More parity testing for Gen3 Supercars next week

The series is yet to formally test the CoG of the new-spec Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros that debuted in Newcastle earlier this month.

That process is set to take place at Tickford Racing early next week following the Albert Park round this weekend.

A selection of cars from each brand will is set to be used to assess the relative CoG of the two models and could lead to changes in ballast position.

Some measures to equalise the CoG of the cars has already been taken, such as the Camaros running ballast above the engine to offset the overhead camshaft nature of the Ford V8 engine.

CoG parity has been an issue in Supercars before, the matter rearing its head after the Gen2 Ford Mustang was introduced to the series in 2019.

It was at that point it was revealed that the Dick Johnson Racing cars were running a heavier exhaust system than other teams to meet the minimum weight.

There were also issues with body panel weights the previous year after the ZB Commodore with a number of composite panels was introduced.

As it stands panel weights haven't been stipulated with these new Gen3 cars as they were with the previous-gen hardware.

Mark Dutton, team manager of GM homologation outfit Triple Eight, said that he wasn't expecting the CoG tests to show any vast difference between the two models.

"There should be some scope [for a difference], but really just bodywork," he explained.

"The underlying chassis is the same and then the engines have their own CoG and ballast, so they’re the same.

"The only real difference should be bodywork and both of them, unlike in the past, are composite throughout, so everything should be much closer than they’ve ever been."

Barry Ryan from Erebus Motorsport agreed that their Camaros should be much different to the Mustangs: "We've got a lot of weight up high now, on the shock towers and on the centre of the engine.

"I think some of our body panels are a bit lighter, but until we do a CoG test we won't know. But it won't be a stupid amount like it was in 2019."

The series is set to face a competitive parity test of sorts this weekend based simply on the fast, flowing layout of the Albert Park circuit.

There were pre-season concerns from Ford that the Mustang had a deficit in both aero and engine compared to the Camaro.

That didn't seem to be the case in Newcastle, however the tight street circuit was never likely to expose any issues to the same extent as Albert Park.