Ford Mustangs from Dick Johnson Racing, Tickford Racing and Grove Racing swept the podium at the Enduro Cup opener, held in the wake of a controversial in-season boost for the Blue Oval.
Supercars permitted a raft of aerodynamic changes to the Ford and the reintroduction of a shift-cut offset in the name of addressing an apparent straightline speed deficit to the Camaro.
Those tweaks – which also shifted the Mustang’s aero balance rearward – were only signed off on Wednesday of race week following days of tense negotiations involving Supercars, Ford and GM.
While Sunday’s result was an awkward look for Supercars immediately after allowing a change to what was signed off following 2023/24 wind tunnel testing, GM teams undoubtedly fumbled.
Triple Eight’s #88 Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup Camaro scored pole and led early but fell out of contention with a refuelling issue in the car’s first pit stop.
The team’s sister #1 Will Brown/Scott Pye machine ended up as the top Camaro in fourth, less than 15 seconds from the lead despite starting down in 16th place.
Triple Eight manager Mark Dutton expressed concern over the changes ahead of track action at The Bend but was reluctant to pass judgement post-race.
“At this stage for me we just need to focus on what we could have done better before we try and add our opinion to what contributed to other people’s performance,” Dutton told Speedcafe.
“Let’s try and understand our own performance and where we could have done better and worry about everyone else’s a little bit later.”
Matt Stone Racing’s #10 Nick Percat/Tim Slade entry was the second Camaro home in fifth on Sunday having also started outside the top 10.
Likewise, MSR’s lead qualifier – the #4 entry of Cam Hill/Cam McLeod – started from the front-row but struck an early setback, in its case an off-track excursion for the co-driver.
“We have to look at the data and all of that, but it’s always something to look at,” team owner Stone told Speedcafe of the parity situation.
“It’s probably too early to make an informed opinion just based on watching the race, but I’m sure [Supercars] will be looking all over it.
“I’m sure everyone will be looking all over it.”
The speed trap at The Bend offered no clues as to the relative top speeds of the cars because it was impacted by the braking area into Turn 1.
While teams have access to data from their own cars, they can only assess rivals by analysing timing information – or scraping telemetry shown on the TV broadcast or through the Supercars app.
“The problem is we didn’t see the data for why they got the change,” Erebus boss Barry Ryan told Speedcafe.
“I’m not going to lie awake thinking we’re going to see the data tomorrow to know if it’s better or not.
“It was pretty clear that two or three Fords dominated the race but there were some GM dramas too.
“You can’t say it’s a parity thing, no way.”
Ford responded to its triumph at The Bend by proclaiming there’s more work to do, with Supercars expected to undertake further engine parity testing before the Great Race.
Its drivers were reluctant to declare the changes beneficial – Brodie Kostecki and Matt Payne making near identical comments in the post-race press conference about previous form at The Bend.
The aero changes were evaluated by DJR, Tickford and Grove in the lead-up to the event across already scheduled test days at Queensland Raceway and The Bend.
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