Grid restrictions legal, as Dugal loses injunction
11/4/2002 15:56 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
AVESCO’s stringent grid restrictions are legally valid, the Supreme Court of Victoria found yesterday.
The V8 governing body and Touring Car Entrants Group (TEGA) successfully defended an application from one of its own members, Dugal McDougall Motorsport, to increase the grid capacity at this weekend’s Phillip Island meeting.
A request for an injunction was denied by Justice Beach and the team was forced to pay all court costs.
McDougall faces pre-qualifying tomorrow after he also failed to secure a position on the grid for the last round in Adelaide. The team argued for an increase in the grid capacity from 32 to 36 this weekend, an application supported by Dugal McDougall’s father Peter and Perkins Motorsport principal Larry Perkins.
But Justice Beach ruled grid capacity was at the administrators’ discretion.
"It is the function of TEGA and AVESCO to determine appropriate limits on the number of cars competing in any one race," Justice Beach said.
The ruling avoids an embarrassing back down by AVESCO, who have strictly enforced the 32-car grid capacity at ‘sprint’ rounds for the last few years, much to the dismay of teams on the fringe of qualification and their current/potential sponsors.
AVESCO CEO Wayne Cattach today promised grid restrictions – and the contentious pre-qualifying system – would continue.
"We are very happy with today's result,” he said. “Our role is to promote the V8 Supercar Championship Series and to protect the category rules. We are happy that the court has confirmed our position and that the rules relating to grid sizes will stand."
Mr Cattach said he was “disappointed” by the action brought by the McDougalls, “particularly on the eve of the Phillip Island round.”
"We think that today’s outcome recognises the competitive nature of V8 Supercar racing and the fact that our rules do not discourage this competition,” he said.
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