CAMS V8 SUPERCAR STEWARDS DECLARE BESNARD WINNER AT SYMMONS PLAINS
29/11/2004 19:10 (Press Release) -
CAMS V8 Supercar Stewards today released their findings over the running
of Race 3 at Symmons Plains, Tasmania on 14 November 2004, declaring
David Besnard the winner, followed by Jason Bright and Mark Skaife.
The Stewards determined that race officials were in fact correct in
their assessment of the situation in the first instance, but after
considerable pressure from numerous sources in pit lane, they corrected
the "perceived error" which resulted in the wrong driver receiving the
chequered flag at the conclusion of Race 3.
A Safety Car deployment after Paul Weel's crash started the chain of
events leading to the doubt over the result of Race 3.
Race Director Tim Schenken deployed the Safety Car immediately after
Weel's crash. Under normal circumstances, the Safety Car waits for the
race leader before entering the circuit however Schenken believed that
the circumstances of the Weel crash demanded that whole field needed to
be slowed and controlled immediately. In this instance, the safety Car
picked up the first possible car on the race track, car #51, Greg
Murphy. While unusual, this type of Safety Car deployment is in
compliance with the rules.
At the time that the Safety Car was deployed, there were four cars
running in front of Murphy that had not completed their compulsory pit
stop. Murphy and the rest of the field had completed their stops
already.
The four cars (#50, Jason Bright, #23, David Besnard, #2, Mark Skaife,
and #75, Anthony Tratt) made their stop and exited the pits before the
Safety Car completed a lap of the circuit and reached pit lane, thus
gaining a lap over the rest of the field in accordance with the rules.
Schenken instructed the Safety Car to wave other cars through and pick
up the leader of the group of four, the actual race leader, David
Besnard. It was at this time that the majority of teams in pit lane
objected.
As a result of the objections, senior officials experienced doubts over
the accuracy of the timing information and took steps to adjust what
appeared to be a timing anomaly based on what teams were saying.
The stewards' investigation has since shown that the timing information
was correct and that David Besnard was the race leader during the Safety
Car period.
The results were established by the Stewards at the conclusion of lap 41
in accordance with the FIA procedures thus awarding car #23, David
Besnard, the victory.
The CAMS Stewards made their findings after reviewing detailed timing
printouts, Network 10 footage and in-car footage to ascertain what
occurred at the time of the deployment of the Safety Car in Race 3
following the crash of Paul Weel.
Release Date: 21/11/2004
CAMS
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