A seismic shift in the Supercars landscape is set to occur when Triple Eight Race Engineering ditches Chevrolet for Ford in 2026.
As it stands, KRE Engines is the category supplier of Chevrolet motors for Camaro. However, the Queensland-based manufacturer is being mooted to build the Ford motor too.
That’s an idea that has drawn significant conjecture in the Supercars paddock.
Triple Eight has picked KRE, but the decision ultimately sits with the teams and Supercars.
The appointment of KRE to build Ford motors comes with the caveat that it would not ditch its General Motors clients in Supercars.
That’s a sticking point. Chevrolet Racing, the GM motorsport division in Australia, is against the move but it does not have a say in the matter.
Supercars has not commented but is believed to be against having one supplier for two engines.
“I think my thoughts have echoed pretty consistently down the paddock,” Walkinshaw said in Sunday’s post-race press conference.
“We shouldn’t have one supplier doing two different brands. It goes against the philosophy of what the sport is built upon.
“It also gives an unfair advantage to those two manufacturers against another smaller manufacturer – for example, the economies of scale, cost reductions and so on that come with that the single manufacturer may not have the same opportunity to gain.
“If you do have a parity issue between those two different brands that are being manufactured by that same engine supplier, it causes a lot of friction there for the fans and for the teams involved in the sport as well, so we’re totally against it.”
Triple Eight has stated publicly that Supercars would stand to benefit from the move as it believes KRE is the best option in Australia.
However, Walkinshaw said he believes a straw poll would have all the non-homologation teams against such a move.
“I’m quite confident that if you would ask most of the other teams down the pit lane that aren’t either of those two homologation teams that they’d be completely against it as well,” he said.
“It’s not what the sport is built upon and it goes against everything that we believe the sport should be looking at going forward.”
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