They had promised to punch above their weight this season.
But V8 Supercars newcomers Nissan have still raised eyebrows by claiming there is nothing wrong with a bit of driver push and shove after being fined for a pitlane incident.
Driver James Moffat marred Nissan’s best return to date in their V8 comeback season when he was fined $5000 for shoving Holden’s Scott Pye at the recent non-championship round at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Moffat finished in the top 10 – including a best placing of fifth – in all four of the 12-lap events at Albert Park but will be remembered most for “intentional physical contact” with Pye after being annoyed by his race two tactics.
Moffat said the pit-lane incident was unfortunate but did not think it was a bad thing – a view backed by his team boss Rick Kelly.
“Honestly it was just a small shove,” Moffat told the V8Nation radio show.
“You can never condone violence but a bit of theatre in the sport probably wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“I wasn’t entirely impressed with some of his driving in the wet – I just went up and had a bit of chat to him.
“If I had dropped the guy it would have been a completely different story.”
Kelly, who was involved in a scuffle with Steven Richards at Tasmania’s Symmons Plains in 2010, had no problem with the track-side incident and even suggested his teammate have a new nickname – “Mad Moff”.
“My opinion is you should be allowed some of that sort of stuff – but not over-stepping,” he said.
The V8 Supercars season resumes at Symmons Plains from April 5-7.