Ford drivers have expressed cautious optimism about the new Mustang aerodynamic package after Cam Waters’ victory in the opening Supercars race of the Boost Mobile Gold Coast 500.
The win was just the third for the Blue Oval in 2023, two of which can be attributed to Waters, but the first of those, way back in Race 1 of the season in Newcastle, only came because the two Triple Eight Race Engineering entries which beat him to the chequered flag were disqualified.
Questions were also raised as to just how representative the other was, given Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale achieved it with a set of tyres up his sleeve relative to most of his rivals in the Sunday encounter at the NTI Townsville 500.
There were no such doubts expressed about how ‘genuine’ Waters’ triumph was in Race 25 of the season was.
Of particular note, though, was the fact that it was the very first since the introduction of the latest revision to the Mustang’s aerodynamics, which were approved after the parity trigger point was hit again at Bathurst.
David Reynolds, who finished third in Race 25, alluded to the Surfers Paradise Street Circuit’s nature as being not particularly aero-sensitive, but did note that tyre life had improved.
“To be honest, like, it’s not really a track for that,” said the Penrite Racing driver, who was in the battle for victory until a brake bias adjustor drama.
“What was going to show up was over the distance, and I think it was better for us, to manage our car and our rear tyre life.
“So, I think it’s a positive step for us, but you don’t know… You can’t fix it, round to round.
“You’ve got to look in a few different circumstances I think.”
One theory put to Speedcafe before action kicked off was that shifting the Mustang’s aero balance rearward would enhance braking stability and exit drive, which should prolong rear tyre life.
Waters agreed with Reynolds that tyre life seems to be better, but believes that not all has been fixed yet on the parity front.
“I think our car in the race is the best race car we’ve had all year,” declared the Tickford Racing pilot.
“That’s really just because we’ve moved the aero balance rearward, closer to what the Camaro has, and it’s definitely helped our tyre life.
“There’s still areas which I don’t think are the same, but everyone’s trying their best and want it the same, and we’ll just keep chipping away at that, I guess.
“I think the off-season is going to be pretty busy for Supercars, and they’re going to keep trying the best they can.”
Reynolds’ team-mate Matt Payne, though, expressed scepticism about how much difference the new aero made.
“Personally, I don’t really think it would have made too much of a difference,” the rookie, who qualified on the front row and battled for the race lead early on, told Speedcafe
“I feel like this track’s probably a little bit too slow for any of those real effects to come in, but, if it helped, it was great.
“But, I didn’t really feel a difference; I think it needs to be a more high-speed track and just faster corners to really get a gauge of sort of what it’s doing for us.”
That “pretty busy” off-season to which Waters referred will include sending a Camaro and Mustang to the United States for wind tunnel testing, while torque sensors and transient dyno testing will soon be online to address a possible engine disparity, which remains a particularly sore point for Ford after its recent proposals on that front were knocked back.
While Waters was trying to look at the positives of being first to the chequered flag for the first time this season, he did reveal that he considers 2023 a “wasted” year.
“I guess I’m pretty disappointed, really; we’ve just wasted a whole year,” said the 2022 championship runner-up.
“I guess it’s just highlighted how badly we paritised the cars, and I think it’s just exposed that.
“That’s no one’s fault but I think I look at things positively and sending cars to wind tunnels and changing how we do things is the right way to move forward.
“It’s annoying I’ve wasted a year, for sure – it’s bad for sponsors, myself, my team, Ford – but everyone keeps trying, we’re not giving up, and we just want it fixed so we’ve got a fair fight.”
Ironically, Reynolds will drive a Camaro next year at Team 18, while Waters is set to remain at Tickford although that deal has not yet been officially confirmed.
Additional reporting: Andrew van Leeuwen
