Red Bull boss welcomes penalty changes

Leading V8 Supercars team owner Roland Dane has welcomed the changes to the category’s penalty structure announced today.

The owner of Triple Eight Race Engineering, which operates Red Bull Racing Australia, believes they will allow V8 Supercars stewards to impose penalties more consistent with the detected infringements. 

Dane has criticised as too severe the drive-through penalty at this year’s Clipsal 500 for his star driver Jamie Whincup after the car controller was deemed by stewards to have undertaken work on the #1 Holden Commodore during a pit stop.

By contrast, he has argued as too lenient the post-race $3000 fine and 30 Team Championship points deduction handed to Supercheap Auto Racing after a wheel from Tim Slade’s Commodore rolled into the fast lane at Winton during a pit stop.

“I 100 per cent agree with what has been done,” Dane said of the changes. 

“If they (stewards) exercise the proper discretion and they exercise it with reference to what they have done in the past so they have consistency … we will have less arguments and debate because it will be more logical.” 

Dane believes that under the new more discretionary penalties structure developed by the V8 Supercars Commission, RBRA would have received only a post-race fine in Adelaide, while SCAR would have been handed a more severe punishment at Winton.

“I still expect today the outcome to be what I expected it to be – and I think we deserved it to be – in Adelaide, which was if they felt there was something wrong the team should have been called to account afterwards.

“I feel that, okay, now they (stewards) have had a reminder of what their job is and I expect them to focus on exercising discretion, proportionality and consistency.

“But by the same token where something actively dangerous happens, or a competitive advantage is gained it needs to be dealt with properly,” Dane added. 

“And what happened at Winton with the Tim Slade incident with the wheel is he got the same penalty as if a wheel nut had rolled just outside the line into the fast lane. He had the same penalty for something that could have potentially taken someone out. That was madness.”

Dane said he had no qualms adjusting rules during the season even though it handed other drivers who had not been penalised an advantage in the fight for the Championship.

“There is absolutely no excuse for continued stupidity once you have recognised it is there, no matter what you are doing in life,” Dane said.

“It is one of the stupid things sports in general get themselves into – and life outside sport. But sports in general say ‘once you have done this you better not change it’. Well hang on, if you are wrong you are wrong.”

Brad Jones also told v8supercars.com.au he agreed with the amendments, despite his driver Fabian Coulthard being punished for speeding at Winton.