FORD Australia has declared the Supercars parity war far from over, despite the latest aero upgrades being approved today in time for the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
On top of those aero tweaks, Ford was pushing for engine upgrades in the post-Bathurst official parity review.
“Following the activation of the Supercars Parity Review System at the Repco Bathurst 1000 Dick Johnson Racing, in conjunction with Ford Performance, conducted a review of the parity deficit,” read a statement from Ford, in part.
“This extensive review demonstrated a need for both aerodynamic and engine updates.
“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.”
Ford claims that together with homologation team DJR, it had found a 0.42s per lap deficit to the Camaro, which it has apportioned as 0.24s in aero and 0.18s in engine.
“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,” the statement continued.
“To address this issue, DJR proposed adjustments to the Mustang’s aerodynamic and engine performance. The proposed changes were validated through CFD development, track testing, dyno testing and simulation tools, and were designed to reduce the parity deficit.
“The requested, and subsequently approved, aerodynamic changes include modifications to the front fascia and side skirts, as well as adjustments to rear wing position, wingspan, and wing angle.
“These changes have resulted in a front downforce reduction, minor rear downforce increase, total downforce reduction, and a drag reduction. The combined changes have shifted downforce balance rearward.
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“The proposed engine changes included a requested torque increase of 8Nm throughout the entire rev range, via a larger restrictor and minor calibration changes.
“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.”
It was also announced this morning that wind tunnel, transient dyno and torque sensor testing is imminent – a development welcomed by the Blue Oval.
“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,” the statement concluded.
Ford’s aerodynamic changes in full:
Front Fascia ‘packer’ to reduce depth of lower ‘fog light’ bezels
‘Wheelband’ insert ahead of front wheel
Side skirt trailing edge addition
Rear wingspan: +100mm
Rear wing position: up 25mm, back 25mm
Rear wing maximum angle: 7 degrees
