The Grove team protested both Tickford Racing Mustangs and the #17 Dick Johnson Racing entry of Will Davison for breaching pit stop regulations in the Saturday race.
Supercars rules state that “Teams are required to position the ongoing tyres located on the fast lane side of the Car, within the area between the axle centre lines of the Car pitting.”
The rule exists to ensure teams don’t impede others with their wheel placement. It does not apply in endurance races, where driver changes occur, which appears to have caught out the teams involved.
Grove Racing is understood to have raised the issue with Supercars during the Saturday Gold Coast race and then protested the three cars after the finish.
A separate investigation also resulted in the #11 DJR and both Walkinshaw Andretti United Mustangs being found to have breached the same rule.
Each of the six entries in breach were docked 30 teams’ championship points and copped a $1500 fine.
The protest was particularly controversial as Groves argued the infringements delivered a sporting advantage, essentially pushing for penalties that would have stripped Tickford of its 1-2 finish.
In deciding on the punishments, stewards noted that Grove Racing “was not able to identify what that gain was nor identify how the gain could or should be identified.”
Tickford and Ford are known to be privately seething that a protest over what many deem to be a trivial issue could have cost the team’s first 1-2 finish in seven years and handed a Camaro victory.
There was a brief – but even more remote – possibility that fourth-placed Grove driver Matt Payne could have been elevated to the win amid questions over a Broc Feeney pit exit rejoin.
Footage showed Feeney driving on – but not definitively over – the blend line. The issue is believed to have been looked at, but no investigation was formally opened as no breach was apparent.
Cauchi on Sunday defended Grove Racing’s protest against two of its fellow Ford teams and has doubled down on the stance amid the fallout.
“We’re all there competing as individual teams. Supercars should have addressed the issue during the race, they decided not to do that,” Cauchi told Speedcafe.
“We decided to protest because we felt that’s what should happen. It’s a competitive sport, it’s not personal against any of the teams, it’s just racing.
“We all have a rulebook, and we shouldn’t be able to pick and choose what rules we adhere to and what rules we don’t adhere to.
“If I’d sent my pitstop crew out with an extra person I should get a penalty for that. We shouldn’t say, ‘oh no, it didn’t make a difference to the pitstop’ or whatever.
“It clearly says how many people you can have in a pitstop and sometimes it says where things need to be positioned.
“The reality is that we either need to enforce the rules or remove them from the rulebook. Decide, but don’t pick and choose.
“There are some rules you can get penalised for that are really, really harsh, but in that case, if you think they shouldn’t be rules, then take them out of the rulebook.”
Asked if the team believed it was a sporting advantage and that carry a time penalty, Cauchi added: “I believe it was.
“If we had the choice to choose to position our wheels we would have positioned them outside of the axle. 100 percent.”
The points penalties moved Grove ahead of DJR for fourth in the teams’ championship.
Angst over the protest raised questions over whether DJR would seek to block its 2024 co-driver Kai Allen from sampling a Penrite Mustang at Queensland Raceway on Tuesday.
The drive ultimately did take place.
Speaking on Supercars’ own Cool Down Lap Podcast, DJR boss Ryan Story downplayed the protest saga.
“When we go racing and we shut the lids of our helmets we’re all about getting the results for our individual teams, so be it,” he said.
Asked of the teams’ championship battle that involves Grove Racing, Story added with somewhat uncharacteristic candour: “Honestly, I couldn’t care less or give a shit.
“If you’re not winning or up the front, it doesn’t matter where you finish.
“Come back to me when we’re fighting over sheep stations. But fighting over P5 in the teams’ championship, whoop-de-f***ing-doo.”
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