Jamie Whincup, Cameron Waters apologise and avoid bans for outbursts at officials in New Zealand
A contrite Jamie Whincup has avoided a suspension for his extraordinary outburst at race officials in the wake of the safety car debacle at Pukekohe last weekend.
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Jamie Whincup will be made to spend time observing officials in race control, but has avoided a ban for his extraordinary attack on CAMS officials after the safety car controversy at Pukekohe last weekend.
The seven-time Supercars champion has apologised for his outburst as CAMS also accepted that mistakes were made from their end.
Whincup and Cameron Waters were both issued with please explain notices for post-race comments they made criticising race officials.
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CAMS also received a written apology from Waters and no further action will be taken against him.
Whincup had accused officials of not operating on the same level as the teams and “drinking red” each night after he believed the safety car had been wrongly deployed in front of him.
CAMS chief executive Eugene Arocca, Whincup and Supercars chief executive Sean Seamer discussed the events of last weekend and all agreed mistakes were made and improvements required.
Whincup said his comments had been out of place and accepted an opportunity to observe officials operate in race control, but no further action will be taken against him.
“I would like to offer my sincere apologies to the race control officials, and officials more broadly, for my comments following the recent Supercars round in Auckland,” Whincup said.
“While the comments were made in the heat of the moment following a long weekend, these kind of comments about our officials have no place in our sport.
“Everyone in the paddock is aware that we simply couldn’t compete without the dedication and sacrifices of all officials and I apologise unreservedly for any offence I have caused.”
Arocca accepted Whincup’s apology and said he would oversee a complete debrief on the events which unfolded at Pukekohe.
“We accept the right of competitors to dispute our decisions, however, personal attacks on the professionalism of officials have no place in any sport,” Arocca said.
“There is no doubt Jamie’s comments have upset many people, however, having had the opportunity to speak to him I know that he is genuinely remorseful for the offence he has caused, particularly in race control.
“We will take the opportunity to debrief the weekend and review all matters leading up to the deployment of the safety car, particularly given the unique nature of Pukekohe.
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We will always strive to do our best and continue to maintain the highest standards of professionalism in overseeing one of the most passionate and competitive race competitions in the world.”
Seamer said he would discuss the outcome of the CAMS review with Arocca when it was completed.
“In a sport like ours, driven by passion, these errors can and do get amplified. Eugene and I have discussed the various incidents that occurred on Sunday and we agree this was such a case,” Seamer said.
“Ultimately, the rules are the rules and we support CAMS and its officials in the implementation and application of those rules. We look forward to discussing the outcome of CAMS’ review and debrief of the race.”
Originally published as Jamie Whincup, Cameron Waters apologise and avoid bans for outbursts at officials in New Zealand