Stewards explain Waters unsafe release penalty

Stewards have given details as to why Cameron Waters was penalised for an unsafe release in Race 18 of the Repco Supercars Championship at the Beaurepaires Sydney SuperNight.

Waters had five seconds added to his race time after he was released from Tickford Racing’s #5/#6 pit bay as Broc Feeney was trying to enter Triple Eight Race Engineering’s, two bays up in the lane.

When told over the radio of the sanction, it prompted a furious response from the #6 Monster Energy Mustang pilot.

Tickford Team Principal Tim Edwards told Speedcafe it “defies belief,” reasoning that there was no contact.

However, according to the latest issued stewards report, Feeney had to brake “firmly” in order to avoid contact, and hence a breach had been committed.

“Following a request for investigation by Triple Eight Race Engineering that Car 88 was impeded in the Pit Lane by the release of Car 6 into its path, the Stewards conducted an investigation,” read the stewards report.

“Telemetry from Car 88 revealed that Car 88 braked firmly in the fast lane at the point when Car 6 was released in front of it and the brake was released when Car 6 was clear of Car 88.

“The Stewards were satisfied that Car 88’s path into its Pit Bay was impeded by the release of Car 6 into its path and imposed a 5 second Time Penalty on Car 6.”

Although not disclosed in the stewards report, the breach was presumably of Rule B7.3 of the Supercars Operations Manual, which states, in its entirety, “A Car being released from its Pit Bay must do so without impeding any other Car in Pit Lane.”

The penalty saw Car #6 relegated from third at the chequered flag to fifth in the final classification.

Meanwhile, Chaz Mostert has said it would be unfair to read too much into Waters’ sensational radio rant when told of the penalty by Race Engineer Sam Potter, because it was delivered in the ‘heat of the moment’.