Triple Eight confirms control arm suspicions
Triple Eight has confirmed that a faulty anti-roll bar adjustor led to Shane van Gisbergen's control arm failure in Adelaide.
The Kiwi was a late retirement from the second leg of the season-opening Adelaide 500, a broken control arm taking him out of the battle for the minor podium spots with four laps to run.
By that stage he'd already been robbed of a near certain victory by a refuelling blunder that forced him into a third stop and dropped him to fourth.
The control arm issue was the second for a Triple Eight car during the Adelaide weekend, Scott Pye's customer entry snapping the same part during Friday practice.
While the squad was unable to identify the cause of van Gisbergen's control arm issue on the spot, there were suspicions that a race-long issue with the front anti-roll bar adjustor may have played its part.
That's now been confirmed, the team explaining the additional load put through the control arm led the failure.
Both the adjustor and the control arms will be re-engineered before next month's Albert Park round, with more 'safety margin' to be built into the latter.
“The front right lower control arm of car #97 bent and then then broke, which ultimately caused Shane to park at Turn 7," said van Gisbergen's race engineer Grant McPherson.
"We had a problem with adjusting the front anti-roll bar which increased the load through the lower arm.
“We actually had to replace the control arm on Sunday evening just to get the car back into the truck. This is now an engineering job to resolve both the original adjuster issue and increase the safety margin on the lower arm itself.
“We need to diagnose the issues thoroughly and work hard to give Shane and Jamie [Whincup] the cars they deserve. Kerbs aren’t new to our sport, and the cars should be capable of taking anything that our drivers throw at them.”
The DNF leaves van Gisbergen sitting 13th in the standings heading into the Melbourne round, 159 points down in early leader Scott McLaughlin.
Previous article
Supercars enduro to feature Holden world record attempt
Next article
Courtney splits with Team Sydney
About this article
| Series | Supercars |
| Event | Adelaide |
| Drivers | Shane van Gisbergen |
| Teams | Triple Eight Race Engineering |
| Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Sam Brabham drives BT-19 at Mount Panorama
Todd Kelly builds André's Bathurst 1000 engine
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?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
Why 2020 isn't McLaughlin's greatest title
Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around.
Why a Bathurst finale is risky business for Supercars
The Bathurst Grand Final may provide Supercars its greatest spectacle yet – but there's a risk it will force the series to face a hard truth.
Why Scott McLaughlin must become an IndyCar driver
Scott McLaughlin, two-time and current Supercars champion, should have been making his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Team Penske at the GP of Indianapolis, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rescheduling that has put the brakes on his career switch. But David Malsher-Lopez explains why the New Zealander deserves this opportunity as soon as possible.
Tickford's 10-year wait for James Courtney
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver – but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad.
