WHY A MUSTANG CANNOT WIN BATHURST
The summit of Mount Panorama is too high for the Ford Mustang to climb.
But it’s not the height itself, or the long run up Mountain Straight, which creates the challenge for the Ford Coyote V8 at the Bathurst 1000.
Instead, it’s the atmospheric pressure on the mountain which takes the edge off the engine and gives a winning advantage to the Chevrolet Camaro.
That's the view of the man who heads Gen3 technical development and homologation for the Ford Mustang, Dr Ryan Story.
“I genuinely and sincerely believe we can win the championship – but not Bathurst,” Story told Scott Pye and Elliot Barbour on the Apex Hunters United podcast.
He said Ford's research has found the air pressure at Bathurst takes the edge off the Coyote V8, even though it works well enough to fight for victory at the other tracks on the Supercars' trail.
"It’s barometric pressure. For us it’s the altitude. That’s what our theory is.
"Supercars disagrees with that. I'm sure Triple Eight would disagree with that. But that's what we believe.”
Diving into the detail at Bathurst, which measures 862 metres above sea level with a 174-metre climb from the Pit Straight to Brock's Skyline, Story said the air is thinner than most other tracks.
“I believe we have a car and engine package that can win the championship but can’t win Bathurst.
“Our theories behind that, we can validate with data.
"And, while Supercars don’t agree, they have also committed to investing in upgrading the Supercars’ dyno in Queensland to validate or invalidate what we believe is happening.
He said the Bathurst theory is resulting in a new round of engine testing.
“We think there are a few things going on, and Supercars is testing . . . and working through quite a few things.
“It’s the ability to measure air pressure, in inlet and exhaust.
“It needs to be backed up in data. It can’t be speculative.”
Story is responsible for the technical team at Dick Johnson Racing, the Ford homologation team, and re-took control of engine development work in 2024.
He was also responsible for the all-out effort that got the Mustangs back on track at Bathurst – including sourcing parts from around the globe and air-freighting them to Australia – following the series of catastrophic engine failures around the Sandown 500 race weekend.
Asked on the podcast how he could be complaining about the engine’s performance when Matt Payne took provisional pole position for the Bathurst 1000, and then Cam Waters qualified on the front row, Story said there are minute problems on the Ford side.
“To me, it’s a fine line,” he said of the difference between the Mustang and the Camaro.
"Last year it was easy to go 'The problem is parity'.
He was blunt about the latest engine work.
“We’ve taken an approach this year of no bullshit with supercars and how we work with Triple Eight. 2023 was not prosecuted anywhere near as well as it should have been.
“I have to fight the good fight, but at the same time I have to be realistic of what our expectations could be.
"We've had quite a journey, particularly with engine, this year. The job's not done yet.”
Story believes the next round of testing will prove the point on the engine front, and he is hoping there will be a very minor change that applies only to Mount Panorama.
“I think that will effectively lead to a ’spec’ just for Bathurst,” he said.
