taken off V8 Supercars website 20-9-08
V8 Supercars Australia (VESA) Chairman Tony Cochrane said the VESA Board has requested the category?s technical department investigate parity out of fairness.
Holden Racing Team?s Mark Skaife, with the backing of other Holden teams, requested a parity review after Round Seven of the Championship at Queensland Raceway.
Earlier this month, the Board appointed VESA Technical Director Andy Bartley to conduct a review into whether the Falcons have an aerodynamic advantage over the Commodore.
?The Board looked at it and we couldn?t see much in it to be honest, when you look at all the data,? Cochrane said.
?But in fairness, we had the request so we?ve handed it to our head technical director to do whatever he has to do.
?(Bartley can) get more data if he needs more data, go over the data that?s existing right now and report to the October board meeting.?
When asked whether it appeared that one marque had an advantage over another, Cochrane replied ?not when you look at the data, there?s not?.
?I?m not a ?technocrat?,? he said.
?Certainly listening to the conversation of all the technical people around the table, there didn?t appear to be any (disparity).?
Cochrane defended the time it would take before a change would be enacted if a parity difference was found.
?In fairness to the technical guys, if they had have sat at that meeting and if all the data had have come out and it was obvious there was a parity difference I think they would have acted on the spot,? he said.
?But we were looking at stuff that did not have any depth to it.
?They?ve asked (and) we couldn?t see their case.
?But rather than saying ?sorry, you?ve got no case?, we handed it on to Andy.
?We also gave him the authority to conduct additional testing if he needed it, to come back by the next board meeting and he might say ?well I?ve really dug into it and I have found something?, rather than us just dismissing it.
?I think we have been more than fair.?
Following Holden Racing Team?s victory at the L&H 500 last weekend, Skaife was adamant that a parity review was still needed.
?There isn?t a parity system in place at the moment; the Board is looking at what they do with it looking forward,? he said.
?Clearly with the sorts of conditions and the changeability our car was every bit as strong as Jamie and Craig?s (Falcon at the L&H 500).
?When we go to Bathurst? the straight-line speed is one of the things that we?ve been talking about in terms of what drag the Ford has in comparison to us and if you want to stand by the speed trap three quarters of a way down Conrod you might get an idea with it.?