V8 Supercars has changed its tyre regulation after a loophole was exposed by VIP Petfoods Racing at Townsville today.
The #49 entry, driven by Steve Owen, used just one hard tyre during today’s race – running its second stint with a combination of the tyre compounds.
The strategy, masterminded by team principal Paul Morris, raised eyebrows up and down the pitlane during the race, but was confirmed by V8 Supercars as being legal under the regulations.
The current sporting regulations state that “For Meetings where Hard and Soft Tyres are allocated, it will be a requirement for both compounds to be used in both Races”, with no mention of mixing the tyre compounds.
The V8 Supercars Commission met this evening where it was decided to amend the rules in order to ensure that the compounds aren’t mixed in future.
V8 Supercars commisioner and team owner Brad Jones confirmed that the rules have been amended for Race 15 tomorrow.
“The rule wasn’t written as, perhaps, it should have, so it made sense for it to be amended,” Jones told Speedcafe.com.
“If it wasn’t changed, everyone would have run the one hard tyre strategy, and we saw no point in that.
“Things will be back to normal tomorrow.”
V8 Supercars operations manager Damien White congratulated the VIP Petfoods team for its ingenuity.
“It’s a credit to VIP Petfoods and the Paul Morris team for exploiting the rules that are available to all teams,” White told Speedcafe.com.
Race 15 of the V8 Supercars Championship will be held at the Townsville street circuit tomorrow.
CLICK HERE for Speedcafe.com’s race report amd results from Race 14 today.
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Sucrogen Townsville 400 Race Guide
See below for Speedcafe.com’s Race Guide for the British Grand Prix, which is also taking place this weekend
