DJRTP releases statement regarding pit lane review

DJR Team Penske has issued its response to a joint review of Scott McLaughlin’s pit lane speeding penalty during the final race of the Supercars season in Newcastle.

DJRTP team members and Supercars technical staff have met and reviewed data after the Ford squad distributed a press release with information suggesting that McLaughlin had not indeed broken the pit lane speed limit during Race 26 of the year.

The release contained television broadcast screenshots and data traces from McLaughlin’s #17 FGX Falcon.

Supercars’ response at the time defended the accuracy of the timing loop system which led to the penalty as ‘foolproof’ but agreed to meet at DJRTP’s request.

Supercars Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird had also stood by the system and his own decisions during the dramatic climax to the championship.

In a statement issued by the team, it has accepted the decision but reiterated a need to seek clarity over procedures used to determine pit lane speed.

The full statement from DJR Team Penske

Officials from DJR Team Penske and members of the Virgin Australia Supercars technical staff met recently – at the request of the team – to review data related to the penalty issued to Scott McLaughlin at the Newcastle 500 for exceeding the pit lane speed limit.

DJR Team Penske tabled data that showed that the #17 car was not speeding in pit lane, as noted in a previous media release.

While both parties respect each other’s position, the timing loops remain the best measurement method currently available to the judicial system for the rules to be enforced and policed in a timely and fair manner.

As stated previously, DJR Team Penske accepted that the outcome of the Championship cannot be altered, but the team felt it has a responsibility to seek clarity and to ensure the methods used to enforce pit lane speed limits going forward are as accurate as possible for all competitors.