ANDRA wishes to confirm that the ANDRA Sportsman Series Grand Final Investigation Tribunal has presented Part 2 of its report to the ANDRA Board, with the recommendations, consideration, and summary of this report published below.
ANDRA SPORTSMAN SERIES GRAND FINAL INVESTIGATION TRIBUNAL REPORT – SUMMARY
The Tribunal acknowledges the significant timing issues stemmed from the failure to replace the damaged 1320-ft reflector block.
While the system’s display screen showed no faults, multiple witness testimonies indicated clear issues affecting race integrity.
There was an unfortunate series of events that culminated in the event being concluded while not understanding the enormity of the timing system problem.
Gaps in training and experience contributed to the failure.
Safeguards must now be put in place to ensure that human error/omission is not a factor in contributing to this type of outcome again.
It needs to be made clear so that every Meeting Director has unambiguous guidance in the future, that the integrity of the results comes first. A clear statement of principle that ensuring the integrity of results is the Meeting Director’s priority over completion of the meeting is recommended.
The detailed report recommends a series of improvements, which the ANDRA Board accepts must proceed. The full report has also been shared with Dragway at the Bend, the host venue of the ANDRA Grand Final.
“The Board thanks the Tribunal for the detailed investigation and report it has produced,” ANDRA Chair, Katie Cassar, said.
“There are important lessons to learn from this unfortunate experience. The report highlights that this was a complex incident involving a combination of system limitations, schedule pressures (curfew and volume of issues), and training gaps, and it acknowledges that the officials involved – of which no single member was deemed deficient – acted in good faith.
“The ANDRA Board and Dragway at the Bend are committed to improving the race experience for all stakeholders.
“We also wish to thank all of the officials and competitors for their patience throughout this process and respect that opinions may differ on many aspects of these events.”
Cassar added that she was optimistic that following the detailed investigations, a repeat situation would not be possible thanks to the implementation of the Tribunal’s recommendations (described below).
“ANDRA is committed to working side by side with Dragway at the Bend and all tracks in a positive, collaborative way to ensure such a series of events cannot occur again,” Cassar said.
“As part of this, we will work to provide specific training to assist all tracks moving forward, particularly for the key positions to successfully run an event.”
The Bend Motorsport Park Chief Executive Officer, Alistair MacDonald explained “Dragway at The Bend has already begun initiating changes aligned with the tribunal’s findings and its own internal review.”
The final recommendations and general considerations are published below. The Board has deemed that, in line with its duty of care to the emotional wellbeing of ANDRA members and officials, the report will not be published in full.
ANDRA SPORTSMAN SERIES GRAND FINAL INVESTIGATION TRIBUNAL REPORT – FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS
It is the Tribunals’ recommendation that the following measures are taken:
- That the ANDRA rulebook be amended to mandate that if Stewards raise an issue that could compromise the integrity of any race result, then the Meeting Director must stop the event for the time necessary to properly investigate the issue.
- That ANDRA implement a Meeting Director training and accreditation program, with an inexperienced Meeting Director paired with an experienced Meeting Director at national championship events. A certain level of Meeting Director accreditation should be specified and must be met prior to officiating at any national level event.
- That all tracks implement training for all relevant dragway staff on the essential workings of the timing system, and being able to identify issues quickly and accurately.
- Consider implementing black banding on the walls at each timing point to prevent possible light reflection issues.
- The ANDRA Rulebook be amended to provide that the Meeting Director is responsible for ensuring the integrity of the timing system after an incident where any component has or may have been damaged or dislodged.
ANDRA SPORTSMAN SERIES GRAND FINAL INVESTIGATION TRIBUNAL REPORT – GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS
It is the Tribunal’s recommendation that the following measures be considered:
- It was noted that the Meeting Director was not consistently anchored to the timing tower. While there may be reasons for the Meeting Director to leave the timing tower on occasion to deal with issues related to their duties, (such as checking the track after an incident if no-one else of sufficient experience is designated to do so) it should be noted that best practice is for the Meeting Director or a designated assistant to watch and monitor all runs from the timing tower.
- That the Meeting Director position at the top of the Event Hierarchy be described in the ANDRA Rulebook as a critical position that requires a collaborative approach, considering all issues raised by Stewards, with priority given to safety and the integrity of the competition over conducting the event to a predefined schedule.
- Consideration should be given by promoters to schedule such national events over two days, or schedule the number of qualifying sessions accordingly to suit entry numbers, allowing more flexibility for delays, while also giving every opportunity to conclude the event and reduce fatigue and pressure on officials.
- Review formal process for declaring the track clear and ready for racing after incidents to incorporate the physical inspection referred to above.
- Develop a trouble shooting guide for all officials when any timing system anomalies occur.
- ANDRA should develop clear position descriptions for all relevant key positions for the successful conduct of drag racing events.