Rubbing’s racing as Supercars relax rule
The biff is back, with Supercars set to announce a series of rule changes that will encourage a metal-on-metal championship battle.
All 25 Supercars drivers will be told today of sweeping changes at a briefing in Adelaide before this weekend’s season-opening Clipsal 500.
There will be no “draconian penalties” for contact and each driver will be entitled to a “get out of jail free card” for minor contact.
The controversial redress rule that cost Jamie Whincup last year’s Bathurst 1000 — and sparked a threecar crash and a legal battle — has also been abolished in a bid to spark more on-track action.
“While the redress/repositioning adopted in 2016 has been abolished, two competitors do have the option to manage minor misdemeanours between themselves and only in rare, isolated circumstances,” the Supercars organisation said in a statement. “They might avoid race control sanction if the stewards are satisfied the affected party wasn’t adversely affected, or wasn’t pushed off the defined circuit and/or lost positions.”
Supercars also revealed the addition of a “get of jail free card” for minor passing collisions which they hope will encourage more “vigorous door-to-door” racing.
“This ‘get out of jail’ option would not apply in a cluster of cars,” the statement said.
Drivers have welcomed the changes that will rule out a repeat of the collision which denied Whincup, Scott McLaughlin and Garth Tander a winning chance at Bathurst. Whincup tried to make a redress following a questionable pass on McLaughlin for the race lead but both were taken out when Tander attacked amid the penalty-avoiding move. Will Davison’s race win was put in doubt when Red Bull Racing Australia lodged a protest that sparked an ugly legal stoush.
“Anything that encourages racing is a positive move,” said former champion Mark Winterbottom.
“I think we didn’t know where the line was last year. We need them to encourage good, hard, clean racing and to punish stupidity. We know the difference and so should they.”