'I got taken out': Co-drivers at odds over Bend clash
Declan Fraser fired up, Cameron Crick disappointed over costly clash
Andre Heimgartner suddenly in Finals danger after co-driver was wiped out early
Crick tried to pass Fraser, both Camaros interlocked wheels
Declan Fraser has pointed the finger at Cameron Crick over their costly early race clash at The Bend that put a dent in Andre Heimgartner's Finals hopes.
The lead Brad Jones Racing entry of Heimgartner/Fraser came home 27th and last in Sunday’s in the AirTouch 500 at The Bend after a lap 9 collision.
Fraser and Matt Stone Racing wildcard Crick were disputing 20th on lap 9 when a bold overtake by the latter at Turn 6 led to steering damage for the #8 R&J Batteries Chevrolet.
Then, as Crick got back up to speed, he was sent into a spin by Craig Lowndes. Both clashes were cleared by the stewards.
It was already a difficult day for Fraser, who was battling a failing clutch. Damage in the Crick clash was all she wrote, with Heimgartner dropping from eighth to 11th in the standings.
Crick avoided penalty over the incident, but that meant little to Fraser.
“It was a bit of a rough one for us. We had a clutch problem straight away on the line and then completely lost it as I took off, which made things really difficult,” the 2022 Super2 champion said.
"Unfortunately I also got taken out by someone. There were 26 blokes out there, and most did a pretty good job keeping racing room – but there was one guy who didn’t. It’s a bit of a shame, as it bumped Andre out of the top 10 in the championship.
"That makes it really disappointing for us, especially considering he’s just a wildcard. That said, we know we had good pace, so moving on to Bathurst, we’ll go out and aim to win it."
The #8 was also pinged $250 over a pit stop breach. The minimum rear brake pressure achieved during a pit stop was 198.5 psi. Per Rule D11.8.9.1, "While the brake line mechanism is engaged the rear brake pressure must be a minimum of 20 bar."
Crick and Aaron Seton finished 26th, two laps off the pace.“Pretty disappointed with how that all went down,” Crick said on the Cool Down Lap presented by Moza Racing.
"I was down the inside of Declan and we sort of came out too wide and we touched, and then as I tried to sort of get away from him, Lowndesy was already there.
“And then I ended up backwards into the gravel. So the car was pretty speedy at that point. We've moved up a fair way, but it's a shame for Aaron because the car was pretty damaged for the rest of the race.”
Heimgartner is 18 points outside the top 10 heading to the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 9-12.
