BRT protest into Nash Morris/Lochie Dalton clash dismissed
Morris and Dalton collided on lap 1 of Saturday's Sandown race
BRT protested in-race decision, Morris retains third in results
A Blanchard Racing Team protest into the Nash Morris/Lochie Dalton crash decision has been dismissed.
Morris and Dalton collided at Turn 4 on the opening lap of Saturday's DUNLOP Super2 Series race at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
Morris sent his Tickford Autosport Mustang down the inside, with contact sending Dalton towards the tyre barriers. Dalton's car ricocheted off the wall, and was collected by an unsighted Aaron Love.
Dalton fumed over the incident, telling Supercars.com: “Nash always is pretty desperate and a hard racer, which is alright, but I don't know. He jumped all four wheels over a kerb.
“They'll say he was far enough up the inside, but I can be far enough up the inside if I cut the corner and just drive into someone's door."
Morris and Dalton, joined by respective team representatives, fronted Motorsport Australia stewards on Saturday night after BRT lodged an appeal.
Per the stewards report, it was determined that Morris had sufficient overlap with Dalton entering Turn 4, with Dalton's trajectory forcing Morris onto the kerb, resulting in contact.
The report reads:
Fact: Car 55 was attempting an inside pass on Car 43, resulting in side to side contact
Infringement: Supercars Operations Manual Schedule B2 Article 2.1.1
Decision 2: The protest is dismissed
Reason: BRT alleged that in attempting pass Car 43 on the inside at Turn 4, Car 55 had insufficient overlap at the turn-in point, was carrying too much speed, failed to maintain control, and was off the track when it made contact with Car 43, which resulted in Car 43 hitting the outside barrier exiting Turn 4.
The RD and DSA stated the incident was reviewed during the race and determined it did not warrant referral to the Stewards as neither driver was wholly or predominantly responsible and that it was racing incident. Reviewing in-car vision from Car 55 in the hearing, the DSA stated in that in his opinion Car 55 had sufficient overlap with Car 43 entering Turn 4, Car 43 followed the trajectory of the two Cars in front of it towards the Turn 4 apex kerb forcing Car 55 off the track onto the top of the kerb which resulted in Car 55 being unsettled coming off the kerb and making side to side contact with Car 43.
Having regard to the evidence presented at the hearing he maintained his opinion that it was still a racing incident The Stewards find that the Protestor (BRT) failed to establish a breach of the Rule by the Driver of Car 55.
