctly from that perspective, but did it pass the pub test? Probably not.
“We don’t want teams to believe they can just launch it out of the box without any care for anyone coming through the working lane.
“Craig and I had discussions about it early in the week and I tabled a solution at the Commission, where it was fully supported, including by Jamie himself.
“You can’t write the rulebook for every single eventuality, but we’ve tidied that little area up.
“That’s a process that all sports have to go through from time to time with their rules.”
Supercars is hosting another round at the Hidden Valley this weekend under the Darwin Supersprint banner.
Sneaking a Supercar into the Bathurst 12 Hour
Podiums, burnouts allowed both days in Darwin
Why Courtney and Tickford are a dream match
James Courtney has been around the block in his motorsport career it's fair to say. After a single-seater career cut short, he's won everything there is to win in Supercars. Following a rocky ride recently in the Australian category, he's found a happy hunting ground with Tickford Racing.
How taming his temper shaped Supercars' slow-burn star
His decision to leave Brad Jones Racing was the biggest shock of the Australian Supercars silly season so far. But for Nick Percat, it comes as the culmination of a personal journey that has made him into one of the most rounded drivers in the series, now in search of a seat that can make him a champion
Why replacing Supercars' GOAT with a teenager is worth the risk for T8
On the face of it, picking an 18-year-old rookie to replace arguably the greatest Supercars driver of all time is a risky move. But as Jamie Whincup takes up a team principal role and hands his car to Broc Feeney, it's one that he is confident will be rewarded in the fullness of time - time which wasn't afforded to Whincup in his early days
How Randle went from fighting cancer to battling for Supercars contention
After his fledgling career was paused by a battle with testicular cancer, Thomas Randle then had to wrestle with finding a drive in Supercars after he got the all-clear. It's been a long road for the Melbourne native but, after two lengthy battles, he's finally got a full-time drive to look forward to
How crisis talks over Supercars’ Gen3 future could leave it without a paddle
With Supercars’ Gen3 era on the horizon, a shift is set to take place – in more ways than one – but, as has become clear in recent weeks, the plan to bin the stick and use paddles with electronic assisted shift has been met with fierce opposition
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?