Lee Holdsworth at Bahrain last month. His Fujitsu Racing GRM team wants to beat TeamVodafone's Jamie Whincup, event if it's at the non-Championship AGP event.
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By Briar Gunther 12:27 PM Mon 8 March, 2010
Source: BigPond Sport
V8 Supercars Australia has threatened to invoke a clause in team Racing Entitlement Contracts (REC) which carries fines of up to $20,000 if they do not try hard enough in the upcoming event at the Australian Grand Prix.
The category went to the trouble of referring to the clause in the Supplementary Regulations for the non-Championship event at Albert Park in a bid to stop teams tanking.
Under the title ‘Team obligations’, the supplementary regulations state in line with a clause in team RECs, all teams are to use their “best endeavours to race in the meeting to the best of their ability and level of competitiveness” and at the discretion of stewards, teams found breaching it may be fined up to $20,000.
V8 Supercars Operation Manager, Kurt Sakzewski, said data will be reviewed to ensure teams have had a genuine setback at the V8’s AGP races, officially known as the 2010 BRC Impco V8 Supercar GP Challenge.
“We’ll review any instances we believe need to be checked,” he said.
“It’s not something we have done in the past and have instead taken their word for it, but on this occasion someone who’s not performing to the best of their ability will be checked.”
Teams found not to be performing at their correct standard will be asked to provide reasons why they did not perform.
Sakzewski pointed out that while Championship points are the motivation for teams to perform at Championship events, that incentive is absent at the AGP.
But he said it was not good enough for teams to get paid money to show up and then not compete properly because fans forking out money to attend expect a show just like any Championship event.
Sakzewski also said teams concerned about putting their cars on the line for a non-Championship event had a three weekend turnaround to fix any damage suffered.
He refused to name names, but said there was one team in particular that appeared to tank at past AGP events.
Fujitsu Racing GRM last year started races from pitlane at the AGP and driver Lee Holdsworth admitted he was keeping out of trouble.
But team owner Garry Rogers last week said he would abide by the rules.
“The rules are there and while I don’t agree with them, we will do our very utmost by the rules,” he said.
Rogers said Championship event or not, Fujitsu Racing GRM wants to be the team that first beats TeamVodafone’s Jamie Whincup in 2010.
“Whincup has the speed and it would be great to think we could beat him,” Rogers said.
“I think to beat Whincup and his car anywhere, regardless of whether it’s a Championship event or not would show you have done your homework quite well.”
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