TICKFORD Racing’s Zane Goddard has been fined $10,000 for triggering the multi-car crash at the Chase in the early laps of the Repco Bathurst 1000.
Goddard (#5) ran off the track after attempting to pass Greg Murphy (#51), but skated through the muddy outfield and back onto the track into the path of Dale Wood (#8) and Matt Campbell (#26).
The impacts left all three cars badly damaged, putting them out of the race after just four laps.
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“Following a post-race DRD Investigation into the Incident where Car 5 re-joined the Race Track at Turn 22 on Lap 5 and collided with 2 other Cars, and an admission by the Driver of Car 5, Zane Goddard, of a breach of Schedule B2, Article 3.3.2 (Should a Car leave the Race Track for any reason, the Driver may re-join, however this may only be done when it is safe to do so), the Stewards imposed a fine of $10,000, $5,000 of which is suspended until 31/12/23, pending no further breach of Schedule B2, Article 3.3.2,” the Motorsport Australia Stewards report said.
The fine on Goddard is the only penalty to be handed down over the early-race incidents that left four cars in total out of the race and several cars damaged, delayed or out of contention.
No further action was taken over the opening lap incident on Mountain Straight that sent Jack Perkins (#9) spinning in front of the field, stewards determining that no driver was wholly or predominantly to blame for the incident.
In the aftermath of the Lap 5 incident, Mark Winterbottom (#18) was sent spinning by Tony D’Alberto (#100) when the Dick Johnson Racing driver swerved to avoid Wood’s car and hit the Team 18 car.
Winterbottom’s team requested the stewards look into the incident, but they cleared D’Alberto on the basis that he “was taking action to avoid a collision with a stationary Car on the Race Track.”
Triple Eight (#888), Grove Racing (#10), Team 18 (#18) and Erebus Motorsport (#99) each received $250 fines for the brake lock mechanism on their respective cars failing to maintain the minimum required pressure during pitstops.
Dick Johnson Racing’s tough Sunday also included a fine – docked $350 per car for a breach of Supplementary Regulation 5.8.1.4 in the warm-up, which states that “at the conclusion of the warm-up Session, Cars in Pit Lane are required to parallel park in their pit bay”.
