This time the focus is engines with a two-phase testing programme to take place at the AVL facility in Plymouth, Michigan.
The process will technically kick off later this month when Ford and GM engines are shipped from Australia to the US.
There will then be a set-up phase following the NTI Townsville 500 before the first official phase kicks off after the Panasonic Air Conditioning Sydney SuperNight.
According to Supercars the two phases will play out as follows.
Phase 1 will commence with unofficial tests to deepen the understanding of each engine, explore various test procedures using advanced equipment, and trial proposed updated homologation processes. It will include discovery tests on current WOT [wide open throttle] output, inertia, negative torque, fuel economy and gear shifting.
This phase will also help AVL, the world-renowned dynamometer manufacturer and engineering service provider to familiarise its staff with the engines and the Homologation process and assist in setting any updated parity targets and tolerances.
Phase 2 will be the official test, involving representatives from Supercars, the two Homologation Teams (Triple Eight Race Engineering and Dick Johnson Racing), and manufacturer representatives from both General Motors and Ford. This phase will implement the agreed parity processes, ensuring both engines meet the established parity target tolerances.
The timing of the testing opens the door for any required changes to be implemented before the all-important Repco Bathurst 1000.
Teams have long been calling for transient dyno testing to better understand the characteristics of the vastly different Ford and Chevrolet powerplants.
“By utilising AVL’s state-of-the-art facilities and expertise, we aim to gain unprecedented insights into engine performance,” said Supercars CEO Shane Howard.
“Once testing is completed, information from the AVL testing will be passed on to all teams accordingly.”
