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Red Bull protests decision to allow Courtney in top ten shootout

There's some controversy in Bathurst and the race hasn't even begun!

Warren Luff, HRT

Warren Luff, HRT

Edge Photographics

TeamVodafone Principal Roland Dane
Warren Luff, HRT and Craig Lowndes crash
Warren Luff, HRT
Warren Luff, HRT
Warren Luff, HRT and Craig Lowndes crash
Winner James Courtney, Holden Racing Team
Garth Tander and Warren Luff, James Courtney and Greg Murphy
Garth Tander and Warren Luff
Garth Tander and Warren Luff, Holden Racing Team
Race winner Garth Tander, second place James Courtney

Amidst the chaos which resulted in the No. 2 Holden Racing Team (HRT) Commodore withdrawing from the Bathurst 1000 tomorrow, they’ve also vacated a spot in the upcoming top-ten shootout. To most people, it’s not a ‘top-ten shootout’ unless there’s ‘ten’ cars shooting it out (emphasis on the ‘ten’ part).

One would easily think that if a spot is vacated that you would simply bump the 11th placed qualifying car into the top-ten and you’re back to ‘ten’ cars again, right?

Well, you’d be wrong. At least according to the Red Bull boss.

The fact another car is no longer able to take part in it is irrelevant.

Red Bull's Roland Dane

Red Bull Racing Australia team owner, Roland Dane, has threatened to file an official protest if the #22 HRT car of James Courtney is elevated into the shootout. Citing that it breaches the official V8 Supercars rules, Dane took to the rule book to make his case.

“The shootout will be regarded as a qualifying session for those drivers who achieve the 10 fastest times in qualifying,” he read.

He is just going to waste his money. It’s not my decision to put 22 into the 10, it was the stewards.

HRT's Adrian Burgess

“He (Courtney) didn’t, he’s not eligible,” Dane said.

“The fact another car is no longer able to take part in it is irrelevant.”

Dane is fired up

In response to the logical argument that having ‘ten’ cars in a top-‘ten’ shootout is good for television, Dane went on to say, “I don’t care about the TV show from this point of view. We have a set of rules and that is what we run to.

“So the minute we start doing this and having world wrestling federation we might as well go home.”

HRT pushes back against Red Bull

Adrian Burgess of HRT quickly dismissed Dane’s concerns.

“He is just going to waste his money. It’s not my decision to put 22 into the 10, it was the stewards.”

In a sport which is vast need of positive television exposure (emphasis on the ‘positive’ part), it’s always good to know that there are people like Burgess involved.

Or should we just be frightened that people like Dane are involved?

UPDATE

It appears that the Dane got his wish, because the stewards have rescinded their decision to allow James Courtney in the top ten shootout.

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