Fallout from this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 continues for DJR Team Penske, with today's announcement of various penalties following an investigation into an engine breach in the car of Scott McLaughlin.
The team have incurred a AUD$30,000 fine, they've surrendered last month's Bathurst 1000 pole (and the subsequent record), and McLaughlin and co-driver Alex Premat have been relegated to the back of the grid for this afternoon's Penrite Sandown 500.
Officials confirmed that the No. 17 Ford Mustang's engine used in qualifying for the Bathurst event was found to have valve lift values in a number of cylinders that breached maximum values in the category's regulations. It was also confirmed that the inconsistency was thought to have not been deliberate, and that minimal gains were made off the back of the variation.
The engine in question ran during qualifying, but was swapped the night before the race proper due to an issue with fluids and reported fears it wouldn't survive the 1000km race.
“Following the Event, Engine 009, which was used in Car #17 in Practice Sessions 1 to 7, in Qualifying for Race 25 and in the Top 10 Shootout (and then replaced prior to the Warm Up for Race 25), was examined by Supercars Technical personnel and the valve lift in a number of cylinders was found to have exceeded the maximum permitted valve lift prescribed by the ESD for Car #17,” read the stewards report.
“Car #17, Scott McLaughlin/Alexandre Premat, is disqualified from Qualifying and the Top Ten Shootout for Race 25; and [...] A Fine of $30,000 is imposed on Racing Team (Aust) Pty Ltd; and [...] Car #17, Scott McLaughlin/Alexandre Premat, is relegated to rear of Grid for Race 30 in the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.”
It's the second big penalty that DJR Team Penske has incurred from Bathurst, following the AUD$250,000 fine ($100,000 supended) and 300-point team penalty handed down for breaching FIA sporting codes regarding the instruction for Fabian Coulthard to slow down during the final phase of the race; a move that was judged to have unjustly altered the order of the race.