Radical rule change floated amid Bathurst 1000 'disgrace'
Supercars officials are being urged to consider making a change that would have prevented the Bathurst 1000 'disgrace' that overshadowed Scott McLaughlin's triumph at Mt Panorama.
Fabian Coulthard’s 'go-slow' tactics during a safety cat period in Sunday’s race have sparked widespread anger, with some even calling for teammate McLaughlin to be stripped of the win.
‘THAT’S MATCH-FIXING’: Holden driver’s fury over Bathurst ‘disgrace’
Coulthard was initially slapped with a drive-through penalty after he dramatically slowed down during a safety car and held up the field behind his Ford teammate, who went on to claim his maiden Bathurst crown.
But Coulthard, who is third in the series standings, now faces a fine or loss of championship points after stewards ordered his DJR Team Penske team to face a hearing on the Gold Coast next week.
Mustang driver Lee Holdsworth said the whole fiasco could have been avoided if Supercars adopted a similar practice to NASCAR, whereby pit stops are off limits during a safety car period.
"That's the only way I can see it working, because too many times it plays out negatively for a number of cars, and you don't want this to be a game of luck," Holdsworth told Wide World of Sports.
"Two rounds in a row I've been affected by the safety car, and a number of others have as well.
"I would like to see the pits shut down or closed under the safety car, similar to the way they do it in NASCAR, and really, it's bad luck if you haven't got your fuel on board then.
Penrite Racing boss Barry Ryan led calls for McLaughlin to be stripped of his Bathurst title after insisting that his teammate cheated.
"Essentially that team blatantly cheated, I guess, and fixed the race, from that point,” Ryan told Autosport.
“There's no other way to look at it. It's pretty clear from the vision, the radio, the body language of the people they interviewed within the team that they did it on purpose.
"It's pretty damaging. Unfortunately, there is so much public damage going on around it anyway, we just don't need another thing like this that damages our integrity and the way our sport is perceived.
"They have got to be disqualified, the whole team has to be excluded. It’s not good enough because then you can buy Bathurst.”
McLaughlin set to keep Bathurst title
Officials will investigate whether Coulthard's actions influenced the outcome of the race after following team orders to slow down.
McLaughlin is not set to be stripped of his maiden Bathurst victory but governing body Confederation of Australian Motor Sport have confirmed the 2019 Bathurst 1000 results remain provisional until the hearing.
Coulthard sparked an uproar over his actions on Sunday, with Supercars legend Larry Perkins describing them as "disgraceful".
Critics weren't happy when a then-third placed Coulthard backed up the field as top two Jamie Whincup and McLaughlin raced to their garage for a pit stop to get much-needed fuel during the safety car period with 26 of the race's 161 laps left.
Coulthard's snail's pace under the yellow flag - in which drivers are not allowed to overtake - extended the gap between a hard charging Shane van Gisbergen and the leading duo from one to 47 seconds.
With agencies