A REBELLION is brewing in Ford V8 Supercar ranks. Ford teams racing older model AU Falcons are lobbying for a quick fix to make their cars competitive with the newer, faster BA Falcons.
But the bigger budget Ford teams with new cars have rejected any change, saying the AU Falcon is "yesterday's car".
Parity disputes between Holden and Ford have plagued the V8 Supercar series, but an adjustment between different models of the same brand is unprecedented.
One Ford team owner said an adjustment should happen before the next round at Eastern Creek next month.
"It is a parity sport and all four cars are eligible to compete," he said.
"You only have to look at some of the drivers in AU Falcons to know they're not mugs. Obviously there isn't parity. "
The sport's ruling body, TEGA, has not received a formal request to alter the AU Falcon, but said it would consider any request.
"I haven't heard anything from Ford, but I expect I soon will," TEGA manager Kelvin O'Reilly said yesterday.
"Never say never, but there would have to be measurable reasons to do it and a practical way to do it. "
The older model Holden Commodore VX was competitive against the new Commodore VY and Falcon BA at Phillip Island at the weekend.
But the Falcon AU was not competitive. Its highest qualifier was in 16th place. The AUs filled six of the last seven places.
The Ford Performance Racing team, however, which runs two AU Falcons along with the BA Falcon of Craig Lowndes, said it did not want a performance adjustment in favour of the AUs.
"We're concentrating on the BA," Ford's racing's managing director David Flint said.
"We don't have time to develop the AU.
"We want to get out of the AU as soon as possible."
I don't like that opinion from David Flint (I know he is a member here, but I'm going to say this anyway)...Why just concentrate on the BA? You have 2 drivers still in the AU who are still competing in the championship...Why would you want to hinder their chances, especially when you have such a talented driver in David Besnard, likely to be in the AU for at least half of this season...Any change to the AU is going to be a good one, and will certainly help David acheive some respectable results - the factory ford team currently has him in 3rd last place...
On one hand I can see their point, but on the other I wish that every AU Supercar was crushed into a cube & dropped into the ocean. The more BAs that are winning the more chance I can forget that the AU ever existed.
I dont really understand why FPV dont have 3 BA's.
It can only really be financial reasons. I mean they dont have to reinvent the wheel with each new car do they? I mean you build one, you have the blueprint for the other 2 dont you? So why does it take so long etc etc?
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Probably because the team is so new, they bought the GSR team which was a 1 car team and Craig is running their BA. Glenn is running his AU from last year and I have no idea where Davids car is from.
The sooner the AU is off the track the better and that is the right attitude from HJ, why on earth would you waste money developing a dead platform. I may be wrong but I think that this is the hybrid year and next year it is all Blueprint VY vs BA so there will be no AU's around anyway. (I may stand to be corrected on that point)
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Originally posted by JamesM I don't like that opinion from David Flint (I know he is a member here, but I'm going to say this anyway)...Why just concentrate on the BA? You have 2 drivers still in the AU who are still competing in the championship...Why would you want to hinder their chances, especially when you have such a talented driver in David Besnard, likely to be in the AU for at least half of this season...Any change to the AU is going to be a good one, and will certainly help David acheive some respectable results - the factory ford team currently has him in 3rd last place...
It's quite simple if you think about it really, any money they spend on the AU now is going to be completely wasted when they get the new BA models for the other two drivers - FPR didn't build either of the cars and any R & D put into it would be a waste.
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Excuse me if my posts have been a bit whimsical of late ... that would be summer session depression kicking in.
I dont really understand why FPV dont have 3 BA's.
It can only really be financial reasons. I mean they dont have to reinvent the wheel with each new car do they? I mean you build one, you have the blueprint for the other 2 dont you? So why does it take so long etc etc?
Give them a break! They are building Glenn's car now. The team has only been together 9-10 weeks, and have been working 28 hours, 8 days a week to get things together! You don't build a competitive race car in a couple of days.
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Originally posted by Venom XR You don't build a competitive race car in a couple of days.
Looking at DJR's results last year, you don't build one in 12 months!!!
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