![](https://speedcafe.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/WNT_SVG_incident_10_32.png)
Mark Winterbottom will keep fourth spot in Race 18 at the CoreStaff Darwin SuperSprint despite an investigation into contact he made in taking that position from Shane van Gisbergen.
The Team 18 driver had been pressuring van Gisbergen for several laps in the latter stages of the weekend finale at Hidden Valley Raceway before getting the move done on Lap 35 of 38.
Winterbottom stated shortly after the race that he was unsure if there had been a touch, but believed that the Red Bull Holden Racing Team had requested an investigation, which the stewards summary confirms.
The stewards ultimately did not find that a breach of rules had occurred.
“During the Race the RD conducted an investigation at the request of Triple Eight Race Engineering into an Incident at Turn 4 on Lap 35 when Car #18, Mark Winterbottom, overtook Car #97, Shane van Gisbergen, and contact occurred between the two Cars,” reads the final stewards summary of the event.
“After reviewing broadcast footage of the Incident and consulting the DSA, the RD determined that there was no evidence of a breach of the Rules by the Driver of Car #18.”
Said Winterbottom in his post-race television interview, “We went long to try and buy ourselves a bit more freedom in pit lane then and came out just behind ‘Giz’, who… I don’t know if you call it a B-double or what the wide version of that is.
“He moved a few times under brakes so that’s my opportunity to have a crack, and he slid wide.
“I don’t think I contacted him, did I? I think he slid wide but they’ve put in a protest like they do and we’ll see how we go.”
The stewards summary does confirm that Anton De Pasquale has been penalised by way of an extra five seconds on his race time for his run-in with Andre Heimgartner at Turn 1, late in the day’s earlier 38-lapper.
As such, the Penrite Racing driver drops from 10th to 12th, behind Heimgartner himself and the other Kelly Racing entry of Rick Kelly (Castrol Racing).
“Following the Race the RD conducted an investigation at the request of Kelly Racing into an alleged Incident at Turn 1 on Lap 31 when Car #99, Anton de Pasquale, made contact with the rear of Car #7, Andre Heimgartner, as a result of which Car #99 gained a position,” stewards reported.
“After an admission to the breach, the Stewards imposed a 5 second post-Race Time Penalty on Car #99 for a breach of Article 2.1.1 of Schedule B2 (Careless Driving).”
Time penalties for Chaz Mostert, Jack Le Brocq, and Garry Jacobson were decided during Race 17.
The former’s was the most prominent, given it occurred when he was engaged in a vigorous battle with Nick Percat over seventh position, the end result of which was that the R&J Batteries-backed Brad Jones Racing entry spun off into the weeds at Turn 1 on Lap 34.
In Race 18, Fabian Coulthard dropped from 10th at the chequered flag to 11th all told due to a five-second penalty for Careless Driving which was determined shortly after he gave Bryce Fullwood a nudge at Turn 14 on Lap 15.
Results: Race 17, CoreStaff Darwin SuperSprint Updated
Pos | Num | Team/Sponsor | Driver | Car | Laps | Race time |
1 | 17 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Scott McLaughlin | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:00.7900 |
2 | 97 | Red Bull Holden Racing Team | Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:10.4773 |
3 | 20 | DEWALT Racing | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:10.7222 |
4 | 12 | Shell V-Power Racing Team | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:16.0697 |
5 | 6 | Monster Energy Racing | Cameron Waters | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:22.1804 |
6 | 88 | Red Bull Holden Racing Team | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:23.2391 |
7 | 44 | Boost Mobile Racing | James Courtney | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:28.7738 |
8 | 5 | Truck Assist Racing | Lee Holdsworth | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:30.2153 |
9 | 18 | IRWIN Racing | Mark Winterbottom | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:31.5209 |
10 | 7 | NED Whisky Racing | Andre Heimgartner | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:32.8251 |
11 | 15 | Castrol Racing | Rick Kelly | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:35.6722 |
12 | 99 | Penrite Racing | Anton De Pasquale | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:36.9586 |
13 | 8 | R&J Batteries | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:38.1028 |
14 | 55 | Supercheap Auto Racing | Jack Le Brocq | Ford Mustang GT | 38 | 44:38.5261 |
15 | 14 | Brut Military Grade | Todd Hazelwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:40.7082 |
16 | 9 | Penrite Racing | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:41.0737 |
17 | 2 | Mobil 1 TM Middy’s Racing | Bryce Fullwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:41.7739 |
18 | 25 | Mobil 1 Appliances Online | Chaz Mostert | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:42.4874 |
19 | 4 | SCT Motor Sports | Jack Smith | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:47.4179 |
20 | 22 | Team SYDNEY | Chris Pither | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:49.6097 |
21 | 34 | UNIT Racing | Zane Goddard | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:50.5075 |
22 | 19 | Local Legends Racing | Alex Davison | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:55.5559 |
23 | 3 | Team CoolDrive | Macauley Jones | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 44:59.7948 |
24 | 35 | Yellow Cover Racing | Garry Jacobson | Holden Commodore ZB | 38 | 45:14.2845 |
Drivers’ championship After Race 18, updated
Pos | Driver | Pts |
1 | Scott McLaughlin | 1324 |
2 | Jamie Whincup | 1147 |
3 | Shane van Gisbergen | 979 |
4 | Chaz Mostert | 972 |
5 | Nick Percat | 915 |
6 | Cameron Waters | 893 |
7 | Mark Winterbottom | 890 |
8 | David Reynolds | 872 |
9 | Fabian Coulthard | 862 |
10 | Lee Holdsworth | 845 |
11 | Andre Heimgartner | 754 |
12 | Anton De Pasquale | 753 |
13 | James Courtney | 714 |
14 | Scott Pye | 704 |
15 | Jack Le Brocq | 652 |
16 | Rick Kelly | 650 |
17 | Todd Hazelwood | 643 |
18 | Bryce Fullwood | 564 |
19 | Jack Smith | 476 |
20 | Macauley Jones | 466 |
21 | Garry Jacobson | 449 |
22 | Chris Pither | 408 |
23 | Alex Davison | 334 |
24 | Zane Goddard | 288 |
25 | Will Davison | 231 |
26 | Jake Kostecki | 142 |