Erebus CEO Barry Ryan has been reprimanded for trying to push Mark Winterbottom out of his garage after his 56G crash with Will Brown at the Auckland SuperSprint earlier this month.
Winterbottom and Brown collided on the first lap of Sunday afternoon’s race as they went side by side through the super-fast turns 9 and 10. The nudge sent Brown spinning off the track and slamming sideways into the pit entry wall, totalling his car.
The crash infuriated the Erebus team, particularly after Winterbottom chose not to apologise for the incident in a TV interview in the aftermath.
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The 2015 champion subsequently received a frosty reception when he turned up in the Erebus garage to talk to Brown.
Accusing Winterbottom of deliberately putting his driver out of the race, Ryan twice attempted to push him out of the garage during a three-way verbal spat. The Team 18 driver eventually said sorry but left with the matter largely unresolved.
Despite Winterbottom being slapped with a drive-through penalty for reckless driving, Ryan later said that Motorsport Australia should strip the veteran of his licence. The stewards announced several days later that they had opened an investigation, but into the pit lane altercation.
On Tuesday the stewards returned their verdict, with Ryan handed a reprimand for “intentionally [making] physical contact, which includes any type of assault with another person, except in self-defence”.
“[Winterbottom] was unaware that the authorised representative of Erebus had sent a message to his counterpart at Team 18 requesting that [he] not attend the Erebus garage because emotions within the Erebus team were high and the team needed time to focus on assessing whether the car was repairable,” the stewards said in their ruling.
“The first contact involved [Ryan] using the back of his hand to touch the driver’s left arm to direct the driver towards the door of the garage at the same time as asking the driver to leave the garage.
“There was no force behind the push.
“The second contact occurred a short time later and involved [Ryan] pushing the driver’s upper arm using the open face of his hand, again at the same time as asking the driver to leave, the driver having not left after the first contact.
“The second contact was evidently more forceful that the first because it pushed [Winterbottom] off balance, albeit slightly.
“The second contact … involving more force, was unwarranted and went beyond the bounds of social norms even though it was not threatening and caused no harm to the driver.”
The stewards report also noted that Ryan “acknowledged that he made an error of judgment and that physical contact with the driver was unnecessary”.
Erebus was concerned on Sunday night in Pukekohe that the car was unsalvageable, which would scupper plans to run a third car for Greg Murphy and Richie Stanaway at Bathurst next month.
But after inspecting the car back at base last week, the team said it was hopeful it could complete major repairs in time to take the car to Mount Panorama.
“We’ve got it to Mount Gambier and on the jig this morning,” Ryan said. “The whole rear of the car is getting cut off and we’ll replace it all.
“Once it’s done, we’ll get it to paint and then back in the workshop and start to replace all the componentry and bodywork.
“Almost every tube in the back half of the car has either been torn, twisted or bent. Items like our gearbox, fuel tank housing, drive shafts and suspension components also need to be repaired or replaced.
“We knew there had been substantial damage, though you always find more as you start to pull parts and panels off it.”
The team’s optimism was a relief for Murphy, who was due to enter last year’s Great Race with Erebus before Covid travel restrictions made the plan unworkable.
“I wouldn‘t have taken it too well if we’d have had to postpone it again, but I know everyone was willing to move hell and high water to make sure that didn’t happen,” Murphy said.
“I was positive about a solution being found, no matter what that was, and it’s great news to hear that the team are going to be able to repair car 9.”
Murphy praised the Erebus mechanics, who were up against the clock to complete works in time.
“The crews really are the unsung heroes of the game,” he said. “They’re so passionate and committed to the sport, the jobs they do, and when something like this happens they’re really forced to dig deep.
“It’s going to take a lot of hard work, but the team know what they’re doing. They’ve done it before, and to know that it’s all under control is great.
“It’s not new but it still shouldn’t go unrecognised, it’s amazing and deserves a lot of praise and acknowledgment.”
The Bathurst 1000 runs from 6 to 9 October.
