Ford homologation team Dick Johnson Racing has called on Supercars to urgently resolve the glaring parity disparity before next month’s NTI Townsville 500.
As the Blue Oval ramps up pressure for racing performance equivalence between the Mustang and Camaro, DJR chief David Noble declared it was time for immediate action in the face of the Darwin Triple Crown Chevrolet rout.
“There’s no doubt, there’s got to be more discussions,” Noble told Speedcafe despite a stronger showing by Shell V-Power Racing Team at Hidden Valley Raceway. “There’s more work to do. There’s no doubt about that.”
While he acknowledged Supercars’ efforts to placate Ford’s Gen3 parity concerns with ongoing technical tweaks, Noble is pressing for urgent measures, agreeing that the weekend’s outcomes confirmed that the Mustangs can’t match the Camaros’ race pace.
“We’ve particularly been working hard with Supercars behind the scenes as the homologation team, but the results out of the weekend will indicate that, yes, there’s more conversations to be had pretty quickly.”
Noble added that it was clear that something drastic needs to be done before the next round – the July 7-9 Townsville 500, to be run over two gruelling 250km street races.
“I think a good indicator of that is our fans,” he said. “Our fans are frustrated across the board of wanting to see us being able to not only compete, but to be able to have a capacity to win races.
“So they’re the conversations that we’ve got to continue to pick up [with Supercars].”
Noble, a former AFL senior coach, joins the chorus of complaints by Ford team chiefs following another weekend of Camaro domination.
Their parity concerns have switched from engine performance to an aerodynamic imbalance affecting rear tyre life, claiming the leading Mustangs can’t maintain performance over full race distances.
A Supercars spokesperson told Speedcafe today, “The Technical Working Group will continue to work closely with both homologation teams leading into the Townsville 500.”
In Darwin, the highlight of another difficult weekend for DJR was Will Davison’s third place in Saturday’s race, which Noble asserted was a sign of promise as he praised his veteran driver’s performances throughout the team’s very public struggles.
“Definitely progress, wasn’t there?” he remarked. “Getting on the podium was great for Will and the team. I actually think he’s been driving exceptionally well the whole season. I think he’s been one of the standout drivers up and down pit lane.
“Anton’s around the top 10. We’re getting that car closer and closer. Will’s consistently now in and around that fight, and well inside that top 10.”
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