V8 Team Caught Cheating

[murph_fan]

Team Dynamik was seen testing a camouflaged Team Dynamik Holden Supercar last Saturday at a South Australian Airfield (Woomera Airfield).

If the team are found guilty, they could face up to $250,000 fines for breaching the rules and stripped of all points gained in the 2004 season.

NEWS FROM FOX SPORTS (http://www.news.com.au) - by Robert Grant.

TEAM Dynamik faces expulsion from the V8 Supercar Championship after being caught illegally testing in secret at an abandoned South Australian airfield.

Driver Simon Wills was spied running a camouflaged Holden Commodore at Woomera airfield last Saturday.

The car had reportedly been taken to the outback centre in a transporter with the team name and identifying logos plastered over.

It is understood the V8 was running with all identification taped over as the team conducted an unsanctioned trial.

Supercar Series organiser AVESCO received an anonymous tip-off and a representative in Adelaide drove to Woomera and caught the test run on film.

The team could be subject to disqualification from the championship and a $250,000 fine if found guilty of illegal testing, one of the competition's most serious breaches.

Wills and team members, including team manager Oscar Fiorinotto, were approached by officials who seized the car's ECU data storage box after noting equipment being used during the test.

The car's engine, chassis and roll bar serial numbers were all taken down and the ECU impounded.

An AVESCO spokesman confirmed that the matter was being investigated by the Touring Car Entrants Group (TEGA).

"We are investigating an alleged breach of the testing rules by one of our teams," the spokesman said.

"If the investigation proves there was any illegal testing we would view this as extremely serious."

Team Dynamik has been improving in the Supercar series recently and Wills made the Top Ten Shootout for the first time at the last round at Oran Park in Sydney.

The next round of the championship will be at Sandown in Melbourne on September 10-12.

Meanwhile the TEGA Tribunal has found a company owned by former V8 racer John Faulkner liable for "liquidated damages" of $300,000 for failing to participate in the series round at Queensland Raceway last month.

The Tribunal found that JFA Pty Ltd, owned by John and Alyson Faulkner and the then holder of two Level One V8 Supercar Licences, was in breach of its obligation to contest each round of the V8 Supercar Championship Series.

A deal to on-sell two licences to another team had not been completed by the time of the Queensland round, leaving Faulkner open to the fine.

[Y2kGoofball]

ah so it was Dynamik, I read it in the Biante forum but I didnt want to say anything until we found out who it was.

I heard it was a black car, possibly VY being tested, but like I said on Biante that could still be anyone as people were jumping to the conclusion SA = Dynamik and although it would be bad for a team such as HRT, KRT, PWR or even ford teams like FPR, DJR, BJR etc it would still be worth it to setup an older car (ie not the teams current cars) and paint it pitch black to disguise it and head into SA.

What you could learn from the illegal test could be worth heaps in the racing sense

As for Faulkner I dont know why he doesnt just give it up, I mean he owns or manages or something Holden Young Lions in Konica (the 2 Rick Kelly 2002 EA Sports looking cars)

[VQ]

The thing is, testing is the cheapest form of development, and they limit it because apparantly it's the most expensive, when as I have read by what Murph wrote in Street Machine, is crap. Wounder who tipped em off but?

[Y2kGoofball]

they were apparently in the middle of know where in an abandonded air strip, so it does make you wonder who tipped them off

Thats just the same as if I were to go to the middle of NSW, no one would know except the people i told or the people I took along ...

[chris]

It'd be nice to know who tipped off the officials.. Whoever it is deserves a gold medal! :)

If testing is limited, then that is it, they shouldn't be testing. Regardless of who the team is.

One thing that all cars should feature on them is mandatory GPS tracking devices. Those devices should activate and send out warning signals, along with the position of the car while it is running.

Further more, the device should be set so that if it is removed, it would disable the car. It should be part of the car electronics.

[Y2kGoofball]

I agree on the GPS

I dont know how they work out the testing days because I know its screwed teams in the past like Kmart last year after the TWR collapse, but I do know its very limited indeed.

