The first shakedown of a SuperUte has been conducted on the Gold Coast.
The Sieders Racing Team’s Mitsubishi Triton which was unveiled at the Townsville 400 was driven for around 50km at the Norwell Motorplex under the supervision of consultant Ross Stone and other Supercars staff.
Norwell owner and prospective ECB SuperUtes competitor Paul Morris drove hot laps in the car during the afternoon.
“It was the usual shakedown,” Morris told Speedcafe.com.
“It all went extremely well, really. The main thing was to get some kilometres on all the componentry that Pace Innovations have designed because they all have common gearbox, drivetrain, and rear end, so we did that.
“It’s a lot of fun to drive. If you want to get up on the wheel, the thing will slide around a bit and break traction, and plenty of power there to get yourself into trouble, for sure.
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“I’ve been involved with development of a lot of race cars over the years; for it to come out of the box as it was designed and run like it did was pretty impressive.
Morris, who has made cameos in V8 Utes and New Zealand’s SsangYong Actyon Racing Series, believes that the change to an unlocked differential will promote better racing than the existing formula.
“Obviously you’re a lot higher off the ground and the centre of gravity’s a lot higher but it does turn very well,” he added.
“The old utes run a spool whereas this SuperUte has a Detroit locker system in it, so as you turn into the corner the diff’s not locked.
“It’s got virtually no understeer at all and it does turn very well, which I think will make for really good racing because it will allow you to pass people without caving their doors in.”
Stone’s Ford Ranger is pencilled in for shakedown after this weekend’s Sydney Super Sprint.
The four other models set for homologation for the series include the Mazda BT-50, Toyota Hilux, Isuzu D-Max, and Holden Colorado.
The opening round of the inaugural SuperUtes Series is expected to take place at the Adelaide 500 on March 1-4.
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