Holden Racing Team ‘fuel trimming’ feature outlawed

The V8 Supercars Championship technical director has issued a regulation clarification ahead of this weekend’s Bathurst 1000, which outlaws a fuel saving device used on the team’s Commodore VFs in the most recent round of the Championship at the Sandown 500.

The Holden Racing Team’s Commodores were fitted with a driver enabled cut-off switch which limited the maximum performance output of the engines at the last race which aided in the driver’s ability to save fuel at the first of the three endurance race meetings of the 2015 calendar.

The teams were informed ahead of this weekend that such a device would now not be allowed, but a statement has also been put out by V8 Supercars’ technical director David Stuart to confirm that HRT have not been deemed to have broken the rules.

“Following a media report today V8 Supercars wishes to make it clear that Holden Racing Team has not breached any rules in relation to its use of a fuel device,” said Stuart.

“However we have clarified the rules in relation to fuel trimming with all teams for the avoidance of any doubt.

“Naturally all teams will seek to optimise any advantage they can especially when there is so small a margin between the cars. As a consequence, from time to time teams will interpret the rules in a way which wasn’t intended.

“We have used this an opportunity to clarify the rules so there is no grey area and every team is clear about the intent of the rules.”