Bruce Stewart admits that WAU needs to qualify better, but there’s other factors impacting the team’s results. Image: InSyde Media
Walkinshaw Andretti United Team Principal Bruce Stewart says that there’s more than ‘white noise’ between the two makes in the category after the Gen3 Chevrolet Camaro yet again dominated a Supercars weekend.
Stewart said the lacklustre performance of the team’s Gen3 Ford Mustangs at Hidden Valley – most notably in qualifying – was more than just ‘white noise’, a term used by Whincup when speaking to Speedcafe, cautioning against non-data-based parity changes between the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro.
“We’ve got awesome race pace, and very, very strong – both cars made 25 spots, but you just start too far back, you’re battling – you spend too much time trying to come through the field,” Stewart said
“We’ve got to do a better job in quali and we realise that, you know, [but] it’s not through lack of trying, but my god, yeah, you, you have a day of what could be when you see how much race pace you had,” Stewart said.
“I think there’s just a little bit more than white noise – anyway, we’ll let the people who know sort that out.”
In the final race of the weekend, Mostert stormed to ninth place from second last (25th) on the grid after qualifying 17th and 24th for Darwin’s earlier races. Team-mate Percat recorded qualifying results of 26th, 7th and 24th across the event, with a best race result of 18th in Saturday’s Race 13.
Percat was vocal, referring to the Ford Cup during a broadcast interview, a designation that Cam Waters also said at the Round 3 in Perth, with the WAU driver taking to social media to voice his concerns that the Mustangs are ‘not even close’ to the pace of the Camaros.
In the two make battle, it was Waters’ Mustang leading Saturday’s Race 13 after a blistering pole, but a dramatic fire ended the chance of a Ford victory, with Will Davison the first Mustang home in third for the Shell V-Power Racing Team.
Across Sunday, Randle in tenth was the first Ford home in Race 14, while the Race 15 saw Waters the highest placed Mustang in fifth.
Stewart again looked at the positive pace of the WAU Mustangs in the three 35-lappers.
“We’ve just got to do a much better job and quali – again, we’ve got a good race package, but you got to have both, you’ve got to be playing at the front and you’ve got to give yourself the opportunity to get on the podium and win. We didn’t do that this weekend, so we’ve got to and sort that out and come back stronger – and we will.