Last-minute changes to Ruapuna pit lane

A number of teams were impacted by a decision on Wednesday to shuffle pit bays to ensure better spacing in what is a tight pit lane.

Early analysis of pit bay markings triggered a discussion about spacing and a paddock-wide agreement that changes needed to be made.

While pit booms are usually directly in front of each team garage, the changes have created some oddities, such as Erebus hanging its boom off a temporary building used as the medical centre, Dick Johnson Racing’s boom being in front of the Dunlop tyre garage and Triple Eight’s boom in front of the Supercars scales.

“Once all of the teams set up their booms and pit boxes [on Wednesday] we started having dialogue with a few of the teams,” Supercars motorsport boss Tim Edwards told Speedcafe.

“Typically you wouldn’t see the Triple Eight boom in front of the Supercars scales garage or the DJR boom in front of the Dunlop garage, we usually put them right in the middle of their bay.

“But we all felt, collectively, if we spread it all out and even the gaps up – and yes it displaces some people, but it would just be better for everybody. So that’s what everybody did last night.”

Edwards praised the collective thinking of the teams, particularly the likes of Erebus and DJR that had clear runs into their pit bays anyway.

That is because Erebus is the first garage at pit entry, due to its place in the teams’ championship, while DJR was situated next to garages allocated to Dunlop and Supercars TV assets such as the Hino Hub.

“We set it up, everyone put their markings down and some said, ‘that’s going to be tight, that’s going to be an issue getting in and out if your neighbour is in’,” explained Edwards.

“It was great. I spoke to every team last night when we were workshopping it. People were fine about it, they saw that they would get a better run in and out, it would be more seamless and not compromise race strategies.

“Not one team didn’t agree with it. And the teams that had good run-ins, like Erebus and DJR, they could have said, ‘no, I’m not moving’.

“But everybody agreed for the greater good.”