Skaife doubles down after SVG 'kick in the teeth'

1 year ago 101

Five-time Supercars champion Mark Skaife said determination was "nothing spiteful" intended successful his on-air disapproval of Shane van Gisbergen pursuing Sunday's now-infamous Newcastle 500 property conference.

Following the 2nd contention of the Supercars title - where van Gisbergen refused to reply questions aft comments he'd made earlier successful the play "bit [him] successful the arse" - Skaife condemned the silence, saying van Gisbergen arsenic champion carried the "expectation" to beryllium an ambassador for the sport.

Van Gisbergen, a three-time champion, took to societal media connected Monday to clarify his stance, before labelling Skaife's comments a "kick successful the teeth".

But Skaife - who is besides connected the Supercars board, and played a cardinal relation successful the implementation of the caller Gen3 ruleset - said that was not his intention.

"I made definite that my comments the different time were not from (the constituent of presumption of) being a committee subordinate oregon hierarchy successful immoderate mode from Supercars," helium told News Corp.

"I was making a remark arsenic a Fox Sports commentator regarding what the anticipation is of a champion, of an ambassador for our sport. That was simply it.

"There was thing spiteful (intended), I surely didn't privation him to consciousness similar I had kicked him successful the teeth for instance. It wasn't that.

"I was making a constituent that determination was a work and a work nether the mean conditions that we play successful and that was all."

Skaife said helium had been successful interaction with van Gisbergen's Triple Eight brag Jamie Whincup and method manager Jeromy Moore, but not van Gisbergen himself. He said helium plans to astatine the adjacent Supercars contention gathering astatine the Australian Grand Prix.

Van Gisbergen and teammate Broc Feeney were disqualified from the archetypal Newcastle contention past Saturday. An entreaty for which volition beryllium held connected Wednesday, March 29 - the time earlier the expansive prix gathering begins.

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