Ford teams will get a tweaked aero kit for this weekend’s Gold Coast 500 to address ongoing concerns about parity between the Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro.
Supercars opened its second inquest into parity between the two models immediately after the Bathurst 1000, which was set for an all-Camaro podium before Broc Feeney’s late retirement with a broken gear shifter.
The build-up to the race had been overshadowed by Ford teams lobbying for last-minute aerodynamic changes they said would be crucial to a competitive event.
The sport rejected the changes, citing a lack of required support from General Motors teams.
But data from Bathurst and previous rounds highlighted an ongoing performance discrepancy between the cars, and Supercars confirmed that the season’s second parity inquest would be opened on the Wednesday after the Great Race.
The investigation now concluded, series organisers announced this week that Ford would be granted several aerodynamic changes for the final two rounds of the championship.
“After a comprehensive evaluation conducted by Supercars, and in consultation with the homologation teams [Ford’s Dick Johnson Racing and Chevrolet’s Triple Eight], it has been determined that adjustments will be implemented to the Ford Mustang vehicle specification document,” Supercars said in a statement.
“These modifications include alterations to the rear wing, side skirt and front fascia elements, with the primary aim of reducing drag, and redistributing downforce to the rear of the Mustang.”
The changes are similar to those reportedly proposed ahead of the Bathurst 1000.
Confirmation of the second round of aerodynamic changes follows confirmation that the sport will undertake a detailed inquiry into aerodynamic and engine performance at the end of the year to ensure next season’s championship isn’t similarly affected by allegations of an unequal playing field.
The sport will send one of each car model to the United States for full-scale wind tunnel testing that Supercars has described as a “world-first aerodynamic test for Supercars”.
Supercars had copped criticism from the Ford teams and some drivers, including Chaz Mostert, Cam Waters and 2010 champion James Courtney, for relying only on limited straight-line runway testing to bring the two cars into parity.
Back-to-back transient dynamometer testing of each manufacturer’s engine and drive train will take place in Melbourne in November, a step up from the static dynamometer analyses that have so far dominated the testing program.
The beefed-up dyno program will seek to address the suspicion that the Ford motor is at a disadvantage in power delivery despite both engines generating around 450 kilowatts.
Supercars has further invested in torque sensors to measure and correlate engine performance during competition with dynamometer results.
The sport will also restructure its technical department, creating the new roles of technical category director and senior data engineer to bolster its capacity to maintain parity, which will be crucial not just in the immediate future but also in the coming years, when the discontinued Camaro is expected to be replaced with an alternative General Motors model.
As well as technical gripes, the changes appear to address Ford complaints that the sport has been insufficiently transparent about its testing and data gathering during the long-running parity saga, something Supercars CEO Shane Howard appeared to address in comments regarding the expanded parity program.
“As a technical parity category, we strive to ensure that we can provide as much information as possible to teams that are now using more control components than ever,” he said.
“By implementing these changes and carrying out these tests, our goal is to provide teams and our original equipment manufacturers with as much data as possible to produce best outcomes for those competing in our championship.”
