All teams are currently in a race to build their new-spec cars ahead of the opening round of the 2023 season in Newcastle on March 10-12.
Supply delays have seen testing deadlines pushed back with on-track running not likely to happen until at least the second week of February.
Some teams are even predicting it could be the third week of February before testing kicks off, just a week before a planned all-in test at Sydney Motorsport Park on February 22.
There has been significant collaboration between rival teams throughout the Gen3 development process, including an informal tender process that has seen different teams take responsibility for different components.
With delivery of parts now critical, Team 18 has been using owner Charlie Schwerkolt's network of businesses to help ease the supply issues.
That has included picking up motors from Queensland following the lottery-style allocation earlier this week and delivering them to Brad Jones Racing in Albury and fellow Melbourne-based squad Erebus Motorsport.
“It’s been a real collaborative effort between all the teams, we’re working together in any way we can to get these cars ready to hit the track," said Team 18 team manager Bruin Beasley.
“Being a part of such a large organisation that is the Waverley Forklifts Group, we were able to coordinate the logistics this week to bring the Chevrolet engines from [builder] KRE down [to Melbourne] as well as some of the control parts for the other teams.
“We even lent BJR an engine box so they could acquire it safely on their end, so it’s little things like that which go a long way to bringing these cars to life.
“From the outside the fans might not see how much the teams are helping each other in the process to get the cars ready, but we’re only too happy to put the sport first when it comes to getting the show on the road for the first round in Newcastle.
“Our first engine has arrived with us at the race team, which was LTR-10 assigned for Mark Winterbottom’s car, and we’re expecting Scott [Pye's] first engine to arrive shortly as well.
“From here it's all systems go to bolt the remaining parts together before we show off these cars to the rest of the world.”
