Erebus boss apologises for comments, defends Brown
Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan has penned an letter over his "regrettable" Sydney comments, and revealed his disappointment in online abuse hurled at Will Brown and his team.
Ryan was fined $5000, $2500 suspended, over an expletive-laden interview shortly after the conclusion of Race 19 in Sydney on Saturday night.
As Erebus celebrated Brodie Kostecki’s victory, Ryan also readied to launch a protest over last-lap contact between Shane van Gisbergen and Will Brown.
Erebus driver Brown was hit by van Gisbergen on the final lap, with the latter taking third before being penalised.
Ryan was interviewed prior to the announcement of the penalty, and was aggrieved with van Gisbergen’s move.
Van Gisbergen was later penalised and dropped to seventh, promoting Brown to third behind Kostecki and Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Chaz Mostert.
In the wake of his comments, veteran Supercars figure Ryan penned a letter to fans of his team and motorsport, and reiterated his "passion will never waver".
"I am writing to apologise for my regrettable language during the post-race interview after Race 18 at Sydney Motorsport Park on Saturday night," Ryan wrote.
"In the heat of the moment, whilst we had secured the win with Brodie, we desperately wanted to make sure we beat our main competitors for the Championship with both cars.
"However, I realise that my outburst was uncalled for and in future I will try to respond more carefully. My passion will never waver, though I want to apologise for the language used and the distress it may have caused.
"I want to acknowledge the decision made by Motorsport Australia officials regarding the penalty for the bump and run on Will. It is evident that such actions, involving front-to-rear contact to gain an advantage, are unacceptable in any form of motorsport, including NASCAR.
"The side-by-side racing with other cars in the closing stages was remarkable, and I commend the drivers on their ability to race like that whilst still racing cleanly and fairly."
However, Ryan also moved to address online abuse directed at himself, Brown and his team after the events of Saturday night.
"Lastly, I would like to address the concerning issue of online bullying," Ryan continued.
"While I personally choose not to be on social media, I am appalled by some of the messages I have seen directed at our team, Will, and myself. Will did nothing to deserve the hate he received online.
"No one deserves to be subjected to abuse and unfair treatment, especially from the anonymity of the online world. We understand these comments also come from passion, though we need to be more considerate, not just towards each other, but also to our families and friends who read the comments.
"Our team is fully committed to winning the Teams' and Drivers' Championship, and nothing is going to stop us from pursuing those goals.
"Thank you to our fans for their continuous support, bring on the rest of the year."
Kostecki leads Brown by 41 points heading to the OTR SuperSprint, with Erebus leading Triple Eight by 80 points.
