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While a lot of the hustle and bustle at Ford Fest comes from the drag strip, there's an ample amount of excitement taking place on the autocross. There are plenty of specialized Mustangs ready to attack the coned course, you'll also find plenty of less common Blue Ovals and interesting swapped rides scrapping for autocross supremacy. This is also the most important component of our Grand Champion competition.
The top five competitors from the weekend's autocross competition compete in a three-lap, head-to-head shootout for the opportunity to be called the champion! Competitors get three consecutive laps, with the final score being a total of three laps. Drivers must be fast, consistent, and careful—with little room for error. If you mess up a lap, you hurt your chances of winning.
This year, the fastest driver, Sam Strano, in his Ford-Duratec-swapped Mazda RX8, couldn't make the shootout. He snapped an axle during the drag racing competition (required for those entered in Grand Champion).
The Top 5 entries:
• Jeff Cox in his 2010 Ford Mustang GT500; with a time of 37.753
• Chris Brown in his 2016 Ford Mustang; with a time of 38.517
• Jonathan Blevins in his 2008 Ford Shelby GT500; with a time of 38.686
• Ron Schoch in his 2016 Ford Mustang; with a time of 38.728
• Mike Trenkle in his 1982 Ford Mustang; with a time of 38.846
Jeff Cox takes home the win in his 2010 Mustang GT500, with clean, consistent laps.
Yes, it's Ford-powered... I know that's what you're wondering. The rules for Holley's events (LS Fest, MoParty, and Ford Fest) are simple: it must be powered by an LS/LT, Mopar/AMC, or Ford engine at each respective event. So, any chassis is allowed. Even tractors, golf carts, and homemade cars are welcome as long as the powerplant matches.
Sam Strano is the suspension tuner and driver for the weekend of this interesting 2005 Mazda RX8. Under the hood is a Ford Duratech 4-cylinder from a Mercury Mystique.
John Vitamvas owns the car, and the Ford engine was purposeful and not just for Ford Fest. The car typically runs SCCA. They enjoy the flat power curve of the tiny engine.
It features a forged bottom-end and Ecoboost crankshaft, making for a slightly de-stroked combination. They spin the engine to 8,000 rpm, and with the Borg-Warner Indy turbo it makes around 410 hp to the wheels.
Behind the engine is a G-Force 4-speed that allows them to flat-shift without letting off the pedal, but they do opt to use the clutch. Out back is a Ford 8.8 differential with a limited slip. The front is an adjustable Mazda sway bar, and there is no sway bar out back.
Serious autocrossers may know Sam's name, as his expertise is in suspension. The shocks on the Mazda are Penske coilovers built by Sam.
Sam typically runs a Mustang at Ford Fest, but two months ago, he asked John, "I said, let's take it, it's Ford powered," said Sam. "It was kind of a joke, but he said, 'Yeah, why the hell not."
Sam has modest hopes for the weekend, planning on keeping it in 1st gear through the course to keep RPMs high. "But, I just want it to stay together. Then we'll see what happens from there."
Ford Fest provides an eclectic mix of genres and Ford products. From weirdo swaps to bone-stock Pintos or late-model racecars, there's a little something for every Blue Oval fan.
"I bought it just to have some fun," said Josh. "I modeled it after Ken Block's Hoonicorn. I have plans to mold the fender flares this winter... this was down the rabbit hole with work,' said owner/driver Josh Carrol. His day job is as a Volkswagon technician, and he came across this 6-cylinder, automatic Mustang while at work.
"I just knew I wanted a V8 and a manual," said Josh. He picked up a BluePrint crate engine's 302ci and backed it with a Top-Loader 4-speed, "but I didn't like all the chrome," said Josh. "so I decided to go with Ford Blue and dress everything myself." The engine was dyno-ed around 415hp and 450 ft-lbs of torque
He finished it with an electric water pump, aluminum bell housing and driveshaft, lightweight flywheel, and no power steering. "Just to keep any horsepower robbery off the engine," said Josh. "It revs up very quickly." With a Wide Ratio transmission and 4:11 rear end, "she's screaming, she gets up and goes."
The front suspension is Mair Racing suspension, with FatMan Fab Shelby dropped spindle. The rear is a four-link, and he cut the floor to lower the ride height.
The paint is the removable spray paint, PlastiDip. "I love it because it allows me to not care about the paint, but it still looks good. A rugged look." The plastic flairs are 3 inches in the front and 6 inches in the rear. It's finished off with Mair Racing fiberglass bumpers.
The wheels are intended for Jeeps, measuring 15 x 10 in. wide and wrapped in 285/40R15 tires.
"The goal is to get used to the car and the track, then take it circuit racing." His goal for the weekend is to get comfortable and faster, "now that I learned the track and get more confidence, this was really the first time I've pushed it. Hopefully, get down into the 40s [autocross time], push it a little more, and have some fun. That's what it's all about."
You may recognize this team if you were here at MoParty two weeks ago. They're proving, yet again, that you don't need a big budget, loads of help, or even a fast car to compete and have fun. Steven Phillips brought the Thunder Chicken, a stock '87 Thunderbird, this weekend.
Scored from a local junkyard, where it was left for dead, it was purchased for only $300. From years of weather abuse, the car appeared green. They cleaned it up, added some parts, and hit the road for Ford Fest.
"We're trying to make up for lost time because we didn't do so good with our Dirt Track Duster [nicknamed Major Pain]," said Steven. "But we had a ball."
The Thunderbird's transmission was missing, so they replaced it with a Fox Body Mustang 5-speed. It's otherwise a bone-stock drivetrain. Steven has a Thunderbird Super Coupe that's only left as a parts car. They swapped in the donor's sway bars and hood. They removed around 500 pounds worth of non-essential items and installed a couple of race seats and American Racing wheels.
They also removed the shock from the steering arms, "I like my steering loose," said Steven. "It handles very nicely, it really does. Other than that, it's just a bone-stock Thunder Chicken, the fastest Chicken in the South."
Steven Phillips runs the YouTube channel Phillip's Run, Drip, and Bubble Company with his 12-year-old son, Logan, and friend/mechanic Michael Beeman.
"We ain't prejudiced. We build everything. We love all cars, man," said Steven. "I'm pretty proud of my little Thunderbird; we'll see how it works out."
His goal for the weekend is to clock a 0:45-second lap, which is on par with most of the field. Their best lap with the Duster was a 0:47. "And hopefully do that without blowing it up because we want to do the burnout challenge."
"That's my whole expectation, but I'm having a ball; this is just so much fun," said Steven. "You don't have to have a fortune to have fun."
