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Slade out as horror year continues

23 Aug 2014
McLaughlin in race against time, but other damaged cars right to go.
2 mins by James Pavey
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Tim Slade's horror season has continued, with his Supercheap Auto Holden Commodore VF too badly damaged to be repaired in time for today's Race 27 and also in doubt for tomorrow's 200km mini marathon at the Sydney Motorsport Park 400.

Meanwhile, Scotty McLaughlin's Volvo team is in a race against time to complete an engine change in his S60 in time for Race 27.

Three others cars damaged in the wet Race 26 - Fabian Coulthard's Lockwood Commodore, Todd Kelly's Jack Daniel's Nissan Altima and David Reynolds' Bottle-O Ford Falcon - are all expected to start this afternoon's second 100km race.

Slade was involved in an opening lap collision when he hit a spinning Reynolds in poor visibility and was launched high into the air.

The Walkinshaw Racing-built and run Commodore suffered significant roll-cage tube and sheetmetal damage in the front right wheel arch.

The team will not know until it strips the car down later this afternoon whether it is repairable on-site, or will have to go on a jig to be straightened, which would rule it out of racing tomorrow.

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While not part of the structural roll cage the two damaged tubes sit under the wheel arch and act as suspension pick-up points for the suspension.

"They are structural not safety tubes," explained Walkinshaw Racing chief engineer Mat Nilsson. "We will have to pull it all apart and see how far back the damage goes and make a decision on what we can achieve."

The Volvo Polestar team elected to change the S60's engine as a precaution after McLaughlin lost power steering while running second, but also felt the V8 drop a cylinder the lap prior.

Coulthard suffered left rear damaged and Kelly right rear suspension damage when they clashed. Reynolds's car suffered left rear damage.

Slade, in his first year driving for Walkinshaw Racing, has suffered more DNFs than any other drivers this year in the V8 Supercars Championship.

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