Roadracing Mustangs

[Nethead]

From www.steeda.com:

Steeda Q650R: First Race - First Victory! 

The Steeda Q650R - The ultimate performance Mustang bred for the race track had it?s first race this past weekend in the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) South Atlantic Road Race of Champions at the Palm Beach International Raceway.    This 2.034 mile world-class road course was the perfect stage for the ultimate performance Mustang to have its debut and the Q650R lived up to the challenge!  Personally driven by Steeda President and Founder Dario Orlando, the Q650R qualified first in class and had the competition looking at it?s rear bumper the entre race as it took First Place in its initial outing.

?The Steeda Q650R outperformed the competition with ease with its breathtaking performance,? said Dario Orlando, President of Steeda Autosports.  ?From the 4.6L Vortech supercharged engine to it?s Nitto NT01 high performance tires, this race car develops all of the massive power needed to win races and the Nitto tires work perfectly in harmony with our suspension systems to plant that power to the ground with confidence.  No doubt, this is the ultimate performance Mustang.?

It should be noted that this race marked the first ?official? race victory for the famed Steeda Watt?s Link Suspension System.  Developed and track tested under extreme close course testing conditions, the Steeda Watt?s Link Suspension System performed perfectly under the punishing Palm Beach International?s road course and delivered superior road holding capabilities with confidence.

Built undercover by the renown ?Steeda Skunk Works Team? that is directed by the master mechanic/mastermind Steve Chichisola at Steeda Autosports, the Q650R serves as a rolling test bed for continuing refinement and development of our track tested and race proven performance parts and accessories ? just another example of how Steeda Autosports continually pushes the envelope of Mustang performance for it?s performance craving customers.  And pushing the envelope was exactly what we did as the weekend?s race effort was not without drama.

Even though the car did qualify first in class, the car did suffer from a rear differential bearing failure. It is this type of severe punishment under adverse race conditions that we undertake to test our products unlike any other aftermarket manufacturer. Rest assured our Steve and our engineers are addressing the problem and once the cause of the problem is identified, it will be corrected and then incorporated into the performance parts and vehicles we produce so that you NEVER encounter a problem with your performance Mustang from Steeda Autosports.

Other key components performed perfectly as expected.  The Hawk brake pads never had a hint of brake fade as they were more than adequate at controlling the Q650R?s massive horsepower when needed.  The Tremec transmission controlled by the Steeda Tri-Ax shifter performed perfectly under the grueling pressure this winding road course presented by never missing a shift under extreme conditions.  All in all ? it was more than just another victory for Steeda ? it is an ongoing learning experience where our customers will benefit directly thru the quality of performance parts we develop and sell.

Steeda - Speed Matters

[Nethead]

www.jalopnik.com has a pic of the new 2010 Boss 302R in Parnelli's 1970 livery, more of a bargain than ever since it sells for the same price in the parts catalog as its predecessor, the FR500C, sold for in 2005!  But this one has the new 5.0L V8 as well as all the hardware & software to go racin' right out of the box:

http://jalopnik.com/5434977/ford-mustang-boss-302r-the-boss-is-back-for-129000?skyline=true&s=x

Ford Mustang Boss 302R: The Boss Is Back For $129,000!
Forty years ago Parnelli Jones won Trans Am with a black-striped yellow Mustang. To celebrate, Ford's offering fifty copies of the fully race-prepared 2011 Ford Mustang Boss 302R, complete with a race-spec 5.0-liter V8.

Beginning next year, if you are so inclined, you'll be able to walk into your local Ford dealership, pass by the showroom, step up to the parts counter and order from the Ford Racing catalog a Trans Am spec Boss 302R priced at $79,000 or a Grand Am spec Boss 302R1 at $129,000. The car is considered a racing part and ordered as such. The Boss is a track-only race car with a maximum run in 2010 of only 50 cars and while it shares a great deal with the factory Mustang, it's heavily modified to take the place of the Ford Racing FR500C.


It takes guts to put your untested new engine straight into a race car, but Ford is doing just that. At the heart of the Boss 302R is the all-new aluminum 5.0-liter V8, though it's been stripped of the superflous gadgety, equiped with a high-rise intake manifold, race exhaust, and data aquisition systems. At the corners the car is fitted with adjustable Koni coilovers and Brembo four-pison calipers over slotted rotors, 18x10 BBS wheels are shod in racing slicks.

The car is equipped with a 25 gallon fuel cell slickly integrated into the trunk with quick-fuel connections, a multi-point fire supression system, race seats with driver restraint netting. It's body is fully seam-welded and augmented by an FIA-certified roll cage. Any thought of this car as anything but a VIN-free race car is eliminated when you open the door, a plastic skin stretched over a lightweight door frame, side intrusion beams being completely superflous when a race cage is installed.

Ford's press release sez:

FORD RACING UNVEILS THE NEXT GENERATION OF RACING MUSTANG IN THE NEW BOSS 302R

DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 28, 2009 ? Forty years after its namesake became a road racing legend, the BOSS is back on track for 2010 with a new 5.0-liter V-8 engine.

In honor of the 40th anniversary of Parnelli Jones' 1970 Trans-Am championship in a Mustang BOSS 302 prepared by Bud Moore Engineering, Ford Racing is introducing the BOSS 302R, a factory-built race car ready for track days and road racing in a number of Grand-Am, SCCA and NASA classes.

"To keep pace with consumer demand, the Ford team has built modern versions of the most iconic performance Mustangs over the years," said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. "From Shelbys to Bullitt, Mach and Cobra Jet, it is now time for BOSS to join the list of America's most coveted Mustangs. The original BOSS 302 was a championship-winning legend and the new Mustang BOSS 302R will carry on the tradition. The Mustang was born to race from the start, and this new Mustang is bred to win."

The Mustang BOSS 302R is a serialized off-road-only vehicle ready to race. Each base model will come with a 5.0-liter four-valve engine and a six-speed manual transmission with a roll cage, race seats, safety harness, data acquisition and race dampers/springs, and a Brembo brake and tire package, starting at an MSRP of $79,000.

And, with a special Grand-Am Homologation Package (M-FR500-BOSS R1), it will also be ready to compete in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series (formerly known as KONI Challenge), starting with the season-opening race in Daytona on Jan. 29, 2010. As of today, five BOSS 302R race cars will be delivered to customers ready to race in Daytona. MSRP of the BOSS 302R1 is $129,000.

The Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge-ready Mustang BOSS 302R will feature a sealed high-output race engine with an upgraded cooling system, a close-ratio six-speed transmission with integral shifter, a seam-welded body, race suspension/KONI dampers and ABS brake tuning, race performance exhaust and a high-speed balance one-piece driveshaft.

The BOSS 302R follows in the very successful footsteps of its most recent road racing predecessor ? the Mustang FR500C from Ford Racing. In 2005, when the Mustang FR500C debuted at Daytona, the first car was delivered on Wednesday of that week and won the KONI Challenge race on Friday.

In five years of competition since then, the Mustang FR500C has won three Triple Crown championships of driver, team and manufacturer's titles in KONI competition including back-to-back (2008 and 2009). The FR500C has also seen success in FIA GT4 competition winning the 2007 and 2008 driver's championships.

"We expect the BOSS 302R to continue the successful tradition of winning with factory-built production-based race cars from Ford Racing," said Allison. "The FR500C and FR500S road racing Mustangs, and the Mustang FR500CJ (Cobra Jet) for drag racing have proven to be great cars for our customers, helping teams win races and championships. We believe that the BOSS 302R will provide that same sort of competitive product for our customers with the tradition you can only get from Ford Racing."

Each Ford Racing factory-built production-based turnkey race car has won its competition debut.

"Racing has long served as a technical proving grounds for production engines," said Allison. "What's good enough for the streets is now good enough for the racetrack. The 5.0-liter block and architecture in the Mustang BOSS 302R is the same as the 2011 Mustang GT."

"We have a great team on the BOSS 302R project," said Andy Slankard, Ford Racing engineering supervisor and the lead engineer on the BOSS 302R project. "Between our partners at AutoAlliance International, where the Mustang is built, Team Mustang, Multimatic and the entire Ford Racing team, we have once again proven to be a leader in turnkey production-based race cars."

Available through Ford dealers, a total of 50 BOSS 302R Mustangs will be built by Ford Racing. Delivery is anticipated in the third quarter of 2010.

For more information on Ford Racing Performance Parts, please visit www.fordracingparts.com.

[Nethead]

Also on www.jalopnik.com are fifteen or so pics of the assembled engine or parts of the engine--block, crankshaft, gorgeous standard welded-together steel tube shortie headers, and valves/rocker arms/"lifters".  No bare heads, no cams, no gears--but if you've seen the 3.5L/3.7L V6 you'll have the general lay-out & methodology, but in sixty-degrees instead of ninety-degrees:

http://jalopnik.com/5434979/the-50-mustang-is-back?skyline=true&s=i

[Nethead]

www.autoblog.com sez:

New Ford Racing Mustang Boss 302R is potential personified
by Jonny Lieberman (RSS feed) on Dec 28th, 2009 at 12:01 AM

In addition to the new 5.0 2011 Mustang GT, Ford's also selling a new Boss 302R race car. If you haven't been paying attention, Ford's previous generation FR500C racer has been racking up victory after victory. Besides winning a race two days after the first FR500C was sold (you buy 'em at a Ford parts counter), the FR500C then went on to win three Triple Crown championships in Koni competition as well as back-to-back driver's championships in FIA GT4 (featuring Corvettes, Caymans, Aston Martin V8s, etc). And the Boss 302R is better. Or potentially better...

Featuring a racing version of the new 5.0 32-valve Ti-VCT V8, a six-speed manual transmission, roll cage, race seats, five-point belts, data-acquisition equipment, racing shocks and springs as well as Brembo brakes and special tires. How much? $79,000. There's also a $129,000 Boss M-FR302R1 that's eligible to race in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series (formerly known as the Koni Challenge). It comes complete with a sealed, high-output motor, better cooling, close-ratio transmission, a seam-welded body, Koni dampers, upgraded ABS system, tuned exhaust and a special one-piece drive shaft.

Ford's only building fifty Boss 302Rs next year and they should be available in the third quarter. Anyone else feel like hitting the track?

[Nethead]

BOSS 302R: TRACK TEST LOOKS GOOD
1/14/2010

Dearborn, Mich. ? This past weekend, the BOSS 302R was on track at the Grand-Am preseason test at Daytona International Speedway. With less than two weeks until the start of the 2010 season, the test stood as a critical milestone in the progress of the highly anticipated BOSS 302R.

Ford Racing unveiled the BOSS 302R in mid-December, introducing the next generation of its highly successful turnkey production-based race cars. The new car is named the BOSS 302R in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Parnelli Jones? 1970 Trans Am championship in the original BOSS 302. The new BOSS 302R will replace the highly successful Mustang FR500C, which has won three triple crown championships (driver, team and manufacturer titles in its five-year run in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series (formerly known as Koni Challenge).

Andy Slankard was on hand to observe the test and he offered these thoughts regarding the BOSS 302R test and the car?s development.

ANDY SLANKARD ? FORD RACING ENGINEERING SUPERVISOR
LAST WEEKEND WAS AN ON TRACK TEST FOR THE BOSS 302R AT DAYTONA. HOW DID THINGS GO?
?Things went better than expected. In fact it went great. We have a brand new 5.0 Liter engine in our all new BOSS 302R and all new 2011 Mustang body work, which is new for this class. We brought out two cars and while we had a few little teething issues, we were mainly near or at the top of the charts the whole weekend, so we are very happy with the results.?

ARE THERE ANY MORE TESTS PLANNED FOR THE BOSS 302R BEFORE THE DEBUT AT DAYTONA?
?That is a good question. We would still like to try to test again. We are looking around at a couple of different places and seeing what fits into the schedule. We would like to have one more test just as a shakedown to see where we are at and to make sure we are prepared for the race.?

THERE ARE LOFTY EXPECTATIONS FOR THE DEBUT OF THIS CAR. EVERY ONE OF THE FR FAMILY OF CARS (FR500C, FR500S, FR500CJ) HAS WON ITS DEBUT EVENT. ANY ADDED PRESSURE TO KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE?
?We have a lot of expectations for success. What has been good is that the Daytona test showed that we have the potential. Obviously, being a new car, we are more worried about reliability than overall performance. The test showed that we have a winning car. Now we just have to dot our I?s and make sure it gets to the finish line and have some good luck on the track and we will be there.?

COMPARED WITH WHERE YOU WERE IN DEVELOPMENT AT THE SAME POINT WITH THE FR500C [2005 DEBUT] ARE YOU AHEAD OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL CURVE?
?I feel we are ahead of the curve overall, because the basic chassis is still very close, very similar and because the teams are more advanced from where they were five years ago since they have been running these cars. We have won three championships in five years so we know how to make a Mustang fast. We have a new gearbox and that is going to be really good and durable and the drivers have indicated they really like that a lot better. The biggest challenge is some of the unknowns with the new parts. When you are developing a new race car you always wish you had more testing.?

YOU WILL HAVE FIVE BOSS 302R ON TRACK AT THE 2010 GRAND-AM CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR CHALLENGE SERIES OPENER IN TWO WEEKS. THE FORMAL BUILD OF THE LIMITED EDITION OF 50 CARS DOESN?T START UNTIL THE THIRD QUARTER OF 2010. DO YOU ANTICIPATE MAKING ANY MORE CHANGES TO THE CAR PRIOR TO THE BUILD?
?So far, everything is looking really solid. I don?t anticipate any major changes will happen. We are pretty sorted with the content that will be in the car. We are just working on things to make sure they are durable and reliable. We are going to work with our supply base to get everything assembled to build the cars. We have some work to do once we get back to Dearborn, but right now we are just concentrating on the race.?

YOU HAVE DEVLOPED AND BUILT TWO VERSIONS OF THE FR500CJ IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND NOW YOU HAVE LAUNCHED THE BOSS 302R. WHAT IS NEXT FOR FORD RACING?S TURNKEY PROGRAM?
?I can?t even think what is next because this is the first time we have done two cars simultaneously. While we are at Daytona, I have a second team back at AAI Assembly plant building the 2010 Cobra Jets. We are in the midst of building the 50 2010 CJ?s right now and we will be building until the middle of February so we can deliver the drag racing car to those customers. We are so busy with these projects we haven?t even thought about the next one yet.?

AS FORD RACING PRODUCES THESE TURNKEY, RACE READY, PRODUCTION BASED RACE CARS, YOU HAVE TRANFORMED THE PERFORMANCE PARTS BUSINESS OF FORD RACING AND CREATED AN ADDITIONAL REVENUE SOURCE FOR THE PROGRAM.
?No doubt. We are probably rivaling some of the big German competitors about purpose built race cars from the factory. We will be building over one hundred some odd cars this year and our customers really like it. We are cost conscious as well by doing some of these efficiencies that we have done over the years and so we are getting good at it, we like doing it and there just can?t be anything more fun.?

[Nethead]

The new Boss 302R1 testing at Daytona:

http://www.grand-am.com/multimedia/photos.cfm?series=k#

[Nethead]

 

FORD MUSTANG TRIO FINISH CTSCC IN TOP-10
1/29/2010

Daytona Beach, Fla. ? Bret Seafuse navigated his No. 37 Mustang BOSS 302R to the highest finish among the Ford teams in the Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

BRET SEAFUSE ? NO. 37 MUSTANG BOSS 302R, JBS MOTORSPORTS-(FINISHED FOURTH, QUALIFIED 13TH)
?We went down the board because I made a bit of a blunder on the second restart and I jumped the start so I had to come in for a stop-and-go. We went from seventh or eighth to last behind all the ST cars and everybody (The grid consisted of 75 GS Class and ST Class cars--the lap charts show Seafuse's stop-and-go penalty actually dropped car 37 from seventh on lap ten to forty-fifth on lap eleven, working back up to fourth place by lap sixty-two), so we battled our way back and we won it on pit strategy.?

WHAT WAS YOUR STRATEGY?
?I drove that new Boss 302R as hard as I could and passed as many as people as I could, got it as far back up as I could. We weren?t in bad shape when we put James [Gue] in the car; we were coming back and decided upon a fuel strategy we thought might work and it darn near paid off.

WHAT ABOUT THE PENALTY?
?I?m not really sure, I?ve not done that before. Something must?ve looked different to us than it did to others but I don?t plan to do it again because it makes for a lot of extra work to overcome.?

JAMES GUE ? NO. 37 MUSTANG BOSS 302R, JBS MOTORSPORTS? (FINISHED FOURTH, QUALIFIED 13TH)
?We sort of put ourselves in a bad situation right off the bat.?

HOW ABOUT THE MUSTANG BOSS 302R?
?This is a brand new car for us and have only had it for less than two weeks now. I just jumped in it [Thursday] for the first time so we?ve got a lot to learn though we learned a lot in the last couple of days.

A FEW TEAMS HAD A FEW ISSUES TODAY. DID YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OF THAT?
?So far, I?ve got no complaints straight out of the box after having had the car for only a handful of days, especially after having come from the back as we did. We were not necessarily the quickest car but we certainly know how to race.?

[Nethead]

Billy Johnson/Jack Roush Jr. Win the Homestead, FL Grand-Am Race After Forfeiting the Pole Yesterday in the Roush Performance Mustang

It wasn't that easy, as Billy Johnson got the lead for the final time on lap 81 of the 91 lap race.  The fastest race lap (1:27.270 at 94.877 MPH) was set by Scott Maxwell in the Joe Foster/Scott Maxwell Multimatic Motorsports Mustang, and they had it going away until a caution flag packed up the field (66 cars on the grid at the green flag).  OTOH, Billy's fastest lap occurred during his final lead laps so he had beans for a fight if it had come to that...

Various Mustangs led the race except for laps 64-80 which were led by the always fast Matt Plumb in the Rum Bum Racing V8 M3 coupe.  Six other Mustangs were in the top fifteen at the finish.

Despite four long cautions, it was a fast race--the horseshoe-shaped 2.3 mile Homestead track has long straights, but most of the turns are very tight.  66 cars on the grid means a lead is difficult to regain once lost--IIRC only Johnson/Roush Jr. managed to regain the lead once relinquished, and they did it twice.

Five BMW M3s were in the top fifteen as were three 997s.

The lone WRX-STi placed 29th in class and the lone Challenger of Tom Nastasi and Ian James placed 30th in a class consisting of 35 GS class racers.

The five Camaros placed 23rd, 24th, 32nd, 33rd, and 35th in class.  Evidently, having the biggest engine in class (and the magical IRS ) is not all it's cracked up to be

An Audi S4 qualified third amongst a quintet of Mustangs but did not race

To be in it competitively, you had to be averaging some 94 MPH when up to speed during the green and capable of lapping in the 1:28s--and to threaten for the lead you hadda be capable of puttin' down some 1:27s when you had to.  One of the 997s, four of the M3 V8 coupes and six of the Mustangs could accomplish this--and another M3 V8 coupe could lap in the 1:28s at 94 MPH.  With a third of the GS Class in genuine contention for the win, it was quite a contest!

Congratulations Billy & Jack!

Here's the Race Report from the Grand American Road Racing Association's website:

Johnson, Roush Win Homestead 200 In GS
Mar. 6, 2010

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (March 6, 2010) - Jack Roush Jr. left Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night displeased with losing his first GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge pole position.

But Saturday, he left the track in a completely different mood, as he and Billy Johnson won their second Grand Sport (GS) race together, the two-and-a-half hour, 91-lap Homestead 200, in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT. For Johnson, it was his second consecutive victory at the 2.3-mile, 11-turn road course, in a car that advanced 33 positions from start to finish.

Roush originally set a track record Friday but his time was disallowed following post-qualifying technical inspection, an unapproved part to blame. But that didn't deter Roush, who was among the fastest in every session during the weekend. Starting 34th, he passed 10 cars on the first lap and was up to 21st after two laps. He finally took the lead on Lap 35.

Johnson took over on Lap 39, and kept the duo among the top five and eventually into second as late as the final half hour. That's when Johnson was attempting to catch Matt Plumb, co-winner of this season's opening race at Daytona.

Plumb took over from Miami native Gian Bacardi during the race's first caution period, around the 30-minute mark, and pitted again with enough fuel and solid tires to go the remainder of the race. But with 20 minutes remaining, he went from leading to retired.

Driving the No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3, Plumb hit the rear of Eric Curran's No. 46 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 in Turn 1, as Curran got bottled up behind slower traffic. The impact forced the hood of the No. 13 to come up, and Plumb in a precarious position, driving cautiously around the track with his windshield covered.

Plumb managed to make it to the final turn before hitting barrels filled with sand at the pit entrance. The sand and debris from the barrels forced the final of four caution periods, and put Johnson in front. He never looked back when the green flag flew on Lap 87, and charged to a 2.561-second victory.

It marked Johnson's seventh series victory and third in the Grand Sport class..

"Jack did have quite a bit of fun today," said Johnson, who led twice for nine laps. "He did an amazing job in qualifying. He went through the entire field today, which is no easy feat with the caliber of drivers at this track. He handled it like a pro. He kept the fenders clean and just moved through everyone. He turned the car over in one piece for, gave us good track position and I took it from there. I had to work through a few people myself, but I was able to come out on top again."

For Roush Jr., who celebrated with his father, Jack Roush Sr., in Victory Lane, it was a complete turnaround of emotions from close to 24 hours earlier.

"It was real exciting race for us," Roush Jr. said. "I can't be more proud of my team and all the work they've done. It was a real privilege to be part of history with the Roush Racing group. I also have to hand it to my co-driver, Billy Johnson. He did an awesome job today. I'm looking forward to many more races."

The win was also Roush Sr.'s 400th as a car owner. In nearly 40 years as an owner, Roush Sr. has also won in NASCAR's three National series, Trans-Am and IMSA.

Finishing runner-up for the second time in three races were Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks in the No. 45 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3, while third were Joey Hand and Michael Marsal in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3.

Defending driver champion Ken Wilden leapt five positions during his stint in the No. 59 Stay-Nu/RehagenRacingProducts.com Ford Mustang GT was fourth with co-driver Bob Michaelian, pushing the car's top-10 streak to 19 consecutive races, while No. 48 Fall-Line Motorsports BMW M3 co-drivers Charles Putman and Charles Espenlaub were fifth. Putman and Espenlaub left the track with a seven-point advantage (64-57) over Borcheller and Hendricks in the standings.

The next race for the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge will be April 10 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

[Nethead]

The Boss 302R Grand-Am engine, with its manifold that'll be intro'd on the street Boss 302 early in 2011--note the indentation in the center of the tunnel ram to clear the street Boss 302's strut tower brace.

http://www.themustangnews.com/content/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/04_BOSS302Rs.jpg

[Cobra93]

 

[Nethead]

From www.themustangnews.com:

Interview: Jack Roush Jr. On Winning Homestead Race
By TMN StaffPublished: March 13, 2010

Jack Roush Jr., and co-driver Billy Johnson won the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Homestead 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway this past weekend. The win marked the 400th all-time victory for Jack Roush Sr. in road racing and NASCAR combined. Roush Jr. talks about getting the milestone win for his father.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO GET YOUR DAD HIS 400TH WIN?

?It?s obviously a really big deal for me. I think it?s neat to have my own racing program and have a significant win for my father. That?s something I?m really honored about and I feel really privileged about.
?I started racing when I was six with my dad go-kart racing. Each season that we competed in, we never lost a championship. As an adult I started road racing in 2006 without having to do any other full-size vehicle road racing and that was in the same series that I?m in now.?
?There?s been a huge learning curve for me, especially in a series that is so competitive. For us to consistently run strong and now have a few wins under our belt, that does have a lot of meaning for us. The 400th win I think is interesting, because soon after I started go-karting my dad had his own road racing programs, and as a child I was at many of the races where he had some of his earlier wins. To now have a spot in that chain is pretty cool.?

IS THIS WIN MORE SPECIAL THAN YOUR FIRST WIN IN THE CONTINENTAL TIRE SPORTS CAR SERIES THAT YOU EARNED LAST YEAR?

?Well, it?s the second win that I?ve had in the Continental Tire Series. Last year we won at Miller Motorsports Park and that was also a really big deal because it was our first. This one, I think our team has got some momentum and we?re getting better and better at what we?re doing as a whole. We?re really figuring out the best strategies that we want to use. As a driver I?m also continuing to develop. Hopefully we?ll get quite a few more, but being the first and second win, obviously it has a lot of significance for us.?

AFTER NOT FINISHING AT DAYTONA WAS IT NICE TO COME BACK WITH A WIN AT HOMESTEAD?

?Homestead is a good track for Mustangs and Daytona was as well. It was kind of heartbreaking that we had some issues that prevented us from finishing the race there. I think we would have had a very strong finish there as well.

?We are trying to do well at all of the tracks that we possibly can. I think there are a few that will be much more challenging for us, like Lime Rock.

?One of the things that I love about our series is that we?re racing Ford Mustangs against some cars that people think are true sports cars and look down on some of the American cars. I personally love the fact that we?re racing the Ford Mustang against many other manufacturers and we?re doing very well.?

HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT ABOUT GOING INTO ANY OTHER RACING SERIES?

?It?s really hard to say where my career will go. I really have a passion for road racing in particular. I?ve never circle track raced, and I?m looking at doing my first one later in the month. I don?t know what other series I?ll end up doing, but maybe some of the higher levels of road racing could be a possibility.?

[Nethead]

From www.grandamerican.com:

Foster, Roush Make Up Barber GS Front Row
Apr. 9, 2010
Michael Harker, GRAND-AM

Joe Foster and Scott Maxwell will try for another Grand Sport victory at Barber Motorsports Park after Foster won the pole on Friday.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (April 9, 2010) - The last time Joe Foster competed in a GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Barber Motorsports Park - in 2008 - he won the pole position and went on to win the race with co-driver Scott Maxwell.

He started this year's Barber 200 weekend in similar fashion, as he won the pole position Friday in the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports/Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R. His time of 1:36.876 (85.470 mph) blistered a six-year-old Grand Sport (GS) record at the 2.3-mile, 17-turn track; in fact, the top four cars - all Ford Mustangs - were under Spencer Pumpelly's previous record, set in 2004.

The race also marked the second consecutive event for Foster to win the pole position; he was awarded the pole position at Homestead-Miami Speedway after the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang Boss 302R, driven by Jack Roush Jr., had its time disallowed during post-qualifying technical inspection.

"It's been two years since we've been here, and the cars we have are a little bit different," Foster said. "The Mustangs this year are fast. The last time we were here at Barber in the GS class we won, so we're hoping to go back to victory lane."

Roush did qualify second at Barber with a time of 1:37.004 (85.357 mph). He and Billy Johnson went on to win at Homestead-Miami, and Roush has finished third in each of his two races at Barber.

"Coming off our first win at Homestead-Miami Speedway last month, we're coming to Barber trying not to be arrogant," Roush said. "Personally, this is one of my favorite tracks, as I've finished third in both of my races here. We hope to change that a little this year and go for the victory instead. We don't take it lightly."

Qualifying third was defending race co-winner Bret Seafuse, who turned in a time of 1:37.223 (85.165 mph) in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R he shares with James Gue. Fourth was rookie Ryan Winchester, at 1:37.369 (85.037 mph), in the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT, co-driven by defending series champion Ken Wilden.

Alabama-based APR Motorsport, located in Auburn, was the fastest team not running a Mustang. Jordan Taylor, in the No. 01 APR/BBS Audi S4, was fifth with a time of 1:37.534 (84.893 mph). GS points leader Charlie Putman will start 16th.

[Nethead]

From www.grandamerican.com:

Martin, Michaelian Win Barber 200
Apr. 10, 2010

Dean Martin (left) and Bob Michaelian win the Barber 200 at Barber Motorsports Park.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Dean Martin held off a charging Billy Johnson over the final half-hour of Saturday's Barber 200, the third round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge, at Barber Motorsports Park, to win with co-driver Bob Michaelian in the No. 52 Rehagen Racing Products/bizrate.com Ford Mustang GT.

Martin led the final 29 laps in the 76-lap event on the 2.3-mile, 17-turn track, as Fords won for the third consecutive time in the race. Johnson, with co-driver Jack Roush Jr. in the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT, took second, as the race ended under caution after an accident with eight minutes remaining in the two-and-a-half hour race.

In the Street Tuner (ST) class, Tom Long made a late-race pass of 2007 race co-winner Jamie Holtom to win his second consecutive class event with Derek Whitis in the No. 25 Aventura Technologies/Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5.

Martin, who did not expect to participate in the race, took over for Michaelian and went to work. Two-thirds into the race, Martin had moved to the front, and it was him versus Johnson during the last 30 minutes.

Johnson tried to make the winning pass several times, but an accident involving Scott Panzer in the No. 11 Strategic Occupancy Solutions Ford Mustang GT with eight minutes left brought out the final of seven caution periods. Martin crossed the finish line with his fifth career victory, while Michaelian celebrated his first.

"I was just trying to keep the car in one piece and turn it over to Dean," Michaelian said. "He did a great job. He got it out in front and kept it there. I appreciate all the help from Rehagen Racing. It was set up perfectly."

Johnson never led the race, but he and Roush were always in the hunt.

"Unfortunately, it ended under yellow, but if I was in first when it came out I'd be happy like Dean is," Johnson said. "Definitely a great run for the Roush Mustang, it handled awesome. We're trying to climb back up the points ladder. Second place is definitely helping us do that."

Breaking up a potential podium sweep by Ford were Joey Hand and Michael Marsal in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3. Fourth were Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks, who picked up the Grand Sport (GS) points lead by two (85-83) in the No. 45 Stable One Racing BMW M3, while Turner Motorsport co-drivers Bill Auberlen and Paul Dalla Lana garnered fifth in the No. 96 Turner Motorsport BMW M3.

Martin and Michaelian's teammates, Ken Wilden and Ryan Winchester, were near the front of the race before a broken ball joint cost the team seven laps. It ended a 19-race streak of top 10s for the No. 59 Rehagen Racing Products Ford Mustang GT, dating back to the Barber race in 2008.

Fords essentially dominated the day, leading all 76 laps. Joe Foster, the 2008 race winner, led the opening 44 laps in the No. 15 Multimatic Motorsports/Bayshore Recycling Ford Mustang Boss 302R, but he and Scott Maxwell finished eighth. Defending race winners James Gue and Bret Seafuse in the No. 37 Trumansburg ShurSave Ford Mustang Boss 302R were seventh.

Long and Whitis triumphed again thanks to Long's late-race heroics. Holtom, in the No. 21 Sick Kids Foundation/C&P Cross Border Law Chevrolet Cobalt, had held the lead for seven laps before Long made the winning pass. Moments later, the yellow was displayed.

"We were close to pulling this one off a long time ago," Long said. "The (No.) 21 car got around us, but the Performance Friction Brakes enabled us to get back by him. I got him in Turn 5 - I was able to slide by and keep on going, two laps before the last caution."

For Holtom's teammate Andrew Danyliw and the GS Motorsports team, one of several teams based in Canada, it was a career-best finish.

"It seemed like Tom Long had me everywhere, I was pushing so hard," Holtom said. "I was trying to capitalize on the one spot where I seemed to be faster, but the Mazda was just too fast for us. We had awesome strategy. They got us in the lead, it was ours to hold, but unfortunately he got us near the end."

Taking third were Ryan Eversley and Zach Lutz, also taking career-best finishes in Compass360 Racing's No. 75 Skunk2/Honda HPD Honda Civic Si.

Fourth were points leaders Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius in Compass360's No. 74 Skunk2/Honda HPD Honda Civic Si, while polesitter David White and BimmerWorld/GearWrench team owner James Clay finished fifth in the No. 80 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i.

Aschenbach and Thilenius now lead by 10 points (95-85) over Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann, sixth in the ST race, in the No. 81 Performance Friction/RAYS Engineering BMW 328i.

The next Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race will be the two-and-a-half hour race April 24 at Virginia International Raceway.


The top eight or nine finishers in this M3s versus Mustangs slugfest were:

Martin/Michaelian        Mustang      76 laps     
Johnson/Roush           Mustang      76 laps     
Hand/Marsal               M3 coupe    76 laps     
Borcheller/Hendricks    M3 coupe    76 laps     
Auberlen/Dalla Lana     M3 coupe    76 laps
Espenlaub/Putman       M3 coupe    76 laps
Gue/Seafuse              Mustang      76 laps
Maxwell/Foster           Mustang      76 laps
Aquilante/Spaude        WRX-STi     76 laps
     

[Nethead]

From www.autoblog.com:

Competition-spec Ford Mustang to take on FIA GT3 European Championship
by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) on Apr 15th 2010 at 1:00 PM

Ford's got a rich history of competing against European machinery on their own home turf. But while the GT40 (and the more recent reborn GT) and the Cobra cut their teeth on the old continent, the Mustang is another story. Ford wants the Mustang to compete overseas, and now a Belgian-Canadian joint effort is preparing to oblige.

Canada's Multimatic racing garage has prepared this new Mustang for the Marc VDS Racing Team, a competition outfit that also fields a pair of Ford GTs in the GT1 championship, as well as teams in Moto2 and rally raids. They'll be taking this Mustang to the FIA GT3 European Championship, where it will take on the best that the likes of Porsche, Alpina, Mercedes and countless others have to throw at it on some of Europe's finest racing circuits. It's already undergoing testing at Ford's Bedfordshire test facility (curiously not Lommel Proving Grounds in the team's home country) and will be piloted by a team of Belgian and Canadian drivers.

Will the VDS Mustang GT3 prove its mettle against Europe's finest? No telling just yet, but it sure looks the business. Check it out for yourself in the gallery below and the press release after the jump.

Gallery:
Marc VDS Racing Ford Mustang GT3.
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/marc-vds-racing-ford-mustang-gt3/#2896443

[Source: Marc VDS Racing Team via JonSibal.com]
Show full PR textThe Marc VDS Racing Team's official launch at Gosselies, Belgium was the venue for the world premiere of the all-new Marc VDS Mustang GT3, which will be campaigned in this year's GT3 European Championship by Belgian Eric De Doncker and Canadian Scott Maxwell.

The latest addition to the GT3 grid weighs in at just 1350kg and features a 5.3 litre V8 engine, which produces 560BHP. These performance figures, combined with the all-new transaxle on the Ford Mustang Marc VDS GT3 guarantee that the car will be a serious contender during it's debut season.

The first car, with the chassis number MVDS001/001, was built by the team's project partner Multimatic in Canada before being shipped to the United Kingdom, where it underwent a successful initial shakedown test at Ford's European test facility near Luton, Bedfordshire.

De Doncker and Maxwell will race the #98 Ford Mustang Marc VDS GT3, while the drivers for the #99 car will be announced by the Marc VDS Racing Team shortly.

The Marc VDS Racing Team, together with Multimatic, will build additional cars to order, for customer race teams looking for a competitive GT3 package off the shelf. The cost of the Ford Mustang Marc VDS GT3 has yet to be confirmed.

[Nethead]

On a side note to racing Mustangs comes this brief report on Europe's GT1 Championship, where Ford GTs (the current ones--not the ones from the 'Sixties) may be the cars to beat, as they have been for the previous two years:

FIA GT1 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT IN ABU DHABI

The Matech Competition drivers of Thomas Mutsch and Romain Grosjean in their Ford GT dominated the first ever Championship Race of the new FIA GT1 World Championship at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

Thomas led from pole position in the main race until stopping early in the mandatory pitstop window. After an excellent pitstop by the Matech team, Romain emerged with a narrow lead over Marc Hennerici in the second-placed Phoenix/Carsport Chevrolet. On new tyres Romain was able to pull away with ease and had a lead of more than 20 seconds when the chequered flag fell after one hour of racing.

After the race Thomas said: ?I want to thank the Matech Competition team who did a great job, working very hard over the winter months and really pushed hard to develop the new Ford GT1, so congratulations to everyone for achieving this first win. We have a great car and special thanks to the sponsors, especially our title partner Sintez.?

This historic victory for the Matech Competition team was a fitting ending to a roller coaster weekend of emotions for the team and great way for Romain to celebrate his 24th birthday.

In testing and practice the potential of the Ford GT was shown with the Number 5 car heading the times. In Car 6 Natacha Gachnang and Cyndie Allemann, who were making their World Championship debut as an girl, all Swiss partnership, were learning the circuit and the Matech Ford GT1.

?It is important to get kilometres in the car as whilst we did pre-season testing we need more time, although the car is comfortable and everything is good. I think it is better to have a technical track to get the feeling of the car and for me it is a good start.? said Cyndie. Both girls were making the most of the historic occasion. ?It is nice to be here in Abu Dhabi for the first race of the new FIA GT1 World Championship which is something exciting and special.? said Natacha.

However during Qualifying on Friday the fortunes changed when Natacha had an incident at the end of the straight, the fastest part of the circuit which the drivers are approaching at over 260 km/h. At the braking point, Natacha started braking as normal. A leak was reported in the rear brake circuit, which required her to press back hard on the pedal but, while putting pressure on the brake, her foot also caught the accelerator (Chicks ). Although the front brake circuit continued to function correctly, the combination of factors led to Natacha failing to negotiate the corner and going down the escape road, where she hit the barriers.

Although the safety and security devices on the Matech Ford GT helped Natacha avoid more serious injuries, she still needed to be airlifted from the circuit's medical centre to Sheikh Khalifa Hospital with a double compound fracture of her right leg. Thankfully Natacha is recovering well and is due to be released from hospital on Monday. The win was the perfect tonic for all the team and especially Natacha.

?We should give part of this win to Natacha and wish her a speedy recovery, but I would like to keep part of it for my birthday!? said Romain. With Romain confirming that ?I enjoy working with Thomas and we make a good team?, we look forward to the next round of the FIA GT1 World Championship in Silverstone UK, travel permitting!

[Nethead]

FORD GT WINS IN SPA
5/9/2010

Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium? The Ford GT of Marc VDS Racing Team, driven by Leinders-Palttala-De Doncker, took an emphatic win in the GT1-category of the Spa 1000 kms. There were three Ford cars on the podium in Spa, a good sign for the Le Mans 24 Hours.

Bas Leinders, who conquered the GT1-pole the day before, took the start on a treacherous track, wet by rain that started to fall just minutes before the start. The Belgian took it all in his stride however, gradually increased his lead and gave the car to team-mates Markus Palttala and Eric De Doncker, who in turn drove perfect stints. The trouble-free race ended in a Ford one-two-three, with the cars of Matech Competition in second and third.

BAS LEINDERS
"By taking the pole with a 1.4 seconds difference, we knew our set-up was good. But during the difficult race we still had to avoid all problems and make sure that the car was reliable till the end. Fortunately that was the case, which makes me very happy. Markus and Eric drove a perfect race, which is great news, just one month before the Le Mans 24 Hours. If we have to mention one problem, then it would be the steepness of the pitlane. That made it impossible to top up the fuel tank completely, so we had to make one more pitstop. Otherwise, our advantage would have been even bigger. That does not bother us, though: this victory is a great reward for the whole team, after all the hard work during the sometimes difficult start of the season."

[Nethead]

From the Grand American Road Racing Association's website:

Johnson, Roush Pilot Their Mustang to a Win At New Jersey
July 17, 2010

By Michael Harker

MILLVILLE, N.J. (July 17, 2010) - Billy Johnson and Jack Roush Jr. combined to lead all but four laps in Saturday's Garden State 250 victory at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the eighth round of the 2010 GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge season.

Johnson took over from Roush at the halfway point of the 87-lap, two-and-a-half hour race on the 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway course, and - after coming out of the pits second - moved around Joe Koenig on the inside of Turn 1 on Lap 49. He engaged in a spirited battle for several laps with second-place finisher Matt Plumb, but Johnson was never headed after he put the No. 61 ROUSH Performance Products Ford Mustang GT up front.

The winning margin of victory was 1.384 seconds, the seventh race this season with a margin of victory under two seconds.

"It was tough for my stint," Johnson said. "I had two fast cars - with fast teams and fast drivers - behind me. I managed that as best as I could. I had to work hard to keep the tires under us for the end."

Roush, who earlier Saturday garnered a track qualifying record of 1:30.109, led the opening 44 laps, which featured four of the race's five cautions. Johnson led the final 39 laps.

Plumb and new co-driver Nick Longhi finished second in the No. 13 RumBum.com BMW M3, which fell several positions early as the team opted for a two-pit stop strategy. They were joined on the podium by Joey Hand and Michael Marsal in the No. 97 Turner Motorsport BMW M3.

Fourth were Terry Borcheller and Andrew Hendricks in the No. 45 Fall-Line/Stable One BMW M3, while Barry Waddell and second-place starter David Russell garnered fifth in the No. 99 H&S Tools BMW M3.

Despite falling to 23rd during an early race spin, Charles Espenlaub and Charlie Putman rebounded to finish ninth in the No. 48 Fall-Line/Sparco BMW M3. The pair maintained the championship lead in the standings, which now stands at nine points (228-219) over Hand and Marsal. Johnson and Roush are 14 points behind the leaders.

In the Street Tuner class, Owen Trinkler and Randy Smalley took the No. 198 Cruise America/4 Winds RV Mini Cooper S to its first-ever victory in the series. Previously, the best finish for a Mini Cooper was third twice.

Trinkler and Smalley rebuilt a badly-burned car from an earlier race this season at their new RSR Motorsports shop in Florida, and the race was the first for the new Mini. Trinkler traded the lead twice with Ryan Eversley in the No. 75 JC Concrete/HPD Honda Civic Si before distancing himself from the field. The margin of victory in the ST race was 16.071 seconds over James Clay in the No. 80 RAYS Engineering/Performance Friction BMW 328i.

But the triumph didn't come without a little warning.

"We were a little short on fuel - we might have made it with that yellow - but we've had such bad luck that we just didn't want to risk it," Trinkler said. "And it was the right call."

The victory was the second in the series for Trinkler - and his first since 2003 - and Smalley's first ever.

Clay and David White finished second, while polesitter Martin Jensen and Paul Gerrard, who combined to lead 53 of 86 laps, were third in the No. 18 i2i Capital/RRT Racing BMW 328i. Eversley and Zach Lutz finished fourth, while points co-leaders Seth Thomas and Bill Heumann were fifth in the No. 81 RAYS Engineering/Performance Friction BMW 328i. The No. 81 started from the rear of the field after an engine change Saturday morning.

Additionally, Thomas and Heumann stretched their championship lead to 13 points (238-225) over Lawson Aschenbach and David Thilenius. Not long after Aschenbach took over from Thilenius, who ran second during his entire stint, the No. 74 Skunk2/HPD Honda Civic Si experienced transmission troubles. Aschenbach and Thilenius finished 17th, their worst finish of 2010.

[Nethead]

US Autocrossers know Sam Strano, who switched from a Shelby GT to a 2011 Mustang GT with the Brembo package this year.  Says Sam:

2010 F-stock National Champion....

Me.

After 3 straight years in a 2007 Shelby GT I bought a 2011 Brembo equipped GT. I just returned home from Nebraska with my 7th SCCA Solo National Championship. It's my 4th in F-stock in a row--my 5th in a row dating back to a 2006 win in another class in my Camaro.

I also won my 4th straight ProSolo Series Class Championship in F-stock (again with the previous 3 being in the Shelby GT).

Overall I now hold 15 total SCCA National Championships of one sort or another.
__________________
Sam Strano
6x SCCA National Champion
5x SCCA ProSolo Class Champion
2009 SCCA ProSolo Overall Champion

[Rich]

I'll have to google his times later.

I'd like to see his times compared to the C-stock Solstices and Miatas

[r0tor]

What, nothing about ford losing the grand am gt championship to the rx-8?

[Nethead]

What, nothing about ford losing the grand am gt championship to the rx-8?

r0tor: No, r0dude, the last I checked only Porsches participate in the Grand-Am GT championship--everything else in the Grand-Am GT series is a tube-chassis race shop fabrication with a carbon-fiber replica body (Including the "Mustang" in the series some years ago--a tube-chassis built originally for some model of "Lexus", but re-bodied with a carbon-fiber Mustang-replica body replacing the carbon-fiber Lexus-replica body.  And not built for Ford or by Ford but built for Tom Nastasi of Blackforest Motorsports of Florida.).

The Porsches are, if memory serves me correctly, basically genuine GT3s with a few series-required mods.  The GT series is even more farce than NASCAR "stock car" racing--except that without the tube chasses, carbon-fiber, and dozens or even hundreds of fabricated racing parts nothing on the track could touch the relatively over-the-counter Porsche GT3s.  I never swallowed Grand-Am GT and am surprised that you have.  

If things are much the same as they were back then, the RX8s are the next closest vehicle to the real vehicles they are derived from, after the GT3s.  This info ain't current, because I don't waste my time on shit like that.  What little knowledge I have of the series is from '06 or '07, so by now even the Porsches may be tube-chassis race shop fabrications.

It's NASCAR once removed, and once removed ain't removed anywhere close to enough.  'KnowwhutImean?