The hearing into Erebus Motorsport’s protest following Race 7 of the Repco Supercars Championship in Perth will be held mid-morning (local time).
A Motorsport Australia spokesperson has advised Speedcafe that a summons has been issued in recent minutes, after Erebus lodged a protest on the previous evening.
The hearing will take place from 10:15 local time/12:15 AEST, shortly after the two Supercars Championship qualifying sessions.
The stewards involved in the matter are also working on the Dunlop Super2 Series qualifying session which is just about to unfold (from 08:30 local time/10:30 AEST), and will then also be adjudicating on the Championship sessions which immediately follow, hence the timing.
It is hoped that an outcome will be known before the commencement of Race 8 of the season, which is officially scheduled for 11:45 local time/13:45 AEST.
Race 7 ended in thrilling circumstances, with Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen forcing his way past Erebus’s Brodie Kostecki on the penultimate lap of 42 around Wanneroo Raceway and going on to take victory.
Kostecki had not long been issued a bad sportsmanship flag for blocking, while van Gisbergen had repeatedly rammed the rear of the #99 Chevrolet Camaro in a bid to unsettle the then-leader.
Both would later admit that they are uncertain about exactly what the rules of engagement are, with van Gisbergen opining that drivers should be given more freedom in one-on-one battles.
Erebus CEO Barry Ryan, however, was left unhappy with the Triple Eight driver’s attempts to “unload” his, and declared that a “line in the sand” had been drawn.
“Shane was trying to get past, so he’s entitled to race,” Ryan told Speedcafe.
“But he’s not entitled to unload people. That’s the thing that pisses me off.”
Regardless of the protest outcome, Kostecki continues to lead the championship, with van Gisbergen currently third at 78 points in arrears.
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