FORD MUSTANG DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM CONTINUED AT PHILLIP ISLAND

Ford’s testing of the new Mustang continued at Phillip Island today – Photo: Supplied

Ford and DJR Team Penske’s extensive testing program ahead of the Ford Mustang’s introduction to the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship continued at Phillip Island today.

The Mustang, which is a joint project between Ford Performance, DJR Team Penske and Tickford Racing, ran around the 4.4km high-speed seaside circuit in its second homologation test under the direction of Ford Performance and DJR Team Penske engineering staff.

Both DJR Team Penske drivers, Scott McLaughlin and Fabian Coulthard, had the chance to drive the car and provide feedback during today’s tests.

Scott McLaughlin testing the Mustang – Photo: Supplied

Current series leader, who is also the current Supercars lap record holder at Phillip Island, McLaughlin indicating that testing the new car today was a career highlight.

“Being a part of this program is very special, but testing the new car here at Phillip Island only adds to that feeling,” said McLaughlin.

“This circuit is one of my favourites, and I always enjoy the challenge of driving here. It was fantastic to being able to put Mustang through its paces on the Island.”

Coulthard, who got behind the wheel for the afternoon session of the day, said he expects Mustang to be a fantastic competitor for the Ford brand.

“Working through this process with the support of Ford has been fantastic, and it’s great for the sport to have Mustang on the grid next year,” said Coulthard.

“Being a part of the program is a privilege, and I can’t wait to race it in 2019.”

Ford Performance Supercars Aerodynamics Lead Sriram Pakkam, who was present at today’s test, said that confirmation of the Computer Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) work at a high-speed, high-load circuit like Phillip Island was important to the continued testing of the Mustang program.

“After the initial work we undertook at Queensland Raceway on Wednesday, it was beneficial to be able to continue that validation process under the high aerodynamic loads we saw at Phillip Island today,” said Pakkam.

“It’s valuable to have the ability to spend a day getting a better understanding of real-world performance under these types of conditions. Both Scott and Fabian’s feedback is vital to how we approach the set-up of this car, and they have been fantastic throughout the process.”

Mustang testing will continue in coming weeks before Supercars homologation testing begins in December.

For more of the latest Supercars news, pick up the latest issue of Auto Action, on sale now. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.