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A post-event aerodynamic test at The Bend was conducted with the purpose of longer term solutions for the Ford Mustang Supercar rather than necessarily being a quick fix, Speedcafe understands.
Homologation team Dick Johnson Racing and fellow Ford Supercars outfit Tickford Racing stayed on at The Bend Motorsport Park after the OTR SuperSprint, as did Chevrolet squads Triple Eight Race Engineering and Erebus Motorsport, for a variety of activities.
On the Mustang front, aerodynamics was the focus, having been a point of conjecture for several events now.
A new aerodynamic package designed to reduce a substantial loss of downforce in pitch was introduced head of the NTI Townsville 500, three events ago, although there are now suggestions from the Blue Oval camp that it has put them on the wrong end of a drag disparity.
Speedcafe understands that, for DJR and Tickford, post-event the programme at The Bend involved cycling through the start-of-season aero, the current version, and other bodywork pieces which could be introduced at some point in the future.
Indeed, photographs captured by Speedcafe from the day show Cameron Waters’ #6 Tickford Mustang apparently sporting a new rear wing and new endplates, as well as trialling different wing angles.
Anton De Pasquale’s #11 DJR Mustang ran with a modified front bar and, at one point, without side skirts, while a modified splitter was also spotted.
However, it is highly likely that aerodynamics will be unchanged for next month’s Penrite Oil Sandown 500.
The new package, which is still only three events old, was introduced following an official parity review.
That review was conducted after the ‘trigger’ was hit, and Supercars explained then that, “The threshold to trigger a review must be achieved consistently over either five consecutive races or five of eight Championship races.”
Between the Townsville, Sydney, and The Bend events, there have only been seven races, and it is thought that the modified lap time upon which the trigger relies was fairly equal across the Mustangs and Camaros at the latter, where the Ford teams were noticeably more competitive.
Assuming the likely outcome that the trigger has not yet been hit again, direct Supercars Board intervention would be required for another official parity review.
Nevertheless, the activity was a prudent exercise because of the properties of The Bend which make it “perfect” for aerodynamic work, according to one insider.
Licenced to FIA Grade 2 and conceivably capable of being brought up to Grade 1 in order to host Formula 1 competition, The Bend is a wide, smooth circuit with multiple straights which run in different directions and long corners.
As such, it offers a number of different references for aerodynamic validation.
The same could be said for having two cars.
Exact details of the programme are not known, but by using a DJR Mustang and a Tickford Mustang, the same aerodynamic package could conceivably be run on vehicles with different set-up philosophies, including at the same time.
The Mustangs were observed exiting the final corner at speed and then riding the rev limiter down the main straight, in either fourth or fifth gear.
They did likewise on the straight which links Turns 12 and 13 of The Bend’s International layout (as typically used by Supercars, including on the weekend).
James Courtney took over team-mate Waters’ Mustang during the day while DJR’s other driver, Will Davison, was also in attendance.
The parity-related activity at The Bend comes amid the possibility that cars will eventually be sent for wind tunnel testing, which is now regarded by many in the paddock as necessary given how closely the cars are in fact matched, and the tightly controlled nature of the Gen3 ruleset meaning that it is difficult to develop around a disparity.
All Supercars Championship teams will conduct pre-enduro testing next month, before the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 on September 15-17.
GALLERY: Ford Supercars aero testing at The Bend Images: InSyde Media
