Whincup cops fine over dramatic practice crash with Pye
Jamie Whincup cops fine over practice crash with Scott Pye
Whincup fined $1000 after hitting Pye during Safety Car test
Pye missed entirety of Practice 4 due to repairs
Jamie Whincup has been fined over his role in the Practice 4 clash with teammate Scott Pye.
Triple Eight's day got off to a shocking start at The Bend Motorsport Park when Whincup collided with Pye at Turn 3 during a Safety Car procedure test.
Whincup ultimately shouldered the blame for the collision, which occurred on just the second lap of Saturday morning's session.
The field was brought under the control of a Safety Car simulation, as part of the trial of a new procedure for this weekend. The field was released from the initial 80km/h Full Course Yellow period, with drivers free to drive at speed to a slow zone remaining from the exit of Turn 3 through to Turn 7.
As Pye slowed down to the 80km/h speed limit from racing speed, Whincup was caught out and hit the rear of the #1. Over team radio, Whincup said: "Sorry guys, I missed the P3 board."
Following Practice 5, stewards confirmed Whincup had been docked $1000, with the seven-time champion hit with a careless driving charge, "departing from the Standard of a competent Driver."
The stewards report reads:
Competitor: Triple Eight Race Engineering (Australia) P\L
Car and Driver: Car 88 - Broc Feeney and Jamie Whincup
Session: Practice 4
Date: Saturday, 13 September 2025
Time: 0953hrs
Fact Car 88 collided with the rear of Car 1 at the exit of Turn 3
Rule: Sch.B2 Article 2.1.1 Careless Driving, departing from the Standard of a competent Driver
Decision: $1,000 Fine for the Driver of Car 88 (Whincup)
Reason: The Stewards summoned and heard from the Driver of Car 88 and the team representative and reviewed broadcast and judicial camera footage from Cars 88 and 1.
Shortly after the session commenced, the Race Director announced there would be a simulation of the new SC procedure. After the commencement of the simulation the Race Director announced that a simulated ‘slow zone’ would be implemented between Position Line 3 (exit of Turn 3) (PL3) and Sector Line 1 (Turn 7)(SC1) after the instruction for SC limiters to be deactivated was issued. The simulated SC procedure required all Cars to activate their SC limiters between PL3 and SC1 and reduce their speed in that sector to a maximum of 80kph. The Race Director’s instruction was conveyed to the Driver of Car 88 by the Car’s engineer.
Car 88 was closely following Car 1 on the approach to the slow zone. Car 1 reduced speed before PL3, activated the limiter and complied with the procedure. The Driver of Car 88 misjudged when and to what extent the Driver of Car 1 would reduce speed to enter the zone and collided with the rear of Car 1. While the SC procedure (which only applies during a race) was only a simulation in the session, all Drivers were required to comply with the instructions of the RD. The Stewards determined that the Driver of Car 88 was wholly to blame for the collision and imposed a Fine on the Driver in the sum of $1,000.
The Competitor is reminded that Decisions and Penalties that may be subject to Appeal are set out in B7.7.2 and the Rights to and process for an Appeal are set out in B5.
Matt Stone Racing's Tim Slade and Cameron McLeod, and Blanchard Racing Team's Zak Best, were also reprimanded from the same session. Slade did not comply with the 80km/h speed limit throughout the slow zone during the simulation.
Slade had misjudged the end of the slow zone and deactivated the speed limiter early before reaching Safety Car line 1 and accelerated, exceeding the limit. Best and McLeod, meanwhile, failed to activate the limiter before the exit of Turn 3 and also exceeded the limit.
MSR also copped a $500 fine after a wheel nut from the pit bay of the Cameron Hill/McLeod car rolled into pit lane.
Drivers return for Boost Mobile Qualifying at 3:05pm local/3:35pm AEST, which sets the running order for the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout at 4:50pm local/5:20pm AEST.
