Does Supercars need to put an end to double stacking, at least in the enduros?
That is the question which we put to you in this week’s Pirtek Poll, off the back of the most recent Roland’s View column.
Roland Dane opined that Supercars should give each car its own pit bay at Bathurst and The Bend, the latter of which will host an enduro from 2025.
The former Triple Eight Race Engineering boss reasons that those circuits have enough room in pit lane for 24-plus bays and that there would be no need for extra crew members because the fuel fill would cover the time required to change tyres.
It would represent a major change to the enduros by removing one of the major risks for teams with two competitive cars.
Whether Brodie Kostecki/David Russell would have won the Sandown 500 had the #99 Erebus Motorsport entry not had to stack behind the sister #9 Camaro will never be known, but there is no doubt that it hindered their chances.
Double stacking has also been costly for Triple Eight at the Bathurst 1000 on multiple occasions and, in theory, any team could be affected.
It does certainly seem unfair or unfortunate that one entry might lose track position under a Safety Car simply because it is running in close proximity, albeit not quite as well, as the sister car.
It is also ironic when Supercars’ controversial primary driver/co-driver demarcation exists, in part, to maximise the number of contenders in the closing stages of a race.
However, it is intriguing to see how a team with two well-placed cars tries to strategise around the stacking risk, as Triple Eight successfully did so in this year’s Bathurst 1000 (until the #88 gear tower failure made such efforts redundant anyway).
One might also argue that it is desirable from an entertainment perspective when one car from the dominant team is relegated back into the midfield.
Furthermore, if it is good enough for Formula 1 to allow its teams only one pit box each, then it is good enough for the Australian Touring Car Championship, one might say.
However, F1 has not had in-race refuelling since 2010 and a pit stop typically takes less than three seconds, a gap which the trailing team car can quite easily create on its way to pit lane under Safety Car without having to resort to ridiculously slow driving.
If one does agree, in principle, that double stacking should be done away with, then the costs of such an initiative must also be considered.
That is likely to include new fuel rigs, for safety reasons, and potentially a change of brake pad and/or rotor specification, although a new brake package could very well reduce costs in the medium- to long-term.
It is an idea which might also have to wait for as long as Sandown is on the calendar, although that may only be the case for just one more season.
So, what do you think? Should Supercars put an end to double stacking (at the enduros, at least)? Cast your vote below in this week’s Pirtek Poll.
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