Bright’s weekend had a bizarre start after a seized engine – later revealed to have been illegally tampered with – cost him participation in the crucial 90-minute first practice session.
With the engine replaced, Bright and his team began their weekend in Saturday’s second practice session and made remarkable progress to have him starting the first of two 140km races from sixth position.
“Full credit to the guys, we’ve had a pretty crook start to the weekend and we’ve come back and shown what we’re about,” Bright said. “Our car wasn’t ever great around here and we really wanted that 90-minute session to sort a few things out, so we were a fair way behind when we finally got started.”
Bright finished fourth and third in the two races to cement third placing for the round behind eventual winner Marcos Ambrose, who moves into second place in the championship just 13 points behind Bright.
“Our ambition was to win the weekend and not concede points to anyone, but that became a lot more difficult after what happened on Friday,” Bright said. “We’ve only ended up losing a handful of points to Ambrose so we probably should feel pretty good about that.
Following the race, PWR Racing owner Kees Weel addressed a press conference to explain the circumstances surrounding the Friday engine failure, in which the throttle jammed open at high speed with potentially dangerous consequences.
He said a post-session examination of the engine by crew members found a plastic bag and several bolts and washers jammed within the throttle and pistons, none of which were used by the team anywhere on the car.
“There’s only one way that stuff can get in there, and that’s if it was put there by someone,” he said.
“We’re not accusing anybody but we’d hate to see anything happen to anyone else. Whoever did it, knew what they were doing. We’re making people aware that we’re not happy, that it was dangerous and life-threatening. There are evidently some people out there who can’t be trusted.
“It makes me sick, just absolutely sick, that someone would do something so bloody stupid and dangerous. If the throttle had stuck two seconds before that, Brighty could have been smashed into the bridge or off the side.”
The next round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series is the Sandown 500 in Melbourne, where Bright and Weel will partner to drive the #50 car and Matthew White and Marcus Marshall will drive the #16 car.
Got this from the V8 supercar site and edited only what was needed.
Well, if it truely was tampered with, whoever did it is an idiot and should be banned for life from motor racing or anything to do with it. Should also be charged with attempted murder too. I dont care if it was a Ford fan/team member, a Holden fan/team member or someone with a personal grudge, that sort of thing can kill and I wouldnt wish that on any of them.
Apparently it was Bright's car.In Friday's practise his throttle stuck open as he went across the Yokohama bridge and he managed to get it safely stopped by using the clutch from what I heard.
There was a report in todays' Daily Telegraph {in Sydney} stating that "the cars were not locked up in the trailer {as is the usual practise} nor was the bonnet locked {again as is normal practise} on Thursday after the day's checks had been done. So,it seems to me that someone was not doing their job properly in PWR and just won't admit it.
You have a good idea there Casper on banning/charging the person responsible,but finding them is another matter.
oh boo hoo bright. It is too suspicious. WHo has access to the garages? IS there any proof that there was any tampering and not a mistake by a mechanic?
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Bag of muts and bolts IN the pistons?? Been a big day but I don't get it.
Someone please make it obvious how nuts and bolts in a bag can remain in the
piston of a firing engine AND cause the throttle to be stuck.
Things jammed in the throttle too?
Nobody looked at the pedal or linkages all morning?
This doesn't add up. But I'm tired as well
Have to agree with you there,Scoob.It just doesn't add up at all.I know the circuit is out in the sticks,real countryside,the place is surrounded by dairy farms,but just who would know which garage to go to late at night anyway?And as they said,it was parts that they did not use anyway.
Marcos came on the ten news tonight an said something smells of bullturd.
His reason for the crap theory: Why would the team not get the police involved, why would they make a hoohaa about it TWO DAYS AFTER it actually happened on thursday night for the friday practice?
Publicity ala WWE to me.
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H2 pwnz j00 foo.
translation of PWR press release: "Oh poor us, our car is getting "sabbotaged" and our closest competitors for the championship have been found with illegal cars boo hoo, pity us and favour us in future decisions"
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Marcos Ambrose, V8 Supercar Champion 2003 2004.
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