Fords not disadvantaged, new parity review system finds
9/9/2002 22:03 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
Ford’s crippling V8 Supercar drought is not the result of any disparity with their Holden rivals, a new parity review system has found.
Ford’s hopes of an aerodynamic boost ahead of this weekend’s Queensland 500 have been crushed; results of the first in a series of evaluation tests between the Falcon and the Commodore showing no justification for a parity adjustment.
The Blue Oval brigade, winless on the V8 Supercar circuit for over 12 months, had called on officials to act on Holden’s perceived advantage, threatening legal action over the matter.
The new system, ratified by the Touring Car Entrants Group (TEGA) board last week, analyses lap times from each V8 Supercar round.
The fastest 20 laps (25 for endurance rounds) are taken from the fastest ten competitors, averaged across all races from the event.
The average overall lap time from the Falcons and Commodores are compared after each round. Adjusted times (converted to a standard 60-second lap) more than 0.13 seconds apart would trigger a parity adjustment.
A new committee, comprising AVESCO Operations Manager Tony Manson, CAMS Chief Steward Garth Wigston and Driving Standards’ Observer Colin Bond, will administer the system, while a separate technical committee will determine any adjustment.
Essentially, enforcing parity is now a standardised process, rather than an improvised one.
Full results of the first review have not been released, only to say the Falcons were, on average, not more than 0.13 seconds slower than the Commodores over the review period, from rounds four to eight.
That’s unlikely to silence a growing band of disgruntled Ford team owners and drivers, many adamant they’ve been at a disadvantage this season.
Given the results, no adjustment seems likely before the implementation of the ‘Project Blueprint’ equalisation program next year.
And the Holden Racing Team’s domination of V8 Supercar racing will now go unchecked – as it should, TEGA Chairman Wayne Cattach said today.
"[The system doesn’t] recognise one particular team which might be doing it better than the others as to do this would lead the category to individual team handicapping which would be a significant philosophical change of direction for the sport," he said.
Mr Cattach said the new system was a good indicator of the relative competitiveness of each car, excluding peripheral issues such as pit stops and team strategy.
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