Shop
Randle entered the race chasing his first win having beaten teammate Cam Waters to pole position in a Tickford Racing qualifying one-two.
But a fraught race included contact with both Triple Eight Camaros; a bumping duel with Will Brown later followed by a punt on Broc Feeney.
The latter incident spun the Red Bull driver and netted Randle a 15-second penalty, leaving him just 18th in the result.
Television cameras captured a distraught Randle with his head in his hands immediately post-race, before getting out of his car and walking to the front of the Red Bull garage.
As Randle stepped inside the garage, Triple Eight team manager Mark Dutton ran over to intervene, placing his right hand on the Ford driver’s chest and moving him back out.
Watch video of the incident embedded below
Sunday in Tasmania.#RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/daZBxj2qan
— Supercars (@supercars) August 18, 2024
“I just wanted to apologise to Broc but I think he’d gone to the truck…” Randle explained on the broadcast moments later.
“Dutto has got some invisible line there, Jamie (Whincup) was fine, he was all good. That’s all you can do, apologise and move on.”
Dutton gave his side of the story when asked about the incident by Speedcafe.
“For me as team manager it’s my role to make sure our garage is a safe space,” he said.
“I don’t know what he’s coming in with his helmet on to do, so it’s quite simple mate, just don’t come into our space.
“This is our space, please stay outside. If you want to talk or do whatever later, now’s not the time. Cool down, just don’t come into our space.
“I’m team manager, I need to make sure it’s a safe space for our drivers and crew to work out of.”
A Motorsport Australia spokesperson confirmed to Speedcafe that the incident between Dutton and Randle was not referred to the stewards.
It comes two years after Barry Ryan was reprimanded for physical contact with Mark Winterbottom inside the Erebus garage at Pukekohe.
Randle meanwhile was in a state of disbelief as to how his Symmons Plains race unfolded, beginning with running wide and losing the lead to Cam Waters at Turn 4 on Lap 1.
“Just probably cold tyres on the front and just over-anticipated the grip, I was lucky to only lose it to Cam,” he explained.
“After that we were actually having a pretty good race.
“(I’m) just gutted with my mistake into Turn 4 with five to go, that was all my fault. I’ve got no one else to blame but myself. I’ll be kicking myself for that one for a while.
“It’s just a real shame. It was a really good chance to capitalise on some good points.
“Obviously happy for Cam to get the win, clearly had some speed, it just doesn’t feel real that that’s just happened.”
