The build-up to the most prestigious touring car endurance classic has been overshadowed by technical controversy as Supercars teams face mounting frustration over engine parity testing. For the second consecutive year, series officials hurriedly undertook barometric pressure testing on engines at their Brisbane base ahead of the Great Race. This emergency process attempts to determine how different air densities impact the pushrod Chevrolet V8, double-overhead cam Ford, and the new-for-2026 Toyota powerplants.
The testing echoes last year's chaotic preparations when a similar evaluation was only partially completed. That process resulted in a report recommending crucial changes to improve the Ford package, which ultimately went unimplemented due to poor timing. With three different engine architectures now competing in the category, the technical complexity has multiplied, leaving competitors desperate for clear answers as track action looms closer at Mount Panorama.
Team bosses expressed extreme disappointment regarding the lack of timely communication from the category management ahead of opening practice. Team 18 boss Adrian Burgess revealed that the three homologation squads—which also include Triple Eight and Walkinshaw TWG—were kept in the dark until late Wednesday night. "We received some information at about 9:20 last night. It was the first communication we had on the matter," Burgess said when speaking to Speedcafe regarding the delayed updates.
Ryan Walkinshaw, head of Walkinshaw TWG—whose team transitioned from Ford to introduce Toyota to the championship this year—criticized both the timing and the scientific standard of the evaluation. "That testing wasn’t really done to the standards that would be expected or required to go and make a scientific analysis and make the right decision for the engines that are participating in the category," Walkinshaw stated, emphasizing that engineers are still scrambling to process the late data.
This latest engine saga follows a turbulent period that included contentious aerodynamic modifications made to the Chevrolet Camaro and subsequent centre-of-gravity ballast adjustments. With fluctuating aero rulings having disrupted previous race weekends, fears are now rising that teams might resort to tactical sandbagging at Bathurst, mirroring Balance of Performance strategies seen in GT racing rather than the traditional Supercars technical mandate.
Read Also
Ducati merilis tiga sepatu motor baru hasil kolaborasi dengan Held dan Drudi Performance, menawarkan perlindungan maksimal dan kenyamanan sepanjang tahun.
Nissan merayakan 25 tahun X-Trail dengan penjualan tembus 8 juta unit serta meluncurkan varian N-Trek berteknologi e-POWER dan e-4ORCE.
Porsche menyiapkan supercar mesin tengah baru di atas 911 dan SUV di atas Cayenne demi mendongkrak performa bisnis lewat strategi Sportwagenschmiede 35.
Continue with Google
Discussion (0)
Join the Discussion!
Sign in easily to start commenting, replying, and interacting with other readers.
Latest Comments
No comments yet. Be the first!