The Supercars parity debate will no doubt roll on into this weekend’s Tasmania SuperSprint, as the centre of gravity (COG) test yielded weight changes for both the Holden Commodore and the Ford Mustang.
A centre of gravity test was conducted following the Melbourne 400 support round to the Formula One, in reaction to the dominance shown by the Mustang in the first two events of the season.
Reigning Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin has won five of the six races so far in 2019, with the only other win having gone to Tickford’s Chaz Mostert, who was also driving a Mustang. Pole positions have also been swept by the Ford outfits.
Ten cars from the three manufacturers competing in Supercars were taken under parc ferme conditions for testing and it was found that the Mustang indeed had a centre of gravity advantage, having run a significant amount of ballast low in the car.
Not only did the Ford teams have to re-adjust ballast inside their cars as a result, having been instructed to add 28 kilograms of ballast inside the cabin, but the ZB Commodore runners also had to add an additional 6.7 kilograms to their roofs.
Only Kelly Racing – who are running the oldest car on the grid in the Nissan Altima – didn’t have to make any changes, given that the Mustang and the Commodore have now been brought back onto an even keel with the Altima.
In theory then, these changes should effectively condense the field once again and Supercars is a category that globally prides itself on how competitive it is and the level of parity in the series.
Symmons Plains is traditionally a circuit where the gap between the field is very tight, because it is the shortest layout in the championship.
The big question is whether it will offer a true representation of how these changes to cars will affect the order, and the likely answer is no.
Triple Eight’s Shane Van Gisbergen. (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Triple Eight, who were the force behind pushing for the parity testing, have been the dominant force in Tasmania and swept this event in 2018.
It would be no surprise if they have a strong weekend, though their difficulties so far this season haven’t entirely been as a result of the Mustang’s advantage.
The banning of the twin-springs has had the biggest affect on the Red Bull Holden Racing Team, with even their customer Holden outfits having been more competitive at times throughout the first two events.
So even with the COG adjustments, if Triple Eight remain behind the pace setting DJR Team Penske Mustangs, it could be concluded that those adjustments might have not been necessary at this stage.
Yes, as far as keeping things competitive are concerned, it was the right move for Supercars.
Though two rounds into a championship is the wrong time, given that the Mustang upon its initial homologation tests at the end of last year was ticked off by the category.
If as a result the performance shifts over into Holden’s favour, then the question will have to be raised again about parity.
As it stands, Jamie Whincup is the best-placed Holden driver in the championship with a 31-point deficit to McLaughlin at the top, so it is not as if they are very far behind.
At the end of the day, since Car of the Future debuted in 2013 and since has seen various cars introduced such as the Volvo S60, Falcon FG X, ZB Commodore and now the Mustang, all have had performance advantages due to the fact they were cleverly engineered inside the regulations.
Having to constantly neuter a manufacturer’s ability to gain an advantage within the regulations will ultimately cast a bad look and not appear as attractive for new marques to look at a prospective entry into Supercars.
With the introduction of a hatchback in the ZB Commodore and a coupe body type in the Mustang now, the Supercars control chassis which has been around since 2013 does seem a little outdated now, if all these continual changes are being made to keep things even.
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