Steering rack modification for Gen3 Supercars

A modification has been made to the steering rack of the Gen3 Supercars following further testing at Queensland Raceway, Speedcafe.com has learnt.

A lightness in the steering has been an ongoing trait within the prototype vehicles, with the search for a remedy being one of the key work items during running last week and the week before.

The Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro were taken for laps around Queensland Raceway across Wednesday, January 18 and Thursday, January 19, then again on Monday, January 23.

It is thought that both were also back on-track last Tuesday (January 24) in an outing which largely flew under the radar.

Speedcafe.com understands that Chevrolet homologation team Triple Eight Race Engineering tested the modified rack last week and that Erebus Motorsport is now manufacturing it.

While the Camaro was used as the mule for that task, with work on the Mustang focused on calibration of its Coyote-derived engine, the handling trait was experienced in both rather than being Camaro-specific.

Sources indicate that the tweak is not a complete solution to the lightness, but will be an improvement.

The revelation comes as most teams delay the initial rollout of their Gen3 cars until next Tuesday, February 7 at the earliest.

The Blanchard Racing Team appears to still be pressing ahead with its plan to run its single Mustang on tomorrow’s (February 1) original Winton shakedown date, notwithstanding that the modified rack will not be ready by then.

However, Triple Eight and Ford homologation team Dick Johnson Racing had already decided by the end of last week that they would not be on-track with their race cars yesterday (January 30), when Sunshine State-based teams were originally set to conduct shakedowns at Queensland Raceway.

Instead, DJR and Matt Stone Racing are set to head out to the Ipswich circuit on February 7, while Triple Eight and PremiAir Racing, whose crews are working together on the build of their first Camaros, will do so on Thursday, February 9.

Supercars has now left teams to conduct a “flexible testing program”, with both the 60km shakedown limit and the stipulation that a team must test all of its cars on the same day as each other removed.