A renowned aerodynamicist has lifted the lid on what he claims was a rule-beating aero trick on the ZB Commodore Supercar. Former Formula 1 aerodynamicist Nick Wirth has revealed that he deliberately exploited a loophole in Supercars’ VCAT homologation system while developing the aero package for the ZB Commodore. Wirth, whose company Wirth Research was contracted by Triple Eight to assist with the ZB’s 2018 aero design, explained on The Hard Compound YouTube channel that he engineered the car to produce significantly more downforce in race trim than it did during homologation. VCAT — a tightly controlled, runway‑based testing process used by Supercars until the end of 2023 — relied on control brake ducts to accommodate load‑measuring equipment fitted to the suspension. According to Wirth, that detail created an opportunity. He said his team designed an aero package that would stall when the Supercars‑mandated brake ducts were fitted, ensuring the car appeared legal during VCAT. Once the race‑spec brake ducts were installed, however, the aero devices would operate normally, generating what Wirth claims was two and a half times more downforce than the homologation figures suggested. Wirth also claimed that Triple Eight was unaware of the tactic. “We used their […]
Reigning Supercars champion team Triple Eight Race Engineering has confirmed it will field Ford Mustangs from 2026. In a blockbuster Supercars story, Triple Eight and Ford revealed they will rejoin forces, 15 years after the championship-winning squad defected from the Blue Oval to General Motors. The news was confirmed on Friday, less than three weeks before the beginning of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship. Triple Eight will continue to compete as Red Bull Ampol Racing. Renders and a real-life livery of Red Bull Ampol Ford Mustang Supercars have also been revealed, giving fans an early look of what to expect when the 2026 season gets underway. Additionally, Triple Eight has also been nominated to become Ford’s homologation team in Supercars, subject to ratification by a majority vote of Ford’s Supercars teams. The dominant team of Supercars of the last 15 years, Triple Eight returns to Ford, having begun life in the championship in 2003 with the famous brand. As a Ford team, Triple Eight claimed the driver-team championship double in 2008, won another drivers’ title in 2009, and three straight Bathurst 1000s between 2006 and 2008. Midway through 2009, in the most significant manufacturer move in Supercars history — until […]
