Dane: Issuing DJRTP fines ‘a waste of time’

Triple Eight boss Roland Dane believes issuing fines to Shell V-Power Racing is a ‘waste of time’, arguing points penalties and exclusions would better suit a team of that stature.

The Supercars paddock is still reeling from a second significant penalty issued to DJR Team Penske for a rule breach during the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 weekend.

Hours before Sunday’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500, CAMS stewards issued a $30,000 fine to DJRTP after it was found the engine in the Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat #17 Mustang used in qualifying had broken regulations regarding maximum valve lift.

In addition to the fine, the entry was disqualified from qualifying and the Armor All Top Shootout at Bathurst, officially stripped of its pole position, and relegated to the rear of the grid for the Sandown 500.

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This penalty follows a record $250,000 fine and a deduction of 300 teams’ championship points after DJRTP was found guilty of breaking the FIA International Sporting Code during the Great Race.

The penalties have created plenty of uproar amongst fans, rival teams, and drivers, who have suggested the sanctions do not go far enough.

Reflecting on the decision, Dane feels that is futile to fine the best funded squad in the series.

“To be honest, any penalty that fines that team is a waste of time,” Dane told selected media.

“They’ve got more money than the rest of us put together and the only thing that I think they’ll understand in that team is points and exclusions, but it is what it is.

“We have an independent judiciary and it’s up to them, not up to me.”

That said, Dane does not wish to see CAMS remove fines as part of its disciplinary options.

“No, I mean, the monetary penalties (that have) been applied in the past mean something,” he added when asked if the category should move away from monetary penalties in the future.

“The average team up and down here (in the pitlane) can’t afford to have a $5000 fine.

“It’s all a matter of what you can afford, and clearly they can afford a lot more than anyone else.

“For the rest of us, who operate on a very different basis, monetary fines can still mean something, but yeah, the last few weeks have been exceedingly unpleasant for the championship.”

Dane is not the only team boss upset by the situation as several team owners made their views on the penalty clear after Sunday’s race.

Walkinshaw Andretti United’s Ryan Walkinshaw believes the fallout following the Great Race has been particularly ‘unfair on the fans’.

Meanwhile, Brad Jones Racing boss Brad Jones joined the chorus of team representatives that believe the penalty was not ‘hard enough’.