Power On Par

How will Supercars manage engine parity when twin-turbo V6s go up against V8 engines from 2018? We quizzed key figures in pitlane to find out.

- Andrew Clarke

Without a doubt the biggest challenge to the next generation of Supercars is parity and competitiveness between different engine configurations. But, in saying that, we are not breaking new ground or telling you something you didn’t already know. While you can get the same power with either cubic capacity or with boost (turbo), you can’t get it in the same way.

Turbos have lag, the time taken for the exhaust gas to build up enough pressure to unleash hell and fury. They don’t have as much engine braking either, but that is much of a muchness in racing cars. And they can be a bit more muffled – remember, we are taking gas from the exhaust.

The Holden Sandman, which is the mule for Holden’s new twin-turbo V6 engine, was given a run at Bathurst with Greg Murphy at the wheel. And all the work the team put into the sound of the engine has worked just fine. When Murph put his foot down, it came to life.

But good or bad sound it will count for nothing if the engine is either not competitive or if it is dominant. There is also, as it stands today, no guarantee that all Holden runners will make the switch since there is nothing other than Holden compelling them to do so. There remain plenty of unknowns as we move towards the 2019 full-time debut of the engine.

The sport’s technical director, David Stuart, is confident he and his team have all the pieces in place to prevent either of the above outcomes.

“It may appear to be a complex process but the philosophy’s pretty simple really,” he says.

“The twin-turbo V6 will have to go through the same homologation process as the current V8 engines that are used in the category.