Chevrolet engine map drama explained

A now shelved engine map caused downshifting dramas for Chevrolet Supercars drivers during Practice 1 at the Betr Darwin Triple Crown.

As previously reported, the Chevrolet Camaros were also granted a new engine map (or ‘calibration’) for this weekend at Hidden Valley, as were the Ford Mustangs yet again.

The Fords have undergone a string of calibration changes by now, in part to address driveability but also as a short-term measure to address an apparent acceleration deficit.

The Chevrolet map was intended to improve driveability and idle, with pit bay exits considered particularly challenging.

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Both the Ford and Chevrolet calibrations were implemented following trials during the test days which took place between the Symmons Plains and Hidden Valley events.

While that running was deemed promising, what was implemented today was less user-friendly and, in Practice 2, the Chevrolets reverted to the map they used up to and including Symmons Plains.

Brad Jones Racing’s Macauley Jones said, “It was pretty loose in Practice 1.

“Obviously, the mapping stuff was a bit of a disaster with rear locking and compression lock with the blipping not being too strong, so that was a bit of a challenge to work around; it really disrupted the flow.”

Team-mate Jack Smith remarked, “Today started off very tricky. We had some engine map changes that didn’t make it very easy.

“Some problems with blipping which caused a lot, but fixed that up for the next session and got through all our changes.”

Meanwhile, the Mustangs ran with either a 30ms or 50ms shift cut, as they did during Practice 2 last time out at Symmons Plains before the former setting was settled upon for the competitive sessions of the Tasmania weekend.

Ironically, Triple Eight Race Engineering’s Shane van Gisbergen complained of a hanging throttle in Practice 2 in Darwin, when he was back on the proven map.

Car #97 Race Engineer Andrew Edwards was less concerned about that than he was about a mysterious handling issue, with Triple Eight using this afternoon’s just-completed ride session to trial another potential fix.