Ford Australia has responded to confirmation the Ford Mustang will undergo aerodynamic changes following Supercars’ parity investigation.

The championship issued a statement revealing that results of its studies had deemed the new 2019 Ford has an aero advantage despite the aero package being approved by Supercars during the car’s homologation testing last year. 

Ford’s new Supercar weapon has been at the centre of a parity debate following its almost unbeaten start to the 2019 season courtesy of DJR Team Penske and Tickford Racing.

Supercars has now deemed that changes to the Mustang’s aero will now be completed before next week’s Pirtek Perth SuperNight. It is understood the tweaks will be made to the rear wing endplates and undertray.

The blue oval had told Speedcafe.com last week that it supported Supercars’ moves to ensure technical parity before issuing today’s statement.

In that statement, Ford Performance’s Global Director of Motorsport, Mark Rushbrook, said that his organisation was ‘disappointed’ to be forced into the changes but respects Supercars’ decision.

“The Mustang is an advanced, state-of-the-art Supercar, designed and built within the rules of the series,” he said.

“We are disappointed that we have had to make changes to the cars, however we respect the Supercars technical department and will comply.

“The changes to the Ford Mustang Supercar are specific to the rear wing and undertray. Most notably, the size of the rear-wing endplates will be reduced, while the Gurney flap will be reduced in height and undertray in length.

“We will make these changes ahead of the next round so we can quickly understand the affect they’ll have on Mustang to give us the best chance of maintaining our pace,” said Rushbrook. “Mustang is run by some of the best teams in the series and that’s not technical parity, it is the sporting performance of the teams that race the car.”

“Our car was signed off and homologated by Supercars ahead of the 2019 season, however whilst we understand these changes are in the interest of the sport, we expect to run the rest of the season on track unchanged from this specification.”

The tweaked Ford Mustang will hit the track for the first time at Perth’s Barbagallo Wanneroo Raceway from May 2-4.

Ford statement

Mustang Supercar Teams to Modify Mustang Ahead of Pirtek Perth SuperNight at the Request of the Supercars Technical Department

• Supercars exercises Technical Parity rules on Mustang Supercars, requests changes to the aerodynamic package
• Supercars Mustang teams, committed to proving their capabilities, will comply with requirements and update their cars in time for the Pirtek Perth SuperNight event, 2-4 May 2019.
• Mustang was approved and signed off at the Supercars Controlled Aerodynamic Test (VCAT 9) by all homologating teams (DJR Team Penske, Triple Eight Race Engineering and Kelly Racing) in the closest results ever measured at any prior VCAT
• Mustang was designed and built within the rules, with every component and part approved by Supercars before being manufactured, tested, homologated by Supercars and ultimately raced in the 2019 season

The Ford Performance Mustang Supercar will undergo aerodynamic modifications ahead of Round 5 of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship in Perth as requested by the Supercars technical department. The changes are being made by exercising technical parity rules, which require any vehicle new to the series, regardless of legality, be brought back to incumbent vehicles in the interest of competitive racing.

“The Mustang is an advanced, state-of-the-art Supercar, designed and built within the rules of the series. We are disappointed that we have had to make changes to the cars, however we respect the Supercars technical department and will comply,” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director of Motorsport, Ford Performance.

The changes to the Ford Mustang Supercar are specific to the rear wing and undertray. Most notably, the size of the rear-wing endplates will be reduced, while the Gurney flap will be reduced in height and undertray in length.

“We will make these changes ahead of the next round so we can quickly understand the affect they’ll have on Mustang to give us the best chance of maintaining our pace,” said Rushbrook. “Mustang is run by some of the best teams in the series and that’s not technical parity, it is the sporting performance of the teams that race the car.”

“Our car was signed off and homologated by Supercars ahead of the 2019 season, however whilst we understand these changes are in the interest of the sport, we expect to run the rest of the season on track unchanged from this specification.”

DJR Team Penske and Scott McLaughlin won the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Drivers Championship with Ford in 2018. Currently, McLaughlin and DJR Team Penske lead both the drivers and team championship standings after the completion of four rounds following an extensive development program for the Mustang Supercar in a partnership between Ford, Ford Performance, DJR Team Penske and Tickford Racing.

DJR Team Penske, as the Ford homologation team, Triple Eight Race Engineering and Kelly Racing, each representing the category’s three competing makes of vehicle, signed off on the Mustang for 2019 competition following the conclusion of extensive testing and review at VCAT 9.

The 2019 season has seen multiple changes including the introduction of Mustang, a new control transaxle and the banning of twin springs. These sorts of changes have played a major role in how all teams have faced the new challenges heading into the season. Centre of gravity adjustments made to ZB and Mustang early on saw 28kg of lead redistributed to the roof of Mustang, which further affected the setup which the teams had to adapt to on the run.

“This is a world class car developed by Ford, Ford Performance, DJR Team Penske and Tickford,” said Mark Rushbrook. “We are incredibly proud of it and we stand by the state-of-the-art package we introduced into the series. Ford Performance exists to win races and championships and we are here to do just that. From here on we will do our talking on the racetrack.”