Russell Ingall may have apologised for the nature of his Winton outburst that resulted in a $15,000 fine, but he’s not backing down from its underlying sentiment.
His colourful spray led to an investigation by CAMS stewards that deemed Ingall had engaged in “conduct prejudicial” to the championship.
In a statement issued by Ingall and team Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport this morning, the driver reaffirmed his displeasure at a system that sees some incidents dealt with in-race and others post-race.
“The delivery may have been harsh and by no means did I intend to personally threaten anyone and I do apologise to those individuals that may have seen it that way,” said Ingall in the statement.
“It was more to the point of saying, that I’m certainly for one, sick of the process that is used during races and by the huge response by the fans; it looks like they are as well.
“Sometimes sports need a reaction like what has just happened to realise that change is needed to go forward.”
Officials told Speedcafe.com at Winton that Ingall’s incident was dealt with immediately as stewards had multiple camera angles available to them.
Post-race investigations usually take place when stewards deem it necessary to review onboard vision and telemetry before making a call.
See below for the Ingall statement in full
“Firstly, I would like to thank the motorsport fans for their support and their passion that has been shown through recent events.
“We have come away from the Winton round with mixed feelings. We had a competitive car on the circuit and were so close to the team’s first podium result, yet with that comes the disappointment of not achieving it because of the reasons that are well documented.
“As I’m still finding out myself, being involved in a lot smaller single-car racing operation amongst highly rated and highly funded race teams of which I have been apart of in the past, the challenges for small teams are immense. What comes with having success with a smaller team is a far greater sense of excitement and passion.
“With this in mind, the next subject that has to be touched on is the events that happened post Race 7 of the Championship on Saturday. There has obviously been much written and talked about in regards to the comments I made during the telecast after this race.
“I would like to point out that the frustration I felt because of, in my opinion, inconsistent decisions made during that race is reflecting that the system needs change.
“The delivery may have been harsh and by no means did I intend to personally threaten anyone and I do apologize to those individuals that may have seen it that way.
“It was more to the point of saying, that I’m certainly for one, sick of the process that is used during races and by the huge response by the fans; it looks like they are as well.
“Unlike some of the other drivers in the category I will not stick my head in the sand and pretend there aren’t issues. Sometimes this is to my own detriment, but at the end of the day, it’s because of my love of the sport and that I’ve dedicated most of my life to motorsport, that has molded me this way.
“Sometimes sports need a reaction like what has just happened to realise that change is needed to go forward.
“I also don’t want to be a driver that sits back and throws stones without a solution. I’ve had years of experience, not only in Australia but internationally, and have seen and experienced many things in motorsport which I’m sure will be beneficial in V8 Supercars.
“I would certainly extend the invitation to V8 supercars and to CAMS to work with them to come up with better procedures that will not only benefit the sport, but see the racing become better than what it already is and more importantly, making it the best spectacle possible for our fan base. As I keep saying, it’s all about the fans.
“One thing that is certain, I have and always will express my opinion on situations as I see them, but will choose the words more carefully in the future. Now, let’s just get on with the racing.”
