Red Bull Racing Australia boss Roland Dane has defended a call by Shane van Gisbergen to pit at the mid-point of Race 17 that saw the Kiwi stack behind team-mate Jamie Whincup.
Van Gisbergen was trying to capitalise on what he thought would be a Safety Car when DJR Team Penske driver Scott Pye ventured into the sand at Turn 6 on Lap 33.
However Pye was able to scramble out of the trap and return to the track under a local yellow flag.
Already fighting a set-up that was less effective than his team-mates Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup who went onto the finish first and second in the 65-lap affair, Van Gisbergen eventually finished 12th.
The compromised set-up and pit stop backfire conspired to prevent Triple Eight from surging to a one-two-three shut-out for the second day running.
“He (Shane) thought, like many people there would be a Safety Car with Scotty Pye off at Turn 6,” Dane explained to Speedcafe.com.
“So he elected to come in and Jamie Whincup was already in the pit lane.”
Dane supported Van Gisbergen’s call to pit, explaining that regardless of the circumstances the Kiwi did not have a car good enough to trade paint at the front of the pack.
“We all know there wasn’t a Safety Car but even without that he would have got away with it if Jamie wasn’t in the pits,” said Dane.
“He wasn’t to know that. He was just thinking there would be a Safety Car.
“He was trying to be proactive which is good but he was just caught out by that.
“What Shane did would normally be the right thing to do but it just backfired.”
Unlike yesterday where Van Gisbergen sliced his way to victory in the shorter 38-lap Race 16, he was unable to mount any attack with the #97 machine in the longer heat.
“He had a set-up that was clearly less than ideal somewhere. I don’t know where,” added Dane.
“Compared with the other two cars something wasn’t good.
“By the same token the car wasn’t quick today anyway. Shane was never going to win it with what he had underneath him.”
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