Gen3 Supercars won't be timed at Winton

The next outing for the prototype Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang will come at Winton during what is the designated pre-season test for the Victorian teams on February 22/23.

That means the new cars will be sharing the track with existing hardware from the seven teams that will take part in the test.

Garth Tander (Camaro) and Tony D'Alberto (Mustang) are set to drive the prototypes.

While live timing from pre-season testing is usually publicly visible, Supercars has confirmed to Motorsport.com that the Gen3 prototypes won't be running timing transponders.

That will avoid a direct, publicly available lap speed comparison between the new and current cars.

It's expected the new cars will be slightly slower than their predecessors based on the significant drop in aero. Peak power will also be down with the new production-based motors, although driver feedback so far has indicated a boost in torque.

The Winton test will mark the first proper running for the Gen3 prototypes outside of Queensland Raceway.

The cars did lap Mount Panorama as part of their publicly unveiling last December, however that was demonstration running, rather than testing, and was before they were fitted with a number of key suspension parts.

The Camaro wasn't fitted with its race engine either, the spec of which was only finalised for last week's testing at QR.

For Winton, Supercars is hoping the cars will be fitted with the mechanical stick shift that has now been confirmed will be used on the cars in race trim next season.

They have been running an electronic Auto Gear Shift system, with shifting via paddles and a stick, in testing so far.

The list of drivers to have sampled the Camaro during early testing include Shane van Gisbergen, Broc Feeney, Craig Lowndes, Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki.

The Mustang, meanwhile, has been driven by the likes of Will Davison, Tim Slade, Anton De Pasquale and James Courtney.

The only driver to have driven both cars is ex-Matt Stone Racing driver Zane Goddard, who is without a full-time race seat for the 2022 season.