There was a point in time before the opening round of the 2014 V8 Supercars season when I wondered whether I’d actually have any worthwhile content to write about relating to motorsport for the late March / April period. Following the Clipsal 500 the only question was exactly what topic to write about. Therefore I’ve decided to touch on a couple of different topics before I go a bit more in-depth to conclude.
I’ll start with the new TV rights deal that was announced on the 28th of February. From next year onward there are just six rounds of the V8 championship broadcast live on free to air television with all rounds live on Fox Sports. If that’s not a step backward for the sport then I’m not sure what is. There will be many current fans of the sport that don’t have pay TV and if they’re anything like me a delayed ‘highlights show’ simply won’t stack up. In a day and age where there has never been more free to air digital channels I find it difficult to comprehend how James Warburton and his colleagues could be so happy with the deal. Every fan is crucial to all sporting codes and I fear V8’s just cut their fan base quite substantially.
The second issue I’ll mention is regarding the pit lane penalties that were imposed during the big one on the Sunday. I refer to both those given to Shane Van Gisbergen and Rick Kelly for accelerating too early in a safety car restart, also that of which was given to Jamie Whincup for his car controller putting his fingerprint on the front of the car. Unfortunately many professional sporting bodies have rules that lack a bit of common sense in their application. It was clear that the major acceleration of both SVG and Kelly came from within the prescribed acceleration zone and whilst they probably did creep a few K’s over the limit beforehand there would be minimal concrete evidence to actually prove it in such a short timeframe.
As for Whincup’s penalty, the car controller is prohibited to work on a car during a pit-stop. Surely putting his finger on a spot to indicate where to apply tape is merely something that can be mentioned in the next teams meeting and doesn’t require a pit lane penalty. Overzealous officialdom has the capacity to ruin any sport and I can’t help but feel that the above mentioned penalties were frivolous and unnecessary. Most importantly as demonstrated by Channel 7’s viewer poll which stated 79% of fans disagreed with the SVG/Kelly penalty it is not what the fans are after and just like every other sport it is the fans that matter most.
The third and major point I want to address is that of Scott McLaughlin and how he is an undoubted champion in the making. To me his sensational Saturday race results are irrelevant to this topic. It is his personality, work ethic and most importantly attitude that makes me feel that he will be one of the greats of the sport. I would imagine Garry Rogers feels the same way.
This was most clearly demonstrated to me following qualifying on the Friday of the Clipsal 500. His brand new Volvo rolled off the truck, having never been in competition before and following a sensational result young 20 year old
Scotty could only heap praise on his team. “I’m so happy for everyone here at GRM, it’s very emotional”. In addition when speaking about whether staying with Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) was a good move or not he spoke of his loyalty to Garry Rogers and repaying him for all of the faith that’s been put in him. “Garry gave me my shot, to repay him in this way and to repay the boys in this way is a very proud moment in my career and it will stick with me for a very long time.”
That might sound like a good bloke thing to do for many experienced drivers, but for most 20 year olds with $$$ signs in their eyes they would want both race wins and big money. Neither of which will be necessarily maximised at GRM, at least not in 2014. Loyalty is something that is dying in modern sport and this act by Scotty and the maturity that it displays should see praise heaped on the man. (Quotes from interview with Mark Larkham on Channel 7)
Without trying to bring negatives into such a positive story this can easily be compared to the situation regarding Shane Van Gisbergen of
2012/13. When Stone Brothers announced that their team would become the now Erebus racing under Mercedes rather than the previous Ford backed manufacturer he couldn’t run faster. Sighting fatigue he ‘resigned’ from the team and the sport to return to New Zealand and be with family etc etc. Yet only about one month later he had signed with his current team.
Despite Ross and Jimmy Stone putting up with SVG being the teenage cowboy that he was for years, damaging their cars through his over-aggression and immaturity, they stuck with him, acknowledging the underlying talent that he no doubt possessed and does now show. However, what did SVG give back to Stone Brothers in return? NOTHING! As soon as the going was about to get tough the Gis got going. Whilst no doubt it would have been a tough year at Erebus in my eyes, walking out on those that set you up in the industry in that way is a pretty low thing to do.
Therefore back to my original topic of Scotty McLaughlin, the above is an example of what such a young, inexperienced driver could have done. A man that will earn the respect of his peers will stick with those that gave him his first chance in the sport and will make it work, that is what he did at the Clipsal 500. Apart from slipping the F-Bomb, which let’s face it as fans we all loved. It was a near faultless opening weekend for Scott and I am just one of a rapidly growing bunch that are looking forward to seeing just what can be achieved by this young kiwi. So much driving talent and the attitude to match.
#V8Supercars
#SR
By Simon Lange
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