Walkinshaw Andretti United boss Ryan Walkinshaw has accused Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Broc Feeney of deliberately slowing down during a Safety Car in Race 4 of the Repco Supercars Championship.
The #88 Camaro driven by Feeney was ahead of Chaz Mostert’s #25 Mobil 1 Optus Ford Mustang when a Safety Car was called on Lap 7 for Jack Le Brocq’s contact with the wall at Albert Park.
“There was a bit of a slowdown from Feeney, it looked like he was trying to help Shane [van Gisbergen] out, which is a bit frustrating because he probably lost himself a win and us a podium,” Walkinshaw said.
Van Gisbergen crossed the finish line third and Feeney fourth under Safety Car, with both promoted a position once James Courtney was penalised.
The suggestion was that the #88 Camaro’s ‘slowdown’ enabled van Gisbergen time to pit and maintain track position.
“We haven’t cleared it up – you know, just had a bit of a smell from DJR at Bathurst, you know… It is what it is, we’ll go out today and give it a crack… when Chaz is a bit fired up he normally gets a good result,” added Walkinshaw as qualifying began on the morning after Race 4.
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The ‘DJR’ reference is to the events of the 2019 Bathurst 1000, when DJR Team Penske was fined for holding up the field after Fabian Coulthard was instructed to back up the pack in car during a late-race Safety Car period.
That saved Coulthard a double-stack and while the suspicion was that the more pertinent aspect was a ploy to protect team-mate and eventual race winner Scott McLaughlin, the latter was not ever established by officials.
Mostert shares the front row of tomorrow’s Race 6 of the Championship with Feeney, the Red Bull driver recording his first Supercars career pole in this morning’s session.
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