Each entry in the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 will have just four sets of wet weather tyres for qualifying and racing this weekend following a decision by V8 Supercars this evening.
The news follows concern today over the potential for an uneven playing field due to the a shortage of wet tyres at the circuit, in addition to the presence of two separate batches of the grooved rubber.
Practice 3 was red flagged and eventually abandoned today as the issue came to a head in pitlane.
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s breaking story from this afternoon
According to V8 Supercars category technical manager Frank Adamson, each V8 Supercars Championship entry will be allocated the same number of wet tyres from both the PV and ZD batches.
“The race tyres are sorted – we’ll have a enough tyres for qualifying and racing,” Adamson told Speedcafe.com.
“We’re going to distribute PV and ZD evenly, so the teams will have the same number of each, although the batches are close enough together (in production date) that it shouldn’t matter.
“Everyone is talking about PV versus ZD, but nobody has run a PV yet – no one has done a lap on them.
“They weren’t distributed until after P2 (Practice 2), and if anyone did a lap on them, it was only the out-lap in P3.”
Adamson also confirmed that talks will continue tonight regarding the allocation of tyres for the remaining three practice sessions, as well as for the Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series round, which also had its afternoon practice session cancelled today.
All wet tyres at the circuit will spend the night in Dunlop’s pitlane garage, following a ‘force majeure’ call from V8 Supercars to the teams.
“In view of numerous circumstances and weather conditions which may be experienced during this meeting V8 Supercars have required that all wet weather tyres are to be impounded and returned to Dunlop,” read an email sent by V8 Supercars to all V8 Supercars Championship and Fujitsu Series teams.
“In doing so the Stewards exercise authority vested in them in circumstances considered to be force majeure.”
To allow for the re-distibution of the pooled Dunlop wets, Speedcafe.com understands that the Fujitsu Series qualifying session tomorrow will be pushed back to later in the morning, moving from its scheduled 8.35am start.
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Bathurst Race Guide
