Blanchard Racing Team cops double Bend disqualification
James Golding and Aaron Cameron both short of minimum laps
Motorsport Australia stewards accept “innocent misjudgment”
Motorsport Australia has shed light on the Blanchard Racing Team’s double breach at The Bend, which saw both Mustangs disqualified from Sunday's Ryco Enduro Cup opener.
Both BRT Mustangs were scrapped from Sunday’s AirTouch 500 at The Bend, after James Golding and Aaron Cameron failed to complete the minimum driving time.
Golding was classified seventh with co-driver Richie Stanaway, and was 10th in points. Instead, Golding is facing a do-or-die Bathurst effort to clinch his Finals position.
The Ford team also confirmed a full review of its race systems and processes is underway ahead of next month’s Repco Bathurst 1000.
Per Supercars rules, “Each Driver must complete a minimum of 37% of the scheduled race distance.”
Additionally, the rules state: “The requirement for each Driver to complete a minimum of 37% of the Scheduled Race Distance may be amended, at the sole discretion of the Stewards if it is not possible for 74% of the Scheduled Race Distance to be completed.”
The 74% mark of the scheduled race distance was 109 laps. The race ran to 141 laps, six laps shy of the scheduled race distance of 147 laps.
Per the MA reports, stewards determined that “no other penalty would be appropriate in these circumstances,” given that such penalties have been imposed for similar infringements in the past.
The Golding report reads: “The Stewards summoned and heard from the Drivers of Car 7 and their Authorised Representative.
“Rule D8.10.5 required each Driver to complete 37% of the scheduled race distance for Race 29 (54 Laps out of 147 Laps). James Golding only completed 50 Laps.
“The Authorised Representative explained that the Team brought Car 3 in to change Drivers relying upon their predictive race timing software which informed them that more than 54 Laps remained in the Race despite adjustment for the much lower than usual lap times set during wet conditions and a number of Safety Car interventions. The Team accepted that the information conveyed by the software was, in this case, wrong.
“The Stewards accepted that the breach was attributable to an innocent misjudgment by the Team, in this case apparently caused by a software malfunction.
“The Recommended Penalty for this infringement is Disqualification of the Car concerned from the Race. Such a Penalty has been imposed for similar infringements in the past. The Stewards determined that no other Penalty would be appropriate in these circumstances.”
Golding is now 87 points behind 10th placed Jack Le Brocq heading to Bathurst. BRT, meanwhile, dropped to ninth in the teams' championship.
