David Reynolds has been fined $25,000 for a ‘disgraceful’ comment about the Supergirls wildcard entry at Bathurst.
Reynolds referred to the Simona de Silvestro/Renee Gracie entry as the ‘pussy wagon’ during the post-practice press conference.
De Silvestro and Gracie are the first all-female combination at Bathurst since 1998, running as a one-off entry put together in part by V8 Supercars.
The wildcard is being run by as part of a five-car effort from Prodrive, which also prepares Reynolds’ The Bottle-O-backed Ford.
V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton condemned Reynolds’ choice of words in a statement confirming the penalty.
“Reynolds’ comments were disgraceful and completely unacceptable in our sport and he has been fined $25,000,” Warburton said.
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“Women are an integral part of our sport, whether they are fans, drivers or team members. And V8 Supercars will continue to support and promote female participation at all levels of our sport.”
The Supergirls wildcard is being backed by high profile sponsor Harvey Norman, whose CEO Katie Page attended the Mount Panorama Circuit today.
Reynolds followed up his initial comment in the press conference by expressing enthusiasm for having the wildcard in the field.
“I think it’s great,” he said.
“Renee and Simona are really good people, really good drivers and I hope they perform well. I really hope they go well.”
Prodrive has subsequently issued a statement from Reynolds apologising for the comment.
CLICK HERE to read Reynolds’ apology.
Fellow V8 Supercars driver Shane van Gisbergen meanwhile offered to help pay the fine via Twitter.
@daffidreynolds need a tenner bro?
— Shane van Gisbergen (@shanevg97) October 8, 2015
AUDIO: David Reynolds’ Supergirls comment
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