Supercars is studying the impact of barometric pressure on the Ford and GM V8s as part of a multi-faceted bid to get to the bottom of the Blue Oval’s Bathurst blues.
Chevrolet Camaros dominated on race day in both editions of the Great Race held under Gen3 rules to date, as well as the twin 250km contests that comprised the 2024 Bathurst 500.
Ford teams debuted a revised aerodynamic package at the last round at The Bend aimed at reducing drag and therefore boosting straight line speed.
However, concerns the quad-cam Ford engine is more heavily impacted by altitude at Bathurst compared to the pushrod Chevrolet remains.
Supercars has upgraded the Brisbane dyno facility of its engine man Craig Hasted to fulfil a promise to Ford that barometric pressure testing would take place ahead of the Great Race.
A global effort to get on top of the issue has included Supercars drafting in knowhow from NASCAR in the United States.
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Ford and its teams were informed late last week that the testing process would begin today, September 30, with multiple days of dyno running likely.
Brodie Kostecki, central to Ford’s parity push since switching from GM team Erebus to Dick Johnson Racing for 2025, remains cautious on the impact of the recent aero changes.
He led a Mustang sweep of the podium at the Endurance Cup opener alongside co-driver Todd Hazelwood but told Speedcafe last week that the engine testing remains vital for Bathurst.
“There’s still some barometric stuff that needs to be done where the Ford is believed to be underpowered when it goes up in elevation,” Kostecki said.
“So there’s still a few things to cross off the list to make sure both makes have a fair go at the Mountain.
“We were pretty lucky to be driving on the other side [GM] last year, where I didn’t have to look at my mirror once when there was a blue badge behind me.
“I hope that’s not the case this year.”
Kostecki is pleased to be seeing action on the parity front having claimed stark differences between the Camaro and Mustang since switching brands.
“I knew from day dot what I felt when I drove the Ford versus the other one, but you don’t really know until you actually race against the other side,” he said.
“Obviously we went and did our shakedown at the start of the year, and I had my comments when I first got out of the car, but you’re sort of not really too sure until you race.
“I’ve definitely noticed quite a big difference in the two as far as straight line performance and I’ve felt pretty strongly about that the whole year so far.”
The lead-up to the last two Bathurst 1000s were dominated by arguments over alleged disparity between the Mustang and Camaro.
Ford was denied an aerodynamic upgrade on the eve of the 2023 event, while last year’s race took place directly after engine testing was undertaken on a transient dyno in the USA.
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