Dick Johnson Racing and Tickford Racing are understood to have evaluated various alternate bodywork pieces during the pre-Enduro Cup test that featured the full field.
It comes amid continued unrest over a straightline speed deficit faced by the Mustang runners compared to the Chevrolet Camaros that threatens to again produce a lopsided Great Race.
DJR, which remains Ford’s current homologation team, and its star driver Brodie Kostecki are understood to be at the forefront of a plea for pre-Bathurst changes.
Kostecki and engineer George Commins joined DJR this season following two years running Camaros with Erebus Motorsport, giving them direct insight into the performance of both cars.
The reigning Bathurst winning driver was seen visiting the Tickford garage and transporter on multiple occasions during last week’s test, appearing to seek feedback from its star Cam Waters.
Waters’ Monster Mustang ran DJR-supplied aero parts during the day as part of the evaluation, understood to have included modified front splitter/cheeks, side skirts and a revised rear wing position.
The altered rear wing position was likely that run in the final events of 2023, when the Mustang proved the dominant car.
It’s unclear if engine tweaks were also run by either team, although Supercars’ engine expert Craig Hasted was a notable attendee at the test.
Engine performance has been the focus of considerable parity work this year, with a series of changes enacted to account for the way the two powerplants react to temperature differences.
Supercars pledged earlier this year it would also have a barometric pressure study completed by Bathurst to understand the impact of altitude on the two engines at Mount Panorama.
While the status of that project is unknown, it’s clear that aero is also back in the parity spotlight despite the $1million US wind tunnel program conducted in the 2023/24 off-season.
The politically charged nature of the situation has led the parties involved to close ranks, with Supercars, Ford and DJR all declining to comment on what was tested at QR and why.
Kostecki and Waters were also unwilling to elaborate on their discussions when approached by Speedcafe during the Ipswich test.
The former spoke out on the parity situation on the eve of the Symmons Plains round back in May, where the first temperature focused engine tweaks were rolled out.
“It shouldn’t have to take me to come in from a different side and really push hard behind the scenes to make things happen,” Kostecki told Speedcafe at the time.
“No other category in the world has done what Supercars is trying to do and make two different motors equal without doing BOP (Balance of Performance).
“Everyone’s doing their best, but it’s simply not good enough and that’s just the facts of it.”
The day after Kostecki spoke out, both DJR Mustangs were disqualified from the opening Symmons Plains race for running illegally modified skid blocks.
While Speedcafe does not suggest DJR was targeted by Supercars technical or that the two events were connected, the coincidence may have contributed to the subsequent silence.
Supercars is meanwhile thought to be frustrated by Ford’s approach to its parity complaints, which have continually flipped between engine and aero since the Gen3 cars first hit the track.
The build-up to the last two Bathurst 1000s were dominated by parity debates, with last year’s event run shortly after AVL dyno testing was undertaken with both engines in the US.
Ford is also currently dealing with a crankshaft reliability scare ahead of Bathurst for the second year running following a spectacular failure in Townsville last month.
It’s unclear where the parity saga will go next – and whether any further track testing will take place – ahead of the first Enduro Cup event at The Bend on September 12-14.
Supercars will return to the Windshear wind tunnel in December to homologate the new-for-2026 Toyota Supra, which is currently being developed by Walkinshaw Andretti United.
The test will also include a Team 18 Camaro and a Triple Eight Mustang, which may undergo tweaks if it’s found not to match the numbers produced by its GM rival.
Discussion about this post