New Crankshaft Being Tested In Supercars Ford Mustang GT

The crown jewel of the Australian Supercar Championship, the Bathurst 1000, is just over the horizon, and preparations are well underway as teams vie for the chance to add the iconic trophy to their cases back at the shop. That includes an engine test and an AVL test program for the Supercars Ford Mustang GT race cars, which will be tested with a new crankshaft.

According to a report from Supercars.com, both Ford and Chevy will hit the track at Queensland Raceway to test findings from recent AVL testing in the U.S. The engine under the hood of the Mustang GT race cars will be under particular scrutiny thanks to recent investigations into several mechanical failures that plagued the Supercars Ford teams at Sandown. Three Ford Mustang GT race cars fell victim to crankshaft issues, one of which suffered a failure during the race itself while two more broke during the ride day after the race.

All Supercars Ford engines were returned to the Motorsport Powertrains facility in Queensland, ensuring that Ford’s engine supplier can comb each one over in search of potential points of failure.

“Engine testing of the Ford with an updated crankshaft and the Chevrolet with updates that followed testing at the AVL facility in Detroit will take place on track next week,” said Tim Edwards, Supercars General Manager of Motorsport. “Any changes to engines will be confirmed prior to the Repco Bathurst 1000.”

“At the Sandown 500 and subsequent rides day, three engines fitted to Ford Mustang Supercars suffered crankshaft failures,” Ford Performance said in a statement. “With Ford Performance, all Ford teams are working together to remediate the issue for the Repco Bathurst 1000. Every Ford Supercar engine has returned to the Motorsport Powertrains engine facility in South-East Queensland.”