R8 PENALTIES - Enforcer backlash: Ingall's comments spark inquiry
18/7/2000 19:37 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) - Russell Ingall could live to regret his spiteful post-race outburst at Queensland Raceway a fortnight ago, with CAMS launching an inquiry into “the Enforcers” comments.
Ingall was fuming following an altercation with Mike Imrie in the first race at Queensland Raceway two weeks ago, and vented that anger in the post-race Press Conference on Sunday afternoon.
Ingall showed no remorse for punting Imrie off the track after he “blocked” his passing move on Mark Larkham in the first race, labelling him an “idiot” for his actions, and then set about attacking the CAMS licensing system for allowing inexperienced drivers to race at the highest level.
"We need to get rid of these idiots, it's bad for the sport," Ingall said after the event.
"These things wouldn't happen if there was a proper licensing system to only have drivers who are capable on the tracks. I did every driver a favour this weekend and if they don't do something about it they're stupid," he said.
The Castrol racer was found guilty of Careless driving for his actions, and penalised the maximum amount – a $10,000 fine and 20 point deduction – however it now seems that penalty could be increased after Ingall’s outburst.
Ingall attended a hearing at Winton on Sunday for, allegedly, “bringing the sport into disrepute.”
Results of the hearing will be announced at the next round at Oran Park in two weeks time.
Hearings were also held into other matters arising from the weekend’s racing at Winton. The results of those hearings are as follows:
FRIDAY JULY 14:
## An inquiry was held into an incident from the previous round at Queensland Raceway between Craig Baird, Steven Richards, Richard Forbes, Thomas Mezera and Cameron McLean. After viewing video coverage of the incident it was found that there was inadequate evidence to warrant any further action.
SATURDAY JULY 15:
## An inquiry was held over from the previous round regarding an incident between Rob Forbes and Steven Ellery. Video evidence was analysed and the findings showed the cars had made contact. The findings of the hearing state that Steven Ellery had breached the V8 Supercar rules and was subsequently fined $1,000 for his actions.
## Paul Radisich was involved in a hearing after he allegedly passed another competitor under a yellow flag. He stated that he did not see the yellow flags as they were situated on the left side, while he was passing someone on the right side. The lack of evidence meant that no further action was needed.
## During Practice Session 2 Steve Reed was found to have re-entered the circuit in a dangerous fashion after not taking reasonable care and was therefore fined
$500.
SUNDAY JULY 16:
## The first lap incident between Mark Skaife and Neil Crompton in Race 1 resulted in an inquiry. The two drivers made contact, which spun Mark Skaife around and following cars collided with his stranded car. The findings of the hearing, however, warranted no further action to be taken.
## Paul Romano was given a stop/go penalty for not joining the end of the line during a Safety Car session, when re-entering the circuit during Race 1.
## Cameron McConville and Russell Ingall made contact in Race 2 resulting in a hearing into the incident. It was concluded that both drivers contributed to the incident and as both suffered as a result of it, there was no need for any further action.
## Race 2 also saw an incident between Paul Morris and John Faulkner, resulting in John Faulkner spinning off and losing a number of positions. After the hearing it was found that both drivers contributed to the incident and, as such, no further action was needed.
## An inquiry was held into the Ultratune Racing Team regarding its alleged breach of the V8 Supercar Testing regulations. It was found that Ultratune Racing Team had shown intent to inform AVESCO of their request to test at Eastern Creek July 14, even though it fell within the two days prior to the required regulations. The team explained that they wanted to hold the test briefly to test two engines and a driver, in order to make sure that they were going to be competitive at this round. The stewards found Ultratune Racing team to have breached two different rules and fined $250 for each offence. The first was a breach of the OM Rules 2.9.3.1 (Failure to advise AVESCO of a change of circumstances), the second for testing without an AVESCO Test Log Book.
## Race 3 saw an incident between John Bowe and Garth Tander, which resulted in John Bowe allegedly overtaking Garth Tander under the yellow flags. The hearing proved inconclusive as the evidence was inadequate and therefore no further action was necessary.
## Rick Bates was found to have exceeded the Pit Lane Speed Limit and was fined
$400. This resulted from his inexperience in the class and that when entering the pits he had forgotten to swap the menus on his dash from race to pit mode.
## Craig Lowndes was issued a stop - go penalty for a driving infringement in relation to an incident involving himself and Jason Bargwanna during Race 3.
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