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via Imago

via Imago

Ahead of Shane Van Gisbergen’s anticipated jump to a full-time driver role in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Supercars Championship completed its maiden wind tunnel testing session. It lasted 12 hours per day for 3 days at the Windshear wind tunnel facility in Concord, North Carolina. A Ford Mustang and a Chevrolet Camaro were tested and the data recorded will go a long way in the achievement of Gen3 parity.

The 2023 season of the championship was controversial in that respect. The series was mainly dominated by Chevrolet with Ford finishing on a positive note after an aero adjustment. The hunt for parity became a crucial matter after the season came to an end and the organizers have taken a huge step toward that goal.

The beginning of a new era for the Supercars Championship?

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The Chevrolet Camaro set the initial baseline before the Ford Mustang entered the wind tunnel. Day 1 of the 3-day testing session was centered around baseline running while the second day saw different aero parts being fit to the cars and to gather and compare data.

The wind tunnel testing session was considered to be a massive success as both cars combined to total approximately 2600 miles. This was a lot higher than last year’s 995 miles achieved at the VCAT (Vehicle Control Aerodynamic Testing) at Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport.

“It is a relief. There is a lot of pressure and a lot of tension, there’s a lot at stake here,” Supercars Championship CEO Shane Howard told Supercars.com. “There’s such a significant difference in the amount of information between a runway test and being here at this amazing facility here at Windshear. For example, at a VCAT test, we did 700 to 800 kilometers [per car] in one week. Here, we’ve done over 4000.”

“At a runway test, we’re assessing three or four different points on a car on downforce and drag. Here, they’re assessing it on over 50 different properties. It was fantastic to be part of, to be honest. Really exciting stuff, but there’s always the pressure to get it right,” he added.

Unfortunately, Shane Van Gisbergen will not be around to compete in the updated Supercars vehicles in 2024 full-time as the Kiwi will be in the States mainly preparing for his entry in NASCAR. However, his Gen3 Camaro in which he made his final start of his Supercars career will be sent to his home country.

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Last Supercars ride of Shane Van Gisbergen to be honored back home

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Shane Van Gisbergen drove the #97 Red Bull Ampol for a portion of his final Supercars season. He won the championship 3 times and is considered to be a legend of the sport. The 34-year-old’s last car will make the rounds in New Zealand in places like the historic Taupo Motorsports Park.

“We don’t know exactly what we’re going to be able to do with that car just yet, but Tony Quinn is shipping that car over to New Zealand to do the rounds and I’m sure it will be at Highlands at the museum for a bit,” former Supercars driver Greg Murphy said on an episode of the Castrol Motorsport News Podcast. Now that’s exciting news! 

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SVG may be new to NASCAR but he is considered to be a legend among Supercars fans and back home in New Zealand. It will be interesting to see how he gets on with life in the Cup Series.

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