The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

Member Introductions - Introduce Yourself

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

18
28
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Concord NC
Hey guy's Newbie here from Concord, NC

I am new here but have been Autocrossing in my area with a 93 Notchback 4 cylinder 2.3 for a little over a year and this year took a dive into HPDE and got hooked!!!!

I have drag raced and circle track raced years ago but stopped to raise our kids and now that my wife and I are empty nesters I decided to try something new.

Current plans are to keep the 4 cylinder and build as I go
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
Hey guy's Newbie here from Concord, NC

I am new here but have been Autocrossing in my area with a 93 Notchback 4 cylinder 2.3 for a little over a year and this year took a dive into HPDE and got hooked!!!!

I have drag raced and circle track raced years ago but stopped to raise our kids and now that my wife and I are empty nesters I decided to try something new.

Current plans are to keep the 4 cylinder and build as I go
Welcome fellow Circle tracker! Post up some pics of your ride.
 
18
28
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Concord NC
Always glad to see another NC based TMO'er on here. I recognize the zMax parking lot, so you likely run with CCR. I get down to run with those guys every once and a while. I'll look you up.
I do though I haven't the last couple of events. Right now I've decided to start gutting the car and making some changes with plans for a roll cage this winter
 
5
7
Exp. Type
Drag Strip
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Austin
Hi y’all, my name is Blake & I just purchased a 13 boss 302 this past weekend. This is my 2nd mustang that sits next to my 66 mustang coupe. The 13 has Kooks headers, flow master x pipe exhaust, strange front drag coil overs and track bars in the rear. I am a total newbie that has watched racing but has never raced personally. But I am Looking forward to learning about all of it!

E3750E82-1418-4B29-9E81-AD7909E46DB9.jpeg
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
Welcome! What are you planning to do with it, street, drag or track use?
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
7
9
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Kentucky
FNG here, lurked for a bit but here for all the advice and info I can get. I have a ‘18 GT350 and would like to have a garage full of race cars. want to get heavily involved in any kind of racing, track days, autocross etc. I live in Louisville, KY so anyone in the area, let me know. Thanks in advance for the advice and knowledge!
 
88
60
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Cantley
Hi, I've been on the forum for couple of months, my name is Jerome and I am in the Navy. I grew up loving all things car racing, never participated in anything until this year. My previous boss is into HPDE and told me about the hobby. I never even considered it to be a possibility because I thought you had to be a millionnaire to be able to go to a track as anything but a spectator.
When I realized I could do it I started reading everything I could about HPDE, what car to get, etc, for a couple of years years. I know I should have bought a Miata or a C5 Corvette.
I bought a 2019 Mustang GT because I figured this way I could take my 3 kids with me to the track. I picked a recent car because I thought if it doesn't turn out as fun as I expected I could get good resale value.
I did not buy a Miata or a FRS or something like that despite multiple converging pieces of advice urging me to go that route because I have been driving 4 or 5 cylinder cars such as VW Golf all my life and the big power of the S550 would give me something to learn. In a 4 cylinder car, the gas pedal on the track is an on/off switch.
Also, buying a 2019 meant I could spread the amortization of the loan over 8 years, which is good for a divorced man's cash flow.
I also own a 1964 Mercedes 230SL, European model, four speed. This was my late father's toy. He spent 6 years on a frame-off rotisserie restoration and unexpectedly died the winter after he completed it at 62, driving it only a handful of times. It is a stunning show car that took 5 first place trophies in the 4 car shows I entered. It will be sold to the right person. I am into driving cars, not curating museum pieces. I've owned it since 2010. It's time to let someone else enjoