Dick Johnson Racing and Matt Stone Racing have continued to steadily notch up shakedown laps with a Gen3 race car each at Queensland Raceway.
As at 13:00 local time/14:00 AEDT, the #17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang and an MSR Camaro emblazoned with the logo of the squad’s naming rights sponsor, Truck Assist, have completed a succession of short- to medium-length runs at the Ipswich circuit.
While DJR is Ford’s Supercars homologation team, it is the first time either of the aforementioned squads have put a Gen3 race car onto the track, after the Blanchard Racing Team undertook the championship’s first shakedown just under a week ago at Winton.
DJR has confirmed that both Will Davison and Anton De Pasquale, the latter of whom will again race Car #11 in the Repco Supercars Championship, have driven Car #17.
“Obviously very, very exciting to finally run our first Gen3 Mustang,” said Davison.
“It’s always a special moment, a real privilege when you see the amount of work that’s gone into this project and building this car.
“It’s obviously always very special for all of us to get it fired up for the first time and turn its first laps.
“It all starts here and it all starts today, our journey to learn and get on top of this new package, but certainly an exciting milestone today.”
Hill had the early mileage before it is thought that Le Brocq climbed aboard for the car’s fourth run of the day.
Multi-car teams are now free to shake down their cars on separate days under the “flexible testing program” which Supercars announced days before the original Queensland shakedown date of January 30.
Timing beacons have been set up today at the start/finish line and the exits of Turns 3 and 5, although the nature of the runs thus far suggests that the teams may have been using either of the first or second sectors as alternate control lines.
The practice is not uncommon at test days, especially at longer circuits such as Phillip Island and The Bend, as it allows squads to effectively reduce out and in laps to partial laps.
It is a technique which can also used to hide a car’s true pace from rivals, although no official lap times will be published from today’s outing.
DJR and MSR are sharing the track with Porsche Michelin Sprint Challenge Cars from McElrea Racing and Sonic Motor Racing Services, as well as TA2 vehicles.
Thus far, there have been no obvious incidents, save for a minor excursion through the dirt for one of those other cars at the exit of Turn 2.
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