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Tasman's Grech calls for Safety Car changes prior to Bathurst 1000 |
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Thursday, 27 September 2007 |
The man who has been part of a record 10 Bathurst victories, Tasman Motorsport managing director Jeff Grech has called for a review of the Safety Car conditions ahead of next week’s Supercheap Auto 1000.
Grech says if changes aren’t made then race fans could be deprived of the best race finish for Australia’s great race.
Grech’s call comes after a number of cars, including Tasman’s lead Commodore with drivers Greg Murphy and Jason Richards, were ruled out of contention during the recent traditional Bathurst warm-up, the Sandown 500.
Amongst those also losing out were the factory Holden Racing Team Commodore of Todd Kelly and Nathan Pretty and factory Ford of Mark Winterbottom and Matt Halliday.
The cars had been amongst the race front runners but made compulsory pit stops under ‘green’ racing conditions.
When a Safety Car period was called later on, the race order became jumbled as the cars which held out from stopping dove in and out of the pits.
The situation had Murphy, who was sixth prior to Safety Car, and the others finding themselves lined up in front of race leader Craig Lowndes, all effectively going a lap down when the racing resumed.
Murphy subsequently received a drive-through penalty for holding up Lowndes when he instead was fighting to stay on the lead lap.
“Really, if we’re not careful we’re going to have a similar situation at Bathurst and that’s not the best outcome for the teams or fans,” Grech said.
Grech says the problem is easily rectified, allowing the Safety Car to wave past cars until the actual race leader was first in line.
“Effectively, what you’re doing is tidying things up; the leaders don’t lose anything as they have now got a clean track ahead.
The cars being waved around also aren’t jumping onto the end of a gravy train, they’re lining up on the back of the queue and they’ve still got traffic to get through.
“But what you’re not doing is ruling those cars out, as what was effectively done to five or six of them at Sandown.”
Grech said the issue, which had been spoken about by both V8 team managers and drivers prior to Sandown, could be cleared up in time for season’s biggest race.
“All the teams tend to agree on this - they really do need to have a good look at it. It’s up to the discretion of the race stewards and the Clerk of Course, they can do it now and have it right for Bathurst.”
Meanwhile, Grech says Bathurst remains the most important race for V8 teams on the calendar and Tasman will head to Mount Panorama prepared to challenge the series front runners.
“No one goes to Bathurst just for the weekend to throw chops on the barbecue and enjoy the scenery – I know I certainly don’t,” said Grech, who first enjoyed Bathurst success with the renowned Holden Dealer Team in the early 1980s."
“If you’re not going to Bathurst to win, you might as well stay at home."
“The race might be mixed up in the championship nowadays, but if you win Bathurst it doesn’t matter if you don’t win anything else – it’s motor racing’s Melbourne Cup. People who won’t normally watch a race will sit down for Bathurst from start to finish, and for the day they become V8 experts."
“I believe Tasman has a high chance of taking out the race. We’ve got a great package for the mountain – one of the best driver pairings with Murph and Jason, a reliable and strong car and solid Bathurst experience within the team. I think we’ve got a high percentage chance – 80 per cent plus.”
The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 takes place at the famous Mount Panorama circuit from 4-7 October.
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