This season has been a frustrating one for Australia’s V8 Supercars series as it struggles to improve parity among teams, which is something that Ford has pushed for. This season, Chevrolet has dominated the series, which prompted a series of changes involving aerodynamic packages and revised engines, all with the intention of leveling the proverbial playing field. Regardless, FoMoCo’s Ford Mustang Supercars team remained frustrated with the lack of transparency and sense of urgency in terms of improving parity, with Ford Performance head Mark Rushbrook even hinting that the automaker could exit Supercars altogether as a result. Now, just a few weeks after that potential bombshell dropped, Supercars has given Ford the green light to proceed with proposed aerodynamics changes aimed at leveling the playing field, according to Motorsport.
Ford’s Supercars team will be allowed to make changes to the rear wing, side skirt, and front fascia of its Mustang racers, changes that are designed to reduce drag and shift more downforce to the rear of the vehicle. This update stems from the second parity review of the current Supercars season, as well as the result of the Bathurst 1000, in which the Camaro racers were far quicker around the track than their pony car counterparts.
“After a comprehensive evaluation conducted by Supercars, and in consultation with the Homologation Teams, it has been determined that adjustments will be implemented to the Ford Mustang Vehicle Specification Document in preparation for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500 event,” organizers 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.” However, it seems as if The Blue Oval doesn’t believe that these changes will be enough to close the competitive gap between it and the Camaro.
“Ahead of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500, Supercars has approved changes only to the aerodynamics of the Mustang GT Supercar, which will continue to leave Ford teams at a disadvantage this weekend,” the automaker said in a statement. “DJR established that a parity deficit existed using the process outlined in the Supercars Parity Review System. Through the available vehicle and timing data, DJR established a lap time deficit of 0.42s per lap compared to the Camaro at Mount Panorama. According to simulations, combining the proposed aerodynamic and engine changes would have resulted in a total lap time reduction of 0.308 seconds, bringing the total deficit down to 0.112 seconds per lap. However, with Supercars only approving the aerodynamic update, Ford teams will remain at a larger disadvantage this weekend. Ford and its teams welcome Supercars announcement that they are expanding their parity methods and tools. We hope this expansion allows for the achievement of true technical parity, a cornerstone of the series.”
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