It would be sad if history were to repeat itself. Nissan suffered a similar fate to Ford, saddled with an uncompetitive car there was no choice but to quit the sport and that has left a negative impression on the company’s management. READ MORE: Pros & cons of new Supercars brands As I’ve written many times before, there are no other brands lining up to jump into the sport, especially with its focus on coupes and V8 engines. If the Mustang remains uncompetitive and Ford stops funding its teams, it’s inevitable all teams will ditch the Mustang and we’ll be left with the Camaro Cup. But without Ford’s involvement and Chevrolet’s very minor interest what becomes of the sport we all love? Now, some of you will say, ‘they’re being sooks’ or ‘let them take their ball and go home’ or whatever else you want to level at them, and that’s fine, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Based on conversations I’ve had with Ford insiders, I’d rate the chances that – without any major changes to parity – that the company quits the sport entirely by the end of the 2024 season as better than 50 per cent. Ford has already cut back its spend with Supercars, pulling crucial advertising dollars and will axe its support of the safety car program in 2024. The sport’s management needs to decide whether it wants manufacturer involvement or not moving forward, because that’s a very real prospect. READ MORE: Ford Mustang Dark Horse R blurs the line between race and road cars I totally understand the position of the Chevrolet teams, why would you want to hand your rival an advantage or cut them any slack at all? This is a decision about the long-term future and sustainability of the Supercars category so the responsibility lies with Supercars Australia’s management teams – Chairman Barclay Nettlefold, CEO Shane Howard, etc. It’s understood that the development of the Camaro was funded primarily by Supercars, so this isn’t a case of two major car brands with a long and bitter rivalry squaring off, it’s internal politics and ultra-competitive race teams in disagreement. Let’s remember, when we’re talking about Chevrolet we’re not talking about General Motors being invested in the series at anywhere near the level Ford is. Ford is set to cut its Ranger Raptor Safety Car for 2024 in a sign of its frustration with the sport Is the Mustang slow and totally uncompetitive? No, but it has claimed just two race wins and Ford cannot sit back and allow its brand to be beaten by its rival – that’s just bad business. The argument isn’t whether Chevrolet did a better job or Ford did a bad job, the key is that there clearly isn’t parity between the two cars when you look at the scoreboard. READ MORE: Ford’s new race-inspired ‘supercar’ – the Mustang GTD In other words, it has plenty on its plate and some incredibly high-profile racing programs and yet the one that gives it its biggest headache is a regional championship on the far side of the world.Īs we’ve already learnt the hard way, Ford will make a business decision when it comes to its involvement in Supercars, not an emotional one. READ MORE: Ford Mustang Dark Horse reviewįord, as a global company, competes in NASCAR, the World Rally Championship, NHRA drag racing, FIA GT3 and GT4 racing and soon Formula 1. To be honest, I don’t spend much time at racetracks these days, instead I have spent a lot of time in recent years around Ford Australia and Ford Performance’s global management and the view on Supercars and how it has dealt with the roll-out of Gen3 isn’t a positive one. This isn’t about ‘parity triggers’ or ‘aerodynamic imbalance’ or any of the other technical jargon, this is about the very future of Ford’s involvement in the sport and therefore the existence of the category itself. The time has come for Supercars management to wake up. But this week has been dominated by arguments of parity which crescendoed with Ford Australia releasing a public statement expressing its “deep disappointment” in the current state of affairs. Every driver and team member looks forward to the Bathurst 1000 all season long as it’s the ultimate challenge. This should be the best weekend of motorsport in Australia. Ford has struggled with its Gen3 Mustang – how much longer will it remain in Supercars racing?
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