Holden, Ford V8 rivalry revived
IN a $2 million response to the all-conquering ZB Commodore Supercar, Ford yesterday revealed the Blue Oval would be returning to Supercars with a V8-powered Mustang.
Ford’s open-ended deal with DJR Team Penske and Tickford Racing means they will resume their famous battle with Holden next year after sensationally quitting the sport three years ago.
“It is a fantastic day today not only for our race team but for the sport,’’ DJR Team Penske boss Ryan Story said.
“For Ford to be rejoining Supercars is great news because it is what the fans want to see.’’
Ford will spend an estimated $2 million to build and develop the Mustang Supercar in an all-out bid to bring down the ZB Commodore.
The ZB, which made its debut at the season-opening Adelaide 500, has won seven of eight races this year, sparking claims from DJR Team Penske and Tickford Racing that the ZB has an aerodynamic advantage over the nolonger-produced Ford Falcon. Enter the Mustang. “This will level the playing field,’’ Story said.
“The Mustang has a huge amount of [aerodynamic] potential.
“There are a couple of tricky bits with a lot of surface area at the front of the car which we need to deal with, but we have plenty of time to work through that. We will make this into an awesome Supercar.’’
DJR Team Penske and Tickford will have access to more than 2000 Ford factory engineers in Australia, and Ford Performance will contribute 20 US-based engineers to work on the project.
“We have the engineering genius of Ford Performance behind us,’’ Story said. “We can’t wait.’’
DJR Team Penske has been in talks with Ford since last year’s Bathurst 1000 and will begin building the first Ford Mustang Supercar this month.
Using the same V8 engine package that is in this year’s Falcon Supercar, DJR Team Penske will have the first prototype finished by October.
US billionaire Roger Penske was instrumental in bringing Ford back to the sport after they quit in 2015.
Ford’s decision to rejoin the sport follows the success of the Mustang in Australia.