Team boss Jamie Whincup confirmed to Speedcafe the squad has bought an out-of-life Coyote Supercars motor from Grove Racing but is yet to gain access to it.
It’s understood the deal to buy the engine was done while it was being couriered back from the recent Perth event for a rebuild at Gold Coast-based supplier Motorsport Powertrains (MPT).
While an effort was made to have the courier company divert the engine to Triple Eight’s Brisbane headquarters, it was delivered to MPT which is allegedly now refusing to release it.
MPT is the engine company owned by Dick Johnson Racing that currently holds a contract with Supercars to supply all Ford teams.
Triple Eight will take over that contract next year as part of a blockbuster deal with the Blue Oval that also has it succeeding DJR as Ford’s homologation team.
While Triple Eight is eager to crack on with its Ford program as soon as possible ahead of the 2026 switch, there is currently no agreed transfer date for the HT duties.
Whincup admitted a fortnight ago in Perth that there are “complications” involved in the handover from DJR.
DJR is understood to be withholding HT files and documents while it seeks to recoup as much as $1 million that it has invested in the engine program since taking it over in late 2023.
Triple Eight is already setting up its own engine shop and only wants to purchase leftover parts from MPT, with intervention from Ford likely required to break the deadlock.
While not calling out DJR or MPT specifically, Whincup told Speedcafe the team is waiting for access to the Ford engine it has purchased.
“We’ve purchased an out of kay engine from Groves. It’s done 8500km, it’s dead,” Whincup confirmed.
“We’ve purchased an engine through them and they’re struggling to deliver it to us. We wanted it Friday and it didn’t get delivered, so we’re knocking on Grove’s door asking when we’re going to see it.
“But we understand there are complications there.”
The Grove team is known to be supportive of the move to have Triple Eight take on the Ford HT role and improve the Mustang package.
Grove Racing and DJR declined to comment when approached by Speedcafe about the Triple Eight engine claim.
DJR boss David Noble did, however, briefly address the Ford HT handover during a routine pre-event press conference at Hidden Valley on Friday.
“When we’ve got more information, we’ll let everyone know, but at this stage we’re just continuing to work through what we need to as an organisation,” he said.
“We’re hopeful we can get that transition quickly but there’s lots of things still going on behind the scenes.”
The situation appears complicated by the fact Triple Eight currently remains the official homologation team for General Motors.
It’s expected to hand that over to Team 18 in the coming weeks amid separate negotiations with GM that also involve the status of defecting tech whiz Jeromy Moore.
While there is nothing in the Supercars rule book preventing a GM team from acquiring Ford engines or parts, Triple Eight’s overlapping programs have caused unease among rivals.
Triple Eight already has a Gen3 Mustang fitted with a Coyote V8 engine at its Banyo workshop courtesy of the Blanchard Racing Team.
The team has borrowed the spare car from BRT for assessment, having also used it for its bombshell Ford announcement on January 31.
Asked why Triple Eight wants the Grove engine, Whincup said: “We’re going to be the Ford engine supplier for next year so we want to see the product and understand the product.
“Every engine that’s done 8000 kays is for sale to anyone or anywhere. We’ve purchased an out of kay engine and now we’re waiting for it.”
While the Gen3 regulations introduced in 2023 had the category move to a single engine supplier per manufacturer, the individual engines are owned by the teams themselves.
The bizarre engine saga comes amid suggestions Triple Eight wants to start track testing its first Mustang early in the second half of this year.
Ford is understood to have targeted a July 1 start date for Triple Eight to take on any HT duties that relate to 2026 and the build of its first Mustang is well underway.
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