FINES for drivers in the 2020 Supercars Championship have fallen a whopping 74% over the previous 2019 season.
A reduction of rounds and racing kilometres gave the drivers and teams less on-track time in which to rack up penalties, however a lack of indiscretions that attracted big monetary penalties have also left the total amount far smaller than 2019’s tally.
A total of $6350 in fines (not counting suspended fine amounts) was dished out to drivers in this year’s Supercars Championship.
Last year there was a total of $24,250 of fines handed out to drivers, including a combined $13,000 to Scott McLaughlin for his burnout and subsequent poster podium celebration at Queensland Raceway and $5000 (with another $5000 suspended) to Richie Stanaway for dangerous driving at Albert Park in an incident with Lee Holdsworth.
Garry Jacobson led the pack in this year’s much smaller fine list with a total of $2000 of fines across two indiscretions.
The Matt Stone Racing driver was pinged $1000 in Adelaide for slowing unnecessarily during Practice 1 that caused contact with Lee Holdsworth. He was also fined $1000 (with another $1000 suspended) for missing the national anthem ceremony on the Sunday in Adelaide.
Six other drivers received fines this year – Jamie Whincup ($1000), Zane Goddard ($1000), Chris Pither (three fines, total of $850), Mark Winterbottom ($500), Alex Davison (two fines, total of $500) and Scott Pye ($500).
Jack Smith also received five hours of community service for failing to attend the mandatory Driver Photo shoot in Adelaide.
In terms of team fines there was a total of $5250 issued in 2020, with the Red Bull Holden Racing Team copping most of them – five fines totalling $3250.
The team was fined $500 (with a further $500 suspended) for circulating the race track in motor vehicles during the Track Walk session at Sydney Motorsport Park in July.
There was a further total of $750 of fines at the first Hidden Valley round ($500 for placing Whincup’s car on trolley jacks and turning it around in its pit bay before the final car had entered pit lane at the end of Qualifying 2 and $250 for entering the fast lane during Practice 1 with an air spike nozzle connected to the car).
Red Bull HRT was also fined $1500 (and penalised 30 Team’s Championship points) as a result of Whincup impacting an air hose on entry to his pit bay during the scheduled pit stop at The Bend in late September.
There was another fine from a pit error at Bathurst too – $500 as a result of a wheel being removed from the #888 Whincup/Lowndes car in Practice 7 striking a spare wheel, causing that wheel to roll towards the fast lane.
Other team fines issued in 2020 were to Team 18 (two for a total of $1250), Erebus Motorsport ($500) and Team Sydney ($250).
