There was a sigh of relief throughout the British GT paddock and from organiser SRO shortly before qualifying at Brands Hatch for the championship’s latest round. After waiting just short of seven weeks, the UK’s National Court finally announced a decision regarding Fox Motorsport’s and Paddock Motorsport’s appeal from the previous meeting at Spa all the way back in July.
The overdue decision, which upheld the appeal made by the two teams, was welcomed across the board for several reasons. For the Fox and Paddock squads it was the end of a long process and vindication that they had done nothing wrong after racing under appeal at Spa all those weeks ago.
Both McLaren 720S GT3 machines failed post-qualifying checks, with the manufacturer having been handed a Balance of Performance boost prior to the session. A new engine map had been given to all teams running a McLaren (seven cars in total), over which they had ‘zero control’ or ability to change anything with regards to performance.
While the full verdict from the National Court has yet to be published, clearly it must have found that any anomalies were outside the control of the teams, with sensor issues believed among the paddock to be the likely cause.
“From our side, it was important to fight this, we were the innocent party and the last thing we wanted was our name and reputation dragged through the mud,” says Martin Plowman, driver and co-owner of Paddock.
“We were extremely confident in our case and our argument. Had there been a genuine discrepancy you try and minimise the damage and hold your hands up. This was one where we felt very strongly that we were innocent.”
Although Fox Motorsport with Nick Halstead and Jamie Stanley had taken victory, while Plowman and Graham Davidson finished seventh, both teams agreed that the bigger issue was clearing themselves of any wrongdoing rather than the result. A crucial point when you consider reputation is everything to sponsors and customers when considering which team to join next year.
Arguably just as important, the verdict also meant that the race result could be made official, which confirmed where teams and drivers stood regarding championship points and also the success penalties that were to be allocated for the Brands Hatch event. The plan from SRO heading into the weekend was to retrospectively apply the time penalties after the race, depending on the outcome of the Spa appeal. Very much making the best of a bad situation.
It could also have had huge ramifications for the championship on the day itself, with RAM Racing’s Ian Loggie mathematically able to win the overall GT3 title at Brands had results gone his way. It would have been an absurd – and bordering on farcical – situation for the Scot and the team if things had played out differently and subsequent celebrations had to be put on hold pending that appeal.
Submissions were made by the teams and McLaren over that nearly two-month period and, while time needs to be taken to consider all the evidence and no conclusions hastily reached, surely more appropriate deadlines could and should have been put in place to avoid this situation
Waiting on the verdict was a difficult situation for all, not least the championship whose hands were tied yet bore the full brunt from disgruntled competitors and fans. As RAM Racing team boss Dan Shufflebottom says:
“I know there was a bit of pressure on Lauren [Granville, championship manager] and SRO to get the appeal heard before this weekend. To get it on Saturday is unheard of but I’m pleased we know. It’s nice it’s no longer hanging over us.”
The question that must surely be asked now is why did we end up in this situation in the first place? Must it really take nearly seven weeks for a verdict to be reached and announced just hours before qualifying is due to get under way?
Submissions were made by the teams and McLaren over that nearly two-month period and, while time needs to be taken to consider all the evidence and no conclusions hastily reached, surely more appropriate deadlines could and should have been put in place to avoid this situation.
Let’s not forget, a British GT round has already been held this year with the result of the previous meeting still to be confirmed. RAM Racing’s appeal against the application of success penalties in the second race at Oulton Park, which was won on the road by Loggie and Jules Gounon, was not decided in time for the Silverstone event.
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As a result, SRO was left with no choice but to implement success penalties post-race once the Oulton result was overturned nearly two weeks after the Silverstone event. While the timeframe between Oulton and Silverstone on that occasion was less than a month, there can be no excuse for the situation that was almost left to unfold at Brands Hatch.
A potential PR disaster was thankfully avoided but, with so much at stake for the championship, teams and drivers, surely a deep look at the appeal process needs to be considered for the benefit of all in UK motorsport. Let’s just hope we’re not waiting seven weeks after the final round at Donington Park before we can officially confirm the champions…
