Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Motorsport
Motorsport
Sport
Andrew van Leeuwen

Supercars Gen3 parity work ongoing

The series is set to debut its next-generation Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaros next season with teams now underway with car builds that will continue throughout the off-season.

However they are still waiting on the exact specification of the cars to be finalised with homologation yet to be complete.

Supercars undertook its VCAT aero test at Wellcamp Airport recently, with both models completing straightline testing to asses drag and downforce.

Supercars technical staff were joined at the test by homologation teams Triple Eight and Dick Johnson Racing, as well as manufacturer representatives.

Among the latter was Alex Allmandinger from Ford Performance, who travelled to Australia from the US for the test.

While the latest round of VCAT was hailed as a success by Supercars there have been rumblings of dissatisfaction regarding parity.

It is understood that Blue Oval representatives left the test concerned over the efficiency of the Camaro in comparison to the Mustang.

That followed rumours that the Camaro was quicker than the S650 Mustang during demonstration runs during the Bathurst 1000 weekend, a trend that was observed at other circuits when the Mustang was running the S550 bodywork.

There have been multiple meetings between Supercars and Ford representatives, including Ford Performance boss Mark Rushbrook, since VCAT, including one earlier this week.

It's thought the latest outcome is that more data from the VCAT will be provided to Ford for further analysis.

Ford declined to comment when contacted by Motorsport.com.

Supercars, meanwhile, confirmed to Motorsport.com that it is satisfied with the VCAT outcome and has signed off on the aero package for both cars.

It's understood that, as the regulator for the series, Supercars can approve the aero even if the manufacturers don't sign off on it as well.

Supercars also confirmed that while the aero has been ticked off, overall homologation of the new cars is ongoing and that parity work across the board is ongoing.

The Gen3 Supercars will feature more control parts than every before in Supercars which has limited the areas needing parity between the two models.

Effectively the major points are aero and engine, with durability and parity work on the new V8 motors having been done in both Australia and the US in recent months.

The Ford will be powered by a 5.4-litre overhead cam motor while the Camaro will be fitted with a 5.7-litre pushrod engine.

The Gen3 Supercars will debut at the season-opening Newcastle 500 next March.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.