Getting on with the task of improving the Walkinshaw Andretti United package is the key focus rather than effects of Supercars’ latest parity changes, according to Scott Pye.
Supercars confirmed last week that the Mustang will run with mandated aero tweaks to its rear wing endplates, gurney flap and undertray designed to technical parity with the Holden and Nissan models.
The Mobil 1 Mega Racing squad has maintained its focus on ensuring it’s the best Holden team on the grid after a slower start to the campaign compared to this time last season where it picked up a win courtesy of Pye, and two podium finishes.
Pye, who has a best result of sixth from the 10 races to date, says his and the team’s objective remains unchanged following latest parity adjustment.
“(We have to) just get on with it. It’s (Supercars parity changes have) not got anything to do with me,” Pye told Speedcafe.com.
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“At the end of the day, we’re working on our package and we’re solely focused on that so what happens outside that is just kind of noise and it’s not something that I can control anyway.
“I think all of us drivers (are) probably the same, you can find some are more vocal than others, but at the end of the day, I need to just worry about driving a car and working with my own team and making sure with our package it’s better every time we hit the track.”
According to Pye, the team’s inconsistency this season boils down to falling out of the set-up window as a result of trying a raft of changes during race weekends in a bid to close the gap to the front of the grid.
“I think, it’s already been mentioned by a few people, but I think we’re trying to close up the gap at the moment and in doing that we’re trying a lot more things, I guess, and that means that you have a higher chance of sometimes falling outside the window,” Pye added.
“While we’re trying things, you have to obviously get it right.
“You’re going to sometimes miss the window a little bit and that’s sort of what happened.
“We’re trying to find that pace and in the process of doing that, sometimes we’re at the risk of falling out of the window and that’s probably why we’ve struggled a little bit more with consistency.
“I think this year, across both cars, we have been trying something on each car everyday and sometimes we’re getting one slightly better than the other, but it’s all in the pursuit of finding a quicker package.”
This weekend the squad will be greeted with a new challenge of racing on the newly resurfaced Barbagallo Wanneroo Raceway and under lights for the first time.
Pye admits there are plenty of unknowns heading into the fifth round of the championship.
“It will be interesting,” he said.
“We’re not going to be dealing with crazy ambients during the day and I think that sometimes it might hurt us a little bit, so I’m keen to get there and in these conditions and see what the car is like with the track being resurfaced as well.
“We don’t know what degradation is going to be like and obviously without the sun, that’s going to be another thing that maybe won’t be as high as it seemed in the past.
“But Perth traditionally has always been kind of a good thing. I think it (the high degradation) makes the racing there a little bit more exciting and sort of brings the strategy into play.
“So in a way I kind of hope that hasn’t gone away. I still actually want it to be like that because it’s better for the racing. But it’s certainly going to be a totally different experience.”
The Pirtek Perth SuperNight begins on Thursday with opening practice scheduled for 1840 local time.
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