Ford teams react to centre of gravity tweaks after Supercars ratifies changes

James Pavey

Ford teams react to centre of gravity tweaks after Supercars ratifies changes image

Ford teams have accepted Supercars' decision to ratify centre of gravity (COG) adjustments to the new-for-2019 Mustang.

Ford's new challenger has swept all six poles and six race wins so far this season, while Scott McLaughlin leads the championship.

Five of the six Mustangs in the field sit in the top 10 in the standings.

Following the Mustang's dominance over the Adelaide and Albert Park events, rival teams complained that the new model had a significant COG advantage, which would allow it to corner better.

2019 IS GO: Everything you need to know about the 2019 Supercars season

At the end of the Adelaide weekend, Red Bull Holden boss Roland Dane took a thiny-veiled swipe at the Mustang, suggesting it had an "unfair advantage".

Penrite Racing driver David Reynolds was also critical of the perceived Mustang advantage, saying it was "beyond obvious".

Last week, Supercars conducted a two-day COG test across all three marques - Ford, Holden and Nissan - and 10 cars from different teams at Kelly Racing's Braeside base.

On Wednesday, it was revealed that both the Mustang and the Holden ZB Commodore will undergo a COG tweak ahead of next weekend's Tasmania SuperSprint.

According to Speedcafe.com, the Commodores will have 6.7 kilograms of ballast moved into the roof of the cars, while the Mustang is believed to have as much as 30 kilograms repositioned.

The Nissan Altima will remain unchanged.

McLaughlin Coulthard Waters

Ford teams Shell V-Power Racing and Tickford Racing both issued statements to media, saying they have accepted Supercars' changes.

"We accept this decision and will be in complete compliance with the rule in time for Tasmania, which is our immediate focus at the present time," the Shell V-Power Racing statement reads.

"Last week we proposed that an alternative process be formalised to determine the CoG of the three individual body shapes within the series and have committed to submitting a proposal on how this could be achieved, which is in line with a similar proposal we put forward last year. Under this proposal, all parts, panels and components as homologated under each car’s VSD (vehicle specification document) would be collectively balanced under the principle of technical parity.

"We are committed to working with Supercars and the other teams on this submission. This approach would result in a more accurate implementation of a CoG rule and would still allow all teams to then make their own decisions in the composition and make up of their race cars beyond the paritised homologations of the three makes, which is in the spirit of the series.

"We are proud of the Mustang that we have developed in conjunction with Tickford, Ford and Ford Performance, and stand by its capability."


 

Tickford Racing, meanwhile, admitted it isn't "thrilled" with Supercars' decision, but will happily follow through with the tweaks.

"Tickford Racing is proud of the efforts and cooperation between its team, fellow Ford team DJR-Team Penske, Ford Australia, and Ford Performance in the development of the Ford Mustang Supercar. The work done by all parties has resulted in a highly successful race car which complies with the explicit homologation regulations provided by Supercars for the sake of competition,” the Tickford statement reads.

"While we are not thrilled with the situation that has arisen this week, we accept Supercars’ decision and are working with Supercars and DJR-Team Penske to make the necessary technical modifications to our cars. The rules are the rules. We have won races and a championship abiding by Supercars’ direction, and our goals remain unchanged as we pursue more wins and championships no matter how the rulebook reads.

"Supercars continues to be one of the most competitive forms of motorsport on the planet. As one of the most successful teams in the history of this championship, we relish the opportunity to compete in such an environment, and look forward to continuing that battle in Tasmania."


 

James Pavey

James Pavey Photo