Teams, drivers weigh in on Safety Car procedure rules

Teams and drivers have weighed in on Safety Car procedure regulations after Sunday’s Century Batteries Ipswich Super 440 finale was turned on its head.

Safety Car rules have been in the spotlight since the start of 2024, when a Full Course Yellow rule was introduced and later removed for 2025. However, a Safety Car speed limit of 80km/h was retained for 2025.

For full Safety Car periods, drivers have 15 seconds to reduce their speed to maximum of 80km/h and engage the speed limiter.

Crucially, unlike the two-lap minimum at last year's Sandown 500, there is no guarantee how long Race Control will hold the field at 80km/h before allowing the train to speed up and catch the Safety Car.

Broc Feeney was in control of Sunday’s race before the Safety Car was called for the beached Cameron Crick at Turn 6. While it took 14 minutes to retrieved the bogged Crick Camaro, the prolonged Safety Car period changed the complexion of the race, with drivers held at 80km/h for three laps.

Cam Waters, Kai Allen and Andre Heimgartner, who started 19th, 22nd and 20th, emerged as the new top three after stopping twice under yellow, with Feeney fourth.

Feeney ultimately cleared them to win the race, and while he acknowledged their bold calls to run long, the newly crowned Repco Sprint Cup winner suggested the rules be changed for The Finals to prevent drivers being undone.

“It's really hard to predict what they're gonna do. Last year at Sandown, everyone complained because they guaranteed two laps, which just froze the racing,” Feeney told the Cool Down Lap podcast.

"But I felt like today it went on a bit longer than I think a lot of us expected. Like yesterday... there were people right on the side of the track when they de-restricted. And today we circulated for sort of four or five laps when someone was at the fence at Turn 6.

“At the time I was obviously really frustrated. I felt like it was a bit different to how it has been, but I don't know. The only way they could fix it is just say it's guaranteed gonna be minimum two laps.

"And maybe that's what they got to do in The Finals so you don't get caught out. But, it's something that'll just keep evolving. It didn't go our way today. It hasn't gone our way in the past, but credit to the guys that stayed out.

"I thought it wasn't gonna work. I didn't think they would be able to double hit, but they did. So credit to ‘em.”

Erebus Motorsport CEO Barry Ryan wants a solution by the enduros, and revealed some discussions are already in place among teams. Supercars and Motorsport Australia regularly debrief after events.

“Today was all about luck. If you didn't pit and you got to pit twice… we need to fix it because it's ruining our sport,” Ryan told the Cool Down Lap podcast.

“All you're gonna do is wait until your fuel's empty, or there's a full course yellow, so there's no strategy… there’s gotta be a better solution. We all want safety, but not at the detriment of the sport.

“Once we get the technology there, that's easy, but it's not quite there yet. It's hard. You can't close pit lane because it's gonna make the same thing. You just won't pit until you run out of fuel.

“It's a difficult one, but there's gotta be a solution. We've gotta work on it. There's already been a lot of chat on texts and email already tonight about it, so there will be a solution. We've just gonna find it.”

Penrite Racing has been the beneficiary twice in 2025, with Matt Payne winning in Tasmania before Allen’s charge on Sunday. However, Technical Director Grant McPherson insisted drivers don’t need to be running as slow as 80km/h.

“We've had races go our way and we had some maybe last year that didn't. That's just the way it goes,” McPherson told the Cool Down Lap podcast.

"I think that Supercars really needs to change the rules before the enduros or we're all gonna run long and it's gonna be boring. It doesn't solve the problem, which is what we set out to achieve.

“It's not the right solution and we need to do better and put on a good show. The whole point that we're trying to achieve is to slow the cars down to 95% until you get back to the pits, and then the problems go.

"We don't need to slow them to 40%. That that doesn't achieve much. If we get the cars under control, which is the whole point of a double waved yellow, then we'll be fine. That is what we should be trying to achieve.”

Brad Jones Racing driver Heimgartner was torn, given he has also been a big winner in the past, telling the Cool Down Lap podcast: “Personally we are really struggling to qualify at the moment, so it's the saving grace for me every now and then.

"I think it obviously mixes it up. It puts value on different strategies, not just the go early, get track position, hold everyone up. So there's value in going long and hoping for something like that.

"So it is a lot of luck. But, at the same time, if you open up your strategy to allow those things in, then you're able to take advantage of it. It has worked for me more than it's worked against me. So of course I'm gonna like it, but I think it’ll be pretty mixed.”