Ford and Holden teams engage in war of words as ZB clean sweeps Adelaide 500

THE opening round of the Supercars Championship was billed as an opportunity for the wounds of last year’s dramatic finale to be forgotten.

Not so, with last year’s protagonists, the Red Bull Holden Racing Team, and DJR Team Penske, engaging in a war of words and rulebook bickering as soon as the weekend heat was on.

The fireworks began after the first Top 10 Shootout, when Shane van Gisbergan secured pole under controversial circumstances. DJR Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin was second, four-tenths of a second slower than the Holden driver.

The 2016 Supercars champion put four tyres over a yellow line at the exit of Turn Seven, which some claimed was a breach of track limits.

"The car went outside the track limits," DJR Team Penske principal Ryan Story said.

"It's just a bit like when you're playing footy - if the ball goes out of bounds, they throw it in. It's pretty straightforward."

Red Bull’s team boss, Roland Dane was brief in his defensive retort.

"It sounds like the sore loser department to me," he fired back.

Van Gisbergen went on to win Saturday’s 250km duel, heading home Walkinshaw Andretti United’s James Courtney, securing a one-two finish for the ZB Commodore on its debut. McLaughlin finished third.

The Red Bull Holden Racing Team driver doubled-down on Sunday, again topping the shootout (this time without controversy), and going on to win the final 250km leg of the weekend.

Erebus Motorsport’s David Reynolds finished second, however the 2017 Bathurst 1000 champ was panned by commentators for appearing to give up the lead of the race without a significant fight.

Garth Tander finished third, while last year’s championship protagonists McLaughlin and Whincup both endured troubles.

McLaughlin suffered a puncture which dropped him down the order, while Whincup’s transaxle gave up the ghost, forcing the seven-time champ to record his first DNF in 136 races.

During the opening race of the weekend Story began a debate around how Holden teams had gained an advantage with the new ZB Commodore.

Composite panels are not new in Supercars, but the new ZB Commodore utilises the lightweight materials to a larger extent than any previous generation car.

The ZB Commodore came in underneath the category’s minimum weight, meaning Holden teams can use lead ballast placed low down in the car to meet requirements, lowering the car’s centre of gravity.

Ford teams were quick to point out the potential advantages of the composite panels and ballast combination.

Former factory Ford team Tickford Racing is responsible for homologating the FG X Falcon, and works in conjunction with DJR Team Penske to petition Supercars for updates.

“I think a precedent's been set with some of these panels, and if we're going down the path of ensuring that we have parity, we just need to ensure that what's good for the goose is good for the gander,” Storey told Supercars.com. “And the series knows that.”

Red Bull HRT manager Mark Dutton says the ZB’s composite panels were cleared by the Supercars technical team.

“What people may not realise is the hatch has big, heavy hinges that aren’t visible. It’s extra support on the roof, because the wing is trying to pull the hatch off,” Dutton said.

“So Supercars did a study, measured all the panel weights, spoke to the various teams and manufacturers and the ZB, from my understanding, isn’t the lightest.”

The issue is far from settled, with Tickford boss Tim Edwards adding “there’s certainly a few weight issues that we need to work through with Supercars”.

Expect the debate to continue well into the middle of the Supercars season.

As is tradition with street circuits, kerb hopping also became a bone of contention throughout the weekend.

Andre Heimgartner had his Top 10 Shootout time cancelled on Sunday after an electronic transponder determined he had breached track limits at the Turn 2 Senna Chicane. Viewers were quick to point out that television cameras showed Jamie Whincup, who had qualified second in the shootout, appeared to be in breach of track limits, but had not been penalised by his transponder.

Mark Winterbottom was served a pit-lane drive through penalty during Sunday’s race for excessive kerb hopping, which team boss Edwards described as “absolute bullshit”.

The next round of the Supercars championship will take place at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne.