Morris Penalised 50 Championship Points
15/6/2004 11:51 (Press Release) -
Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore driver Paul Morris was penalised 50 points after today's fifth round of the V8 Supercar Championship at Barbagallo Raceway near Perth.
Morris was penalised after stewards determined he was in breach of the Driving Code of Conduct in an incident which caused Craig Baird (Team Kiwi Commodore) and Jason Bargwanna (Orrcon Ford Falcon) to drive off the track.
The incident occurred on lap 21 in today's second race of the round.
Both Baird and Bargwanna took no further part in the race.
Morris' penalty, which was announced after a stewards hearing, meant his championship points tally was reduced from 444 to 394, and he dropped from 15th position in the series to 19th.
The penalty overshadowed a superb drive by Morris in the second of the three 42-lap races in West Australia. He started 28th on the grid, and improved 17 positions to finish the race in 11th position.
In the third and final race Morris was in 12th place on the opening lap, but went off the track after contact between the rear of his VY Commodore and another car. The 36-year-old Gold Coast driver resumed driving in 30th position and finished 26th.
Jason Bright won the round in a PWR Commodore. Pirtek Ford Falcon driver Marcos Ambrose displaced Steven Richards as championship leader. Ambrose leads the series with 872 points. The sixth round of the championship will be at Queensland Raceway near Ipswich from July 2-4.
PAUL MORRIS QUOTES: "I got alongside (Jason) Bargwanna and we tangled.
"Unfortunately the (onboard) camera in my car wasn't working, and it was determined I was in breach of the regulations. In the last race I came out of the right-hander going onto the back straight and the right-rear of my car made contact with another car behind me. I spun off. The two cars were going the same way and I wasn't in reverse (gear). It put me to the back of the field by the time I got going again."
RESULTS – RACE 2 (42 laps):
POS DRIVERS CAR TIME
1. Jason Bright PWR Holden Commodore 44:46.121
2. Rick Kelly Kmart Holden Commodore 44:47.050
3. Greg Murphy Kmart Holden Commodore 44:47.315
4. Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Ford Falcon 44:47.672
5. Garth Tander Repco Valvoline Holden Commodore 44:53.356
6. Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Holden Commodore 44:53.534
7. John Bowe OzEmail Ford Falcon 44:53.724
8. Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Commodore 44:55.027
9. Steve Ellery Super Cheap Auto Ford Falcon 44:57.115
10. Steven Johnson Shell Helix Ford Falcon 44:58.906
OTHER:
11. Paul Morris Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore 45:04.036
FASTEST LAP: Bright 56.287
RESULTS – RACE 3 (42 laps):
POS DRIVERS CAR TIME
1. Jason Bright PWR Holden Commodore 40:13.266
2. Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Holden Commodore 40:22.223
3. Marcos Ambrose Pirtek Ford Falcon 40:22.916
4. Rick Kelly Kmart Holden Commodore 40:32.627
5. Paul Weel PWR Holden Commodore 40:33.051
6. Garth Tander Repco Valvoline Holden Commodore 40:34.410
7. John Bowe OzEmail Ford Falcon 40:34.573
8. Steve Ellery Super Cheap Auto Ford Falcon 40:35.078
9. Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Commodore 40:35.250
10. Todd Kelly Holden Racing Team Commodore 40:36.461
OTHER:
26. Paul Morris Sirromet Wines Holden Commodore lap down
FASTEST LAP: Bright 55.944-secs
CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS (after round 5): Ambrose 872, R. Kelly 822, S.
Richards 820, Murphy 811, Bright 783, Bowe 638, Ingall 634, Tander 600, T. Kelly 597, Weel 569. Other: Morris 394 (includes 50-point penalty)
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