INTERNATIONAL RESCUE: SUPERCARS CALLS IN AMERICAN EXPERTS

Renowned Formula 1 and IndyCar engine maker Ilmor has been hired to help develop Supercars’ Gen3 V8s.

Auto Action has learned that Gen3 versions of the Ford and GM ‘crate’ motors will be sent to Ilmor in America for parity validation.

Ilmor has a long history of developing race-winning engines.

Supercars will switch to Ford’s 5.4-litre Coyote-based V8 and GM’s 6.2-litre LS3.

The change means balancing the disparity of the low-cost motors – DOHC 4 valves per cylinder versus pushrod two valves.

The Ford ‘Aluminator’ can rev higher, but the LS3 will produce more torque.

Supercars is working with local engine developers Mostech (Ford) and KRE (GM) to develop ‘crate’ V8s that are cheaper and longer-lasting.

It has targeted a maximum of $60,000 for a Gen3 motor, compared with more than $100K for the existing five-litre V8.

While teams have confirmed the Ilmor link, Supercars is not commenting. But informed sources verify that the American branch of Ilmor, based at Plymouth, Michigan outside Detroit, has been commissioned to validate the parity of the Ford and GM motors.

“We plan on working with them to support the technical parity between engines,” an insider said.

According to the informant, Ilmor – which masterminded Chevrolet’s 2.2-litre turbocharged IndyCar engine – is not involved in development of the Gen3 ‘crate’ motors, which are being tuned here by Mostech and KRE.

The source revealed that Supercars’ well-established parity measures would be used to balance performance between the disparate engines, suggesting the GM LS3’s capacity may not be retained.

Initially backed by Roger Penske, llmor was founded by ex-Cosworth engineers Mario Ilien and Paul Morgan in the late 1980s. They developed winning F1 and Indycar motors.

Ilmor’s Chevrolet and Mercedes turbocharged V8s dominated CART in the 1990s. Its latest Chevy twin-turbo V6 vies with Honda for IndyCar supremacy.

The American division is also a force in NASCAR truck racing and the ARCA feeder series.

In F1, Ilmor designed the early Mercedes-Benz V10s that powered McLaren to world championships in 1998/99 with Mika Hakkinen.

The company’s facility in Brixworth, UK, was taken over by Mercedes in 2005, forming the basis of the operation that developed the all-conquering hybrid V6 that has dominated since 2014.

Ilmor in America was also behind the Honda IndyCar powerplant from 2003-11, switching to Chevy with Penske support in 2012.

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