FORD’S GEN3 HOWLING COYOTE V8

PLENTY OF TESTING TIME FOR FORD’S GEN3 POWERPLANT PROGRAM

While we have spent time ogling the new Gen3 Mustang and Camaro racers, there has been plenty of changes under the skin – and not just to the chassis.

Both Ford and GM will run new developed engine packages for 2023.

GM Camaro based teams will be running a 5.7-litre single camshaft engine with two valves per cylinder V8 engine and Ford a 5.4-litre quad cam V8, with four valves per cylinder Coyote engine that features in the latest Mustang GT road car.

Herrod Performance Engines will build and supply all the Ford Supercar team engines, while KRE Race Engines is handling all the GM engines and development.

Working closely with Supercars Gen3 development team, Herrod Performance Engines is working to match several metrics on the engine to ensure parity, including power, fuel usage, weight, centre of gravity (COG) and moment of inertia (MOI).

The Supercars Gen3 development team is also keen to extend the time between rebuilds to reduce the cost of each team’s engine program.

Herrod Performance Engines is working with Ford Performance on Ford’s Gen3 engine program, and speaking to AUTO ACTION, Rob Herrod says the program is proceeding well.

Herrod Performance Engines – Rob Herrod is working closely with Ford Performance in the USA and Supercars to deliver the new Gen3 Ford Coyote race engines.

Dyno Testing

“We’ve already done roughly 5,200 kilometres of dyno durability testing,” Herrod said of the development program.

“So far, one engine has been used for the Ford Gen3 development work, but a new one will be built by Herrod’s team and sent to the States for 10,000km of testing in December.

“We had a small valve-train issue, which we’ve resolved, and we’ve found that we need to change some terminals and connectors­ on some of the VCT area.

“We’ve actually run out of dyno cell time, but we are sending another new engine over so we’re going to have the whole month of December for more dyno work.

“It’s a full-on AVL dyno, computer simulation that includes changing gears with a full transaxle; everything’s there. It’s like a complete car, without the car.

The Ford Coyote V8 engine fits into the new Gen3 Mustang like a glove

“All the right testing is being done, and everything is running to plan. There’s also been no deterioration and no horsepower lost.

“But we can’t really compare that to a current engine because we’ve never tested one of them like this. We’ll get 5,000 km’s between rebuilds, without a doubt,” Herrod confirmed.

He said they had six engines completed or near completion with more on the go at the moment and would have the full complement ready for pre-season testing with spares.

Supercars Gen3 team revealed to AUTO ACTION recently that the tunability of the Ford engine is a key to getting parity of engines in the sport and that the Ford will be tuned to match the Chevrolet LS based package.

The new 7th generation Mustang Gen3 Supercar

The new 7th Generation Mustang in Gen3 Supercar guise will be powered by Herrod Performance Engines’ Ford Coyote V8’s

Ford’s new challenger for the 2023 Supercars Championship and the Bathurst 1000 is closely aligned to the new road-going 7th Generation Mustang and is part of a motorsport program that features the new Mustang.

It was revealed at Bathurst and Ford Performance Motorsports global director Mark Rushbrook said it was a thrill to reveal the beast to the world on the biggest weekend in the sport.

“The reveal of the Mustang Supercar is the first of many, with Mustang to race in GT3, GT4, NASCAR and NHRA competition globally,” he said.

“Mustang has been an iconic brand on and off the track for 58 years and its legend will continue around the world. We always say Mustang was born to race, and that is truer today than ever. The Mustang GT Supercar is ready to race in 2023.”

Working with local manufactures.

Herrod Performance Engines have also been working with local Australian based companies to develop components for the engine program and Rob Herrod, was impressed by the new range of Ryco oil, air and fuel filters which will now be control items across the Gen3 Supercars program. 

“RYCO stepping up to the mark and getting involved in this program has been an absolute benefit to this whole Gen3 engine program for us at Herrod Performance Engines,” Herrod said.

“Not just in oil filtration – air and fuel filtration packages are also required, and RYCO has come in leaps and bounds and given us the products we need.”

For more of the latest motorsport news pick up the latest issue of Auto Action.

AUTO ACTION, Australia’s independent voice of motorsport.