Waters, Feeney exchange views on driving standards

Cam Waters, Broc Feeney discuss Supercars driving standards
Waters and Feeney were at the centre of dramatic Sydney race
Waters backs more "rubbing," while Feeney wants clarity

Cam Waters and Broc Feeney have both weighed in on the driving standards debate, welcoming more "rubbing" and "hard racing" after the dramatic scenes of Sydney.

Driving standards and conduct were a big talking point following a race highlighted by a wild battle for the win.

Waters and Feeney were the chief protagonists in one of the most thrilling Supercars races in recent years, with the star duo going head-to-head in Sydney.

After colliding disputing the lead with four laps remaining in Race 2, Waters attempted a redress, only to let Feeney's teammate Will Brown into the battle.

Further contact at the final corner set up a dramatic run to the line, with Waters out-dragging Feeney to win by 0.03s, officially the second closest finish in championship history.

The two clashes were left unpunished, Waters' redress ensuring a play-on situation. The final corner incident, meanwhile, also went without penalty, despite an investigation request from Triple Eight Race Engineering.

Officials were largely lauded for opting not to intervene in the battle. Speaking in the media after the race, Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird said more "rubbing is racing" is being encouraged, but reiterated that there are still racing rules.

Speaking on Supercars and Fox Sports' new The Formation Lap show, Waters backed more rubbing, saying: “It was awesome that they allowed us to play on.

“I had the incident with Broc at Turn 4, and the other part of that was Will was five seconds back before that point.

“It was really just Broc and myself fighting it out. Once I could redress and I got Broc back in front, I think they saw it as pretty good game-on, play-on, which was great.

“It’s all about being able to have a bit of respect when you are racing each other. If you get into someone’s rear bar too hard, you’ll push them wide and obviously that’s bad.

“But if you’ve got a little bit of overlap and a little bit of rubbing, I think that’s awesome for the category, that’s what the fans want to see. Hopefully we can keep doing that.”

Feeney, meanwhile, insisted that drivers be educated on where the line in the sand is.

Speaking after the race, Feeney claimed the way the race was handled was evidence drivers will be "allowed to obviously race a little bit harder" this season.

Brown took issue with Waters' redress tactics after the race, while Team 18 veteran David Reynolds claimed Feeney was already at a disadvantage after spinning out.

Driving standards are set to be a hot topic at the upcoming drivers briefing in Melbourne this week, and Feeney is keen to know "what can we do and what can we get away with."

“All of us drivers are just trying to understand where we’re at with everything,” Feeney said.

“Obviously there was the first incident, and then the one going onto the front straight. I think for us, we just want to understand what can we do and what can we get away with.

“I don’t think — and I think everyone agrees with me — we probably would have got away with it last year.

“I think it probably showed there’s going to be some pretty hard racing this year, as long as it’s always the same."

Track action commences in Melbourne on Thursday, with Supercars races to be held on all four days of the March 13-16 event.