HRT takes Kelly penalty on the chin.

"We will cop it on the chin!" said Mark Skaife of the latest twist in a season that just hasn't gone the way of the Holden Racing Team after Todd Kelly was excluded from the race two results from Surfers Paradise.

Extra wiring and a resistor was discovered on Kelly's Commodore at Surfers, but it was not until Friday at Symmons Plains that a decision was made on the breach of the rules.

"HRT confirms that scrutineers found an irregularity in the Air Temperature Loom Extension, which forms part of the ECU wiring loom, in the Todd Kelly Commodore #22 as raced at Surfers Paradise last month," explains HRT team boss Mark Skaife.

"As such a penalty of exclusion from race two and a resultant loss of 90 championship points was imposed. This is the minimum penalty and we will cop it on the chin!"

This is the latest blow in a season which has been difficult for the HRT concern when compared to past glories, but Skaife is determined to ensure there is no repeat. "We have also instigated an internal review to ensure that such a situation never occurs again," he explains. "I must stress the fact that the stewards agreed with HRT on the fact that the resistor wires were not connected to anything and had absolutely no effect on the performance of the car."

The loss of points contrasts with the judgement earlier in the season where Marcos Ambrose eventually retained points after appeal, when his Stone Brothers Racing Falcon was found to have extra wiring on its loom.

"When you think back, the difference in the way the penalties have been applied is a very big disaprity. That could make big differences in terms of the championship and in terms of the points score," Skaife is quaoted as saying in Saturday's The Age newspaper.