Erebus CEO Barry Ryan has outlined a revised live pit lane system that would allow his title-winning squad to keep the coveted pit exit garage next season.
The concept will see teams garaged in 2023 teams’ championship for the opening round of the season before the order will change round-to-round based on the current points.
Support for the idea within the paddock has been limited, Jamie Whincup telling Speedcafe back in October that it could raise safety issues.
Then there is Erebus, which last weekend sealed its first ever teams’ title – without the guarantee of keeping the pit exit garage for the entirety of next season.
Erebus owner Betty Klimenko has been publicly outspoken about her disappointment with the move, while CEO Barry Ryan has now clarified his position, having long been seen as a supporter of the live pit lane.
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He says that he never supported the live concept, only the introduction of a calculation to allow one-car teams to compete with two and four-car teams… and any apathy he showed in Commission meetings was driven by his focus on other topics.
“Back in when we started talking about it, it was for the single car teams,” he told Speedcafe.
“It wasn’t about live pit lane, it was more about a calculation to give them combined points, and the four-car teams as well. That’s where it started.
“And then the live thing come up. I remember one point I said I didn’t really care because there was too much else going on. It wasn’t important.
“But then when we came back to it at the last Commission meeting, I brought it up and said I think we need to revisit it. It’s bad for corporate [hospitality], you don’t know where you’re going to be. And that’s important to most teams.
“Betty is really passionate about it, because we’ve worked our arses off [to win the title].”
Ryan has an alternative proposal that locks the title winners into the pit exit garage for the entire season, while the remaining 10 teams do battle round-by-round.
“My version is that the championship team stays at the front for the whole year,” he said. “That’s their reward. And everybody else goes live.
“Then they can work their way up. Like Groves; they might start sixth, but the way they are going now, they might move up to second pretty quick. And they would deserve it. But they don’t deserve to have the front spot. We do.
“It’s a bit frustrating. Supercars announced it [last] week but in the Commission they said they couldn’t back-track because it had been announced already.
“But anyway, I don’t really care. We don’t plan to go backward. So we’ll start there, and we’ll keep that garage.”
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