Slade critical of Waters' 'bonehead' move

Tim Slade has labelled his dramatic high-speed Race 4 clash with Cam Waters a ‘bonehead’ move.

An out-of-control Slade surfed across the infield following contact with Waters during Sunday’s first race.

The #3 CoolDrive Mustang avoided contact with other cars, and Slade returned to the race.

Slade came home 15th; Waters was handed a drive-through penalty over the incident and was classified 17th.

"The move was done,” Slade said.

"We had a lot more pace than him and got overlap out of the hairpin.

"Had a run on him and thought it was, ‘You beauty, let’s go’.

"Just a bonehead move… pushed us off the track.

"I guess maybe just a little bit of frustration that a little new team of five with one of their old cars is beating them.

“Maybe worry a little less about us and worry about everyone else.”

Waters was nonplussed over the incident: "I was caught in a lot of battles so I put my elbows up and got a penalty.

"I was working hard to keep Sladey behind me, he bumped me in the hairpin so I wanted to make it tough for him to get by down the straight.

"I tried to give him just enough room but obviously he dropped a wheel and speared off. I was just racing hard, but it is what it is."

Slade finished the Tasmania finale 11th, and leaves Symmons Plains 10th in the points.

It came after Slade was penalised over a qualifying incident with eventual race winner Shane van Gisbergen.

Slade was relieved he didn’t make contact with anything, having caught air during the off.

"It’s obviously extremely fast there,” he continued.

"When you come off the track and you’re going backwards, got a bit of air, I instantly thought about the wall down at the outside of Turn 6.

"Next thing was thinking about another car going around the corner and cleaning them up as we went through backwards at a bit of pace.

"Fortunately, I didn’t hit anything more and do some serious damage.

"Got back on, but obviously only 15th. I think we were definitely capable of a lot more.”

The season will resume at Albert Park across April 7-10.