Damien White: The Official Word from Sydney

Having 28 new generation V8 Supercars cars travelling at an average speed of 146km/h for 6220 kilometres of twists, turns and straights is the basic premise of the 2013, 36-race V8 Supercars Championship.

It’s a battle that, for a total of 174,000km, churns through a fraction under 11,000 Dunlop tyres as 28 drivers bump and grind, hopefully towards the front. The stakes, and the pressure, are high on every single lap, every corner.

It is no surprise that the pressure on those in the judicial system is intense. The judicial stats reveal the 'aggro' that exists. There’s been more than 180 investigations from all sessions combined, resulting in fines that suggests an occasional lack of driving discipline, while the Championship point deductions are indicative of many numerical slaps on the wrist.

To be involved as an official puts you on the receiving end of an unrelenting, unforgiving and sometimes ungrateful pack of hungry and competitive drivers and team managers.

For Cameron McConville, the 2013 Driving Standards Observer (DSO) and Investigating Officer (IO) the year was tough. Passing judgment on people who were peers and colleagues less than 12 months prior would be tough; for anyone. To do it in such an intense environment takes some courage.

There’s no question the Sydney NRMA Motoring & Services 500 served up some incredible racing and, again, there were incidents that stirred the passion in many of you. “How the hell did Winterbottom get away with his hit on Lowndes without a penalty?” you screamed by angrily bouncing your fingers on the keyboard.

The sentiment, “two events in a row and both times Frosty escaped penalty free shows you’re biased” was echoed. Well, while Winterbottom has his fair whack of supporters, it is Lowndes who wins any race where first place is awarded to the number of hard core supporters in his corner.

The thing is, this is not a popularity contest. In all instances the DSO must remain impartial, taking into account many factors – none of which involve popularity. He applied his view of the facts available to him. Something the Stewards endorsed.

It’s important to understand the process that is applied before any decision, which was detailed in my last column. The point is, both drivers are asked their opinions and when the decision is made the opportunity exists for a team to take it further.

We saw this with Triple Eight at Phillip Island but, evidently, they were satisfied with the decision this time. McConville explained on the TV coverage why he didn’t think a penalty was required.

To maintain sporting integrity is critical. We don’t want drivers to become soft and lose all aggression for the fear of the principal’s cane being whacked on their leather clad fingers.

Equally, it’s in no-one’s interest for it to become a penalty-free panel-destroying slug fest; the risk is too high. Finding the balance is an ever evolving challenge.

Speaking of challenge, I challenged our own system last weekend. While I don’t have a view on SVG’s pass on Coulthard, I do have a view on someone being found guilty by the system, yet still being allowed to keep the silverware. It makes no sense! I understand your frustrations on that one, and we will review that for next year.

Finally, another controversial decision came after the contact between Lowndes and Winterbottom, the car of the latter having substantial damage. It, perhaps rebelliously, excites me to see your collective passion stream through our social media outlets and this particular topic generated some real intensity.

The primary consideration prior to displaying a mechanical flag for a car with loose bodywork is safety. Is there a piece of car flapping around which has a risk of flying over a debris fence into the crowd, for example? There is absolutely no doubt the damage on Winterbottom's car looked bad, and you were all screaming for the flag.

Much the same as for the DSO, the pit lane officials remove emotion and popularity and deal only with the facts available. We have the benefit of race control detailing any reports from sector marshals, numerous angles from all cameras, as well as a close up look as it drives past, which allows for an accurate assessment.

Most importantly, we have an intimate understanding of how each car is bolted together. Category Technical Manager Frank Adamson can tell you how many bolts are holding on all panels on all cars, including what bracketing and support braces they have, and so on.

In the case of the Winterbottom car, a determination was made that the biggest risk was a strip of rubber detaching and potentially flying over the fence.

To a lesser extent, in terms of distance it could travel, the side window was considered. Given the piece of rubber was small it was quickly determined to let the car continue. Please remain certain that much thought goes into these decisions before they’re made. All the information is considered, the risks are assessed and the decision made. It’s not a flippant yes or no, I can assure you.

I’m looking forward to more of the Official Word in 2014; and giving insight into how our incredible sport is managed from an operational level. See you in February.