EARL Bamber Motorsport’s #61 Porsche has been excluded from qualifying for the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour over a technical breach.
Laurin Heinrich set the second-fastest time in Part 1 of qualifying, which proved good enough to secure 14th place overall after the conclusion of Part 2.
However, the height of the car’s rear wing was measured as being too low by 1mm, even factoring in the 5mm tolerance allowed in the Balance of Performance specifications for the Porsche.
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The team disputed the scrutineers’ method of measurement, but its own method also found the rear wing to be too low.
The result is that the car will now forfeit its qualifying position, which leaves Heinrich and co-drivers Klaus Bachler and Ricardo Feller to start from the rear of the field in Sunday’s race.
Full Motorsport Australia Stewards explanation below:
At the hearing, the Stewards examined the report submitted by the TD (ed: technical director). The report stated that during Parc Ferme following Qualifying – Part 1, Car 61’s rear wing “Z Position” (height) was measured at -16mm. The minimum wing height specified in the current “Balance of Performance for FIA GT3 Cars” document for Car 61 is -10mm. Allowing for the permitted tolerance of +/- 5mm, the wing height did not comply with the Balance of Performance (BoP) document. Team representatives were present when the measurement was taken.
The Stewards decided that the wing height would be remeasured in the presence of the Stewards and team representatives. The wing height was first measured by the process used by the Chief Scrutineer. This involved a laser level attached to the roof of Car 61 which projected a horizontal beam towards the rear of the car which was used to measure the height of the rear wing. Allowing for the height of the beam above the highest part of Car 61’s roof, this produced a wing height measurement of -17mm.
The Stewards asked that the process be repeated, which resulted in a measurement of -16.5mm. Team representatives stated that the process used was likely to result in inaccurate measurements, which was significant given the small amount by which Car 61’s wing height was outside of the permitted range. The Stewards invited team representatives to make their own measurements. The team used a straight metal beam that was placed on Car 61’s roof and extended beyond the rear wing. A digital level was placed on the beam and the beam was lifted to be horizontal and the height of the beam above the wing measured. This produced a measurement of -20mm. The team was invited to repeat the process which resulted in a measurement of -17mm.
Team representatives conceded that the wing height did not comply with the BoP document. The usual penalty for a technical breach is therefore imposed.