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Supercars’ plans to shake down its revised Gen3 prototypes this week might have to proceed without the Mustang, Speedcafe.com has learnt.
The Gen3 plan has taken a detour in the past month due to changes that needed to be made to the chassis to rectify significant driver discomfort, plus the addition of a manual gear lever.
That meant the Chevrolet Camaro and new-look Ford Mustang did not test at Winton Motor Raceway last month, and were unable to perform demonstration runs during Round 1 at Sydney Motorsport Park.
The updated prototypes are due for a shakedown at Queensland Raceway this Thursday before heading to Tasmania, where Supercars champions Marcos Ambrose and Garth Tander will cut laps on Friday week (March 25).
However, it might only be the Camaro in action at QR due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the ranks of Ford homologation squad Dick Johnson Racing.
A team spokesperson confirmed to Speedcafe.com that there have been cases of COVID among DJR personnel, which has seen an aggressive COVID management strategy invoked.
As a consequence, the Mustang may not be in a position to complete the Thursday shakedown.
The spokesperson did reassure that the prototype will be at Symmons Plains, and that the team itself will be ready to fire on all cylinders for Round 2 of the Repco Supercars Championship across March 26-27.
DJR currently leads the teams’ championship, while Anton De Pasquale holds second in the drivers’ standings.
Following the conclusion of the Ned Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint, Gen3 testing is expected to be held on the next two days (Monday and Tuesday, March 28-29).
Supercars head of motorsport Adrian Burgess has spoken of Symmons Plains’ heavy braking zones bringing a valuable dimension to their testing programme.
