Jason Bright Lifted To Second On The Grid After Lowndes Penalty

In-form team Brad Jones Racing has belatedly scored another 1-2 start for race 3 after Team BOCs Jason Bright was elevated into second position after yesterday’s second race at the MSS Security Challenge at Albert Park.

Emerging Kiwi Fabian Coulthard won the race in his Lockwood Commodore ahead of Red Bull Racing Australia’s Craig Lowndes with Bright in third. But Lowndes was this morning handed a one grid place penalty for an unsafe pit bay release, effectively meaning Bright will start from second for Race 3.

Lowndes was released by his crew and slammed into Bright as he was making his way down.

Team owner Brad Jones said the penalty was the right decision, but questioned whether the punishment was harsh enough after Mark Winterbottom was penalised an effective pit lane drive-through of 50 seconds from an unsafe release in the first race. 

“For me I don’t think there was any doubt that Jason was far enough past,” Jones said.

“I was a bit surprised at the penalty, or what the penalty was I must say. Frosty had an unsafe release yesterday and he got 50 seconds. If they hadn’t had a chicane at the end of 888s’ pit they would have driven down pit lane side by side.”

Jones said it was an important early test for the officials and new Driving Standards Observer Cameron McConville to be firm and consistent in this early part of the season.

“What you have got to be careful of with this sort of stuff if Cameron is quite new to the job and he is going to get a lot of people looking at the decisions he has made and looking at what they are,” Jones said.

“It’s important to be making the right decisions early on so people understand what the rules are.

“At the end of the day once the light turns green racing at the Grand Prix is the same as racing anywhere. For me it doesn’t matter where it is the right decision needs to be made.”

Decisions aside Jones and his team are ecstatic with their early season results.

“It’s very exciting stuff,” he said. “I felt from the minute we starting running we had pretty fast cars but things didn’t go our way in Adelaide. Our cars are fast and competitive but we still have two races to go and it looks like there might be some rain this afternoon which I’m not too keen on.”

Coulthard’s form augers well as the sport looks to return to the revamped Pukekohe Park next month for the ITM 400 Auckland. He, Shane van Gisbergen and rookie Scott McLaughlin are flying the Kiwi flag very high in the opening events.

“It’s awesome. We have had a dream run – first career pole and won two races out of the first two we have run,” Coulthard said.

“It’s good for me, good for New Zealand and I think New Zealand needs to get behind us three; and even Johnny Reid who will get up to speed.”

Coulthard will front the grid for this afternoon’s third race of the weekend alongside team-mate Bright. Lowndes will be behind them on the grid alongside Pepsi Max Crew FPRs Will Davison.