Personally I think the teams should be allowd to test more often at various tracks, I think limiting them to one can often lead to favouritism like at Oran Park Tasman Motorsport was tipped to go pretty good due to the fact their the only sydney based team therefore the only team to use Oran Park (or if they chose eastern creek) as their test track

On the topic of GPS there are gadgets like the ECU which should be enough if its recorded the date and time the car was even started, because the question that'd be asked is why? We all know the Supercar engine only lasts 2000 k's at most and to cut down on running time the teams push the cars where possible, even in and out of pit lane, without the need for the engine to be running! thats why they got those rear wheel jack things!

[Bo0]

Yeah i agree y2k - there needs to be a better spread of testing sessions for all t he teams and at various tracks. Too many of the top line teams in recent years have been hampered with the lack of testing sessions; like Kmart and PWR last year and FPR this year.

If a team needs to be this desperate to test, well something needs to be done, and if a hefty penalty is dished out to Team Dynamik, it is unlikely that any other teams will try something similar; but this incident i reckon clearly indicates that there is a definite lack of availability for testing. Yes, it may be wrong that Dynamik went this far, but it may develop into a chain of disputes and hopefully something will be done about it.

In a ford fan perspective - two holdens down, 16-odd to go! ^_^

[Mickcals]

Well then that might explain why Team Dynamik qualifyied 3rd in the Top Ten Shootout at Bathurst.

Again before i would penalise the drivers i would have a look and see who's idea it was to do the illegal testing and who partipated in the testing.

If both Wills and Brede have nothing to do with it then why penalise them, if the team is at fault then i think a very hefty fine needs to be in place and an explusion from the rest of the Series with Wills and Brede being granted rides from AVESCO and TEGA to compete in for the rest of the season, but if they are guilty then expell the whole lot

[chris]

Maybe if a team is caught doing illegal testing, they should have a mandatory 300kg weight penalty applied to their car for the rest of the season. That should be warning enough to deter them from breaking the rules.

[VQ]

The weight makes a lot more sense then just having a fine, cos it's only money, but they are gonna lose sponsers cos it because they don't want to be caught up in it, but it also shows that the rules are unfair that they are desperate enough to want to do the testing and something needs to be done about them.

[Y2kGoofball]

dynamiks only got one sponsor dont they ^_^

Well then that might explain why Team Dynamik qualifyied 3rd in the Top Ten Shootout at Bathurst. hehe yeah, they took an SS commodore around the mountain at 60 kph, all the teams get together and have a street legal 1000 km battle ^_^

[Mickcals]

Sorry i didnt mean Bathurst (dont know what made me write that)

I meant Oran Park

[Y2kGoofball]

probably missing your old glasses :rolleyes:

[Mickcals]

yeah 8)~

ones like what he's wearing

[murph_fan]

yeah could have been, although the team has got into the Top 10 on several occasions. I reckon there has to be some reason behind it if its true that they are sectretly testing.

[Bo0]

would this have been the first testing session they have done illegally or has it been going on all season, and its only now that they have been caught.

Nothing on the V8 Supercar website, nor has it been on TV or anything so it all might be just a rumour or CAMS/TEGA are keeping it all hush-hush until it has been finialised

[lewi]

i suspect it may not have been the first time. I reckon it may have started as far back as Sandown last year, because thats when all of a sudden they had quick pace. Also Jason Richards may have left because he disagreed with their ethics. He was quoted saying "Team Dynamic and myself have different ideas in which way to head" or something like that. Sooooo ya never know.

[Mickcals]

Apparenlty alot of team do the "secret testing" and they get caught but its not reported, that and they use bribes to get out of it.

TEGA seems to pick on the smaller teams, because it was alos reported that a major Ford team was there too doing the illegal testing but didnt get caught

[Y2kGoofball]

Bo0 - I think it was poated on the website but they didnt name names (I think although they might have ...)

Lewi yes I remember Jason saying something like that too :)

Mickcals I think its obvious Ambrose does alot of secret testing, he's the only ford to constantly rank in the toip 3 or top 2 even ^_^

[lewi]

Lol, y2k, you're probably right......fords need 2 find some more overall pace