Supercars and DJR are tight-lipped on today’s program beyond the regular 60km shakedown running allowed for a new machine, although additional laps are likely to be granted.
Crew from DJR and its Motorsport Powertrains engine offshoot are working alongside Supercars personnel including motorsport boss Tim Edwards and engine chief Craig Hasted.
The performance of the Ford engine continues to be questioned, with DJR’s Camaro convert Brodie Kostecki – who is attending the test outing – leading a renewed push for parity.
Kostecki is adamant the Ford remains at a disadvantage despite AVL dyno testing having taken place last year in the United States that was intended to put the matter to bed.
Feedback that the Ford is suffering in racing conditions, such as when in traffic and on Safety Car restarts, led to a study into the impact of temperature on the two engines.
It revealed the Ford was at a deficit at inlet readings above 25 degrees and the Chevrolet behind when below 25. No figures regarding the size of the discrepancies were made public.
Last-minute changes before Symmons Plains intended to rectify the situation centred on the Ford, with an ECU update installed to allow its camshaft timing to account for temperature.
A change to the Ford’s restrictor was also made as part of efforts to balance the power curves.
It’s thought that the cold temperatures experienced at the Tasmanian event, however, may have seen a net benefit to the Chevrolet on track.
Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle publicly lamented a lack of “straight-line handling” following the opening race, where he was overtaken for the lead by Triple Eight’s Broc Feeney.
Speaking on the Friday of the event, Kostecki had told Speedcafe there remains more work to be done to achieve parity.
“I think there’s still a lot of work to be done between the two motors, to be honest,” he said.
“There’s a lot of unknowns and they dyno the motors, but it’s not how they run on track.”
It’s unclear if more changes will be made ahead of the next round of the championship at Perth’s Wanneroo Raceway on June 6-8.
DJR’s Motorsport Powertrains remains in charge of the Ford engine project, which will be taken over by Triple Eight at some point ahead of 2026.
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