A week after Jeremías González Ferioli was disqualified from the Desafío Ruta 40 because the front wishbone on his Can-Am Maverick R was too heavy, South Racing has issued an apology to him and navigator Gonzalo Rinaldi for the infraction.

“The overweight lower suspension arm was supplied through South Racing, and responsibility for it lies solely with us,” reads a statement from the team released on Thursday.

“The same lower suspension arm was fitted across all six Can-Am SSV entries – the complete SSV field at Ruta 40. As the component was overweight, it conferred no performance advantage, and the obligation to ensure the correct homologation documentation lies with us.

“Jeremias Ferioli and Gonzalo Rinaldi bear no responsibility for the outcome. They completed a strong and competitive rally, and the result was lost through an administrative error on our part alone.”

Ferioli dominated the SSV class, winning the first three stages and clearing everybody by nearly two hours. In post-race inspection, however, the lower front wishbone weighed in at 12,128 grams when the maximum was 11,760 g (the formula being 11,200 g + 5%).

Ricardo Pastorino, the team representative summoned by the FIA for questioning, speculated the paint used on the Maverick might have caused it to be overweight. He also mentioned the team has several of the same spare parts in stock and doesn’t control the weight of each unit, to which the stewards responded that it’s up to the crew to know the specs.

BRP Inc. submitted an updated homologation sheet to clarify the suspension arms, which was approved by the FIA on June 4.

“We extend our apologies and thanks to Jeremias, Gonzalo and their sponsors,” South concluded.

All six cars that competed in the DR 40’s SSV category were in Maverick Rs. Following the penalty, Mindaugas Sidabras was promoted to the class win.

Featured image credit: Matteo Gebbia / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO