Surfer’s Paradise was anything but idyllic for several Supercars Ford teams on October 26th and 27th, 2024. Grove Racing filed protests against fellow Blue Oval teams, Tickford Racing and Dick Johnson Racing (DJR). The ensuing investigation revealed that three Ford Mustang GT racers had violated pit lane operational rules, resulting in fines and points deductions. To add insult to injury, DJR’s second entry was found to be in violation of the same guidelines after further investigation.
Grove boss David Cauchi spoke about the matter on a podcast posted to Supercars.com. He said that the No. 11 Mustang of Anton De Pasquale and the No. 17 Mustang of Will Davison were in violation of the sanctioning body’s pit lane guidelines, which state that the wheels must be placed between the axle center lines of the car during pit stops.
“Rules are rules, we’ve all got to play by the rules,” Cauchi said. “They all impact performance. It’s so tight as you can see, we’re all fighting for the smallest marginal gains. Unfortunately, Supercars didn’t really act after they’d seen it, so it left us with no choice but to act on it.”
DJR team boss Ryan Story was a bit upset that Grove filed protests against DJR and Tickford, despite the fact that they all race under the Supercars Ford banner.
“Oh look, as the Bard said in Act 2, Scene 1 of The Tempest, ‘What’s past is prologue’. It is what it is,” he said. “When we go racing and we shut the lids of our helmets, we’re all about getting the best result for our individual teams, and so be it.”
DJR CEO David Noble joined the conversation, saying, “We just focus on trying to get ourselves up the ladder. As you can see, we’ve got a lot to review for ourselves, let alone worry about all the other shenanigans going on. But for us, it’s just about learning from the weekend, preparing for Adelaide, and trying to finish the season with a strong podium.”
Each Supercars Ford team was handed a monetary fine and had teams’ championship points deducted.
No Comments yet