In a statement, TekworkX Motorsport said Woods was left “shaken and disappointed” after being confronted by Max Geoghegan after Saturday’s race.
During the opening minutes of the first race of Monochrome GT4 Australia at Hampton Downs, there was an on-track clash involving Woods’ teammate Nash Morris.
That took the Method Motorsport McLaren Artura driven by Geoghegan and co-driver Tom Hayman out of contention for the race win. However, it was not that incident, it’s understood, which prompted the outburst.
On the final lap of the race, Woods ran wide exiting the final turn and took Geoghegan off the road with her.
A stewards report noted an incident and confirmed Geoghegan went to the TekworkX Motorsport garage where he used “used abusive language” towards Woods.
Motorsport Australia said it was on the “lower end of offences” and was given a warning for the post-race confrontation.
Geoghegan expressed his remorse and later apologised to Woods for the incident.
Woods said she is considering walking away from the sport due to how the governing body reacted.
“He [Max Geoghegan] was further abusive to [Zoe] Woods before he was ushered away by his own team member. The details of what occurred were not disputed,” the stewards report read.
“M Geoghegan was remorseful and apologetic at the hearing and to Z Woods.
“The panel regarded the conduct as being at the lower end of offences covered by the rule and took into account the circumstances and the attitude of the parties involved.
“It was stressed that such conduct was unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
“The formal warning would carry forward and relevant if the driver committed any further similar breach of the rule.”
Woods said she decided to go public to seek change, not retribution.
The team issued its statement shortly after Geoghegan and co-driver Tom Hayman won the Monochrome GT4 Australia title on Sunday.
“What happened was unacceptable — no driver should have to face verbal abuse or intimidation in any form,” said Woods.
“Motorsport is built on respect, courage, and professionalism, and it’s vital that the governing body enforces those values without compromise.
“This is not about personal conflict; it’s about ensuring a safe and inclusive environment for everyone in the sport.”
Geoghegan was found to be in breach of Article 15.1 of the Monochrome GT4 Australia sporting regulations.
Article 15.1 stipulates: “Any Incident in the paddock, pit lane or the track, such as provocative acts of any kind, verbal or physical threats, inappropriate comments on social media networks or unsportsmanlike behaviour, or any action or occurrence in relation to any Event(s) or Competition(s) that could be considered to be in contravention of the Monochrome GT4 Australia Series spirit, which is committed by a Team member or a person under the responsibility of a Competitor, may be reported to the Stewards who will take any action they consider suitable. The Team will be held responsible for the actions of the persons within their entourage and may be penalised accordingly” and “In particular, penalties may be awarded for offences affecting the security of the event or Competition and may include: Drop of grid positions, Suspension from the next session, Deletion of all qualifying times, Stop-and-go penalty of a duration up to 5 minutes.”
TekworkX Motorsport claimed Motorsport Australia did not appropriately penalise Geoghegan, directly referencing the second part of Article 15.1 regarding penalties.
Speedcafe understands, as the rule is written, Geoghegan’s offence did not compromise “security of the event or competition” – notably, the element of Article 15.1 that TekworkX referenced in its statement – and therefore did not warrant any of the aforementioned penalties.
“I want to see Motorsport Australia take incidents like this seriously and apply their regulations consistently,” said Woods.
“Words and actions matter — they set the standard for what’s acceptable in our sport.
“This is an opportunity for leadership and accountability. This has left me reconsidering my future within the sport and to be honest how I feel now, I will walk away from the sport.”
A TekworkX Motorsport spokesperson added: “We believe that all competitors deserve an environment free from intimidation or harassment.
“We hope Motorsport Australia will take this opportunity to review its processes and ensure future incidents are handled with the seriousness they deserve.”
SRO Motorsports Australia declined to comment on the incident. Motorsport Australia said it may comment in due course.
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