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The 2021 Ford Fest is underway! This epic event only happens once a year, and you don't want to miss it.
Grand Champion competition features an excellent variety of Ford muscle, from the tiny four-cylinder hatchbacks to original American iron and even a brand-new electric Mustang Mach-E!
The Hurst/Grassroots Motorsports autocross course is the same for all Holley events, including LS Fest and MoParty. The track starts from a dead stop. Cars must accelerate through a high-speed slalom into a narrow opening and then a long, banked left-hander. Then drivers enter a decreasing radius left turn, then right into another solum, followed by a two-apex right-hander before accelerating again into another two-apex left-hander, followed by a short blast to the finish.
On the first morning of the competition, we saw cars set 38-second laps. Over 80 cars have registered for autocross racing.
One car that caught our ear was Alex Hunter's 4.0L V6 thrashing on the course. This 2005 Mustang made 181 horsepower on the dyno a year ago. “That's stupid low," laughed Alex, who has been autocrossing the car since 2014. "It's crazy fun for the least amount of horsepower a Mustang can have."
Kurt Russman's '68 Mustang is a flashback in time, with all the useful racing goodies. "My goal was to feel like a Trans Am style car would have felt 30 or 40 years ago as a privateer racer," said Kurt. "And at the end of the day, feel like I got my ass kicked like they did too."
Lars Ekberg is a Ford Fest faithful with his beautiful 1957 Ford Fairlane. Built in conjunction with ACME High Performance, it's assembled with various Detroit Speed Engineering suspension components. With an entire interior, gloss paint, and healthy small block, it's great fun to watch him smoke the tires throughout the track.
Thanks to cars like the Ford Focus and the increasing aftermarket support, it's no surprise that hatchbacks are increasingly popular on the autocross. Chris Wiers switched his ride to a 2017 Ford Focus RS from a 2014 Mustang he normally autocrosses. The Focus features a Mountune intake, charge pipe, and intercooler kit, along with a tune. "It makes just as much power as my Mustang, but it's lighter," said Chris, “plus all-wheel-drive! It'll do a lot better."
Those competing in Grand Champion still have a weekend full of racing ahead. After autocross, they must compete in drag racing tomorrow and 3S Challenge (speed-stop) Sunday (rain or shine).
This is a bone-stock, brand new all-electric Mustang. It laid down a respectable 42.9 seconds on its second time out.
Brock Yates's literature inspired Kurt's 1968 Mustang. It's not an original racer, but instead a clone of a true racer from the era.
Sleeper Dude (on YouTube) was possibly the slowest on the track today, but certainly the happiest. His 1963 Falcon Futura, which had sat for 25 years, is powered by a 170ci straight-six backed by the original Ford-o-Matic transmission. He arrived with his family stuff in the little Falcon and immediately went onto the autocross.
Lars Ekberg’s 1957 Ford Fairlane is equal parts car show quality and serious autocross competitor.
Alex’s 2005 Mustang features a stripped interior, tons of aftermarket suspension goodies, and only weighs 3,400 lbs. with the driver.
The 2021 Holley Ford Festival finishes off with the Grand Champion series with the 3S Challenge. Rain or shine, the 3S Challenge happens. Prior to the 3S Challenge, Grand Champion competitors make autocross laps and passes down the dragstrip to get points, and then the autocross track is turned into the 3S Challenge course.
The 3S Challenge is a modified version of a speed/stop challenge, which takes two cars simultaneously on two identical courses. Drivers leave from a stop, accelerate hard into an increasing radius turn. Drivers turn away from each other, then finish with a final blast to the lights. Drivers must come to a complete stop inside the stop box. If any cones are hit, or the vehicle stops outside the box, their run is disqualified.
Sunday’s forecast saw heavy rain quickly into the competition. Luckily most drivers got at least one pass in damp conditions before the track was completely saturated.
Fast drivers seem to have the course figured out, hitting the apex early and then making wide exits using the entire racetrack. This keeps the car as straight as possible under acceleration to the stop box. Competition is stiff, with near-ties for the lead with multiple 12.80 runs.
Jason Childress’ 1968 Mustang wasn’t the fastest on course, but certainly the loudest.
Chris Wiers typically drives a Mustang in autocross but decided to take out his modified 2017 Ford Focus RS this weekend, making a nearly identical fastest lap of 12.80. Even with all-wheel-drive, he was drifting towards the finish.
Welcome to Ford Fest 2021. We have show cars that look like they’ve never seen a spec of dirt or rain in their life. The drift cars are ruining tires like they have a vendetta against rubber. The autocross guys are striving for that next best time as they reach for that Grand Champion trophy. We even have Ultra 4 trucks getting hangtime at the new off-road track. There is no shortage of action this weekend and yet at noon, everybody headed to the circle track for an event, unlike the rest.
Vaughn Gittin, Jr kept spinning once Andy Perryman spun him out and managed to get back to #2 shortly.
There are no pretty cars here. The fancy go-fast parts covering the rest of the property are void here. The shiny paint, gone. This is the Ford Festival 50. Ten Ford Crown Victorias with safety equipment and the interior void of anything comfy or cushy. The racers prepped these vehicles, for one thing: survival. There is plenty of spray paint and markings covering these dilapidated cars to make them each unique.
It starts off simply. The ten cars line up two at a time and wait for the green flag. As soon as the green flag flies, it’s free reign. This crew took the mantra, “Rubbing is racing,” to another level. Plenty of contact throughout the 25 laps they had time for with them constantly swapping places.
Vaughn Gittin Jr. led much of the race in his #92 car until Dave Ross managed to squeeze ahead of him in his #42 red Crown Vic while Vaughn was hanging it sideways. Dave held the lead tightly until the end and managed to get the win with Vaughn on his heels by 0.8 seconds and Andy Perryman right behind Gittin by just .260! It was a tight race and with limited power, you had to keep your momentum up to hold your place. While there may not be much pretty about the Ford Festival 50, the fans LOVED it. We expect to see even more carnage next year.
Ross celebrated his victory of the other 9th with a few donuts in the middle of the track.
