Baird defends non-penalty over Golding-Pye incident

Supercars Driving Standards Advisor Craig Baird has defended the lack of penalty over James Golding’s Surfers Paradise flick spin in a social media exchange with Scott Pye.

Golding spun after thumping the tyre wall at the front chicane on Lap 78 of the final race of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, coming to rest pointing opposite circuit direction on drivers’ left at the blind exit of Turn 3.

The following three cars got through but Pye was next on the scene as the PremiAir Racing driver executed a flick spin, and his evasive action caused him to hit the wall and incur race-ending damage to #20 Team 18 Camaro.

Pye declared to Speedcafe that Golding, his Bathurst 1000 co-driver in 2021, is “one of the dumbest race drivers I’ve ever come across,” but was also angered by there being no penalty.

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He took to social media to express those views as well, with Baird weighing in on the South Australian’s Instagram post.

“I feel for [Pye] I really do,” wrote the Supercars DSA.

“But Golding didn’t breach any rules as the corner before was under yellow flag conditions warning drivers.

“Yes Golding had better options.”

The replay of Pye’s in-car broadcast camera footage shows that there was indeed a yellow flag waving at the marshal post immediately prior to where the stricken #31 Camaro sat.

However, the Team 18 pilot dismissed Baird’s explanation as ‘arse-covering’ when he responded in the Instagram comment thread, citing what little reaction time he would had given the front chicane follows the fastest part of the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit.

“[Baird] this is ass covering and you know it,” he wrote.

“We were six seconds behind him on track. Flag point prior would have got it out so close to me arriving at 270kph. But how much speed do you really think I could have wiped off in that time for a single waved yellow to avoid a car doing a flick spin on race line.

“He had a six second gap after me and was parked off race line, cars had already made it passed. He then did a flick spin blocking the race line.

“But ok if under yellow there is no longer such thing as a dangerous re entry you have just opened yourself up to a lot of issues in the future.

“Imagine he was driving back from an escape road and t boned me? Different?

“I am not surprised you’re in the comment section looking for friends because theres not a driver that agrees with you.”

The post-race stewards report issued to media confirmed “A Request for Investigation received from WFL Racing Pty Ltd alleging that Car 31 caused the collision with Car 20 at Turn 3 on Lap 77” but also that the matter was not referred to stewards because the DSA and Deputy Race Director determined no breach of rules had occurred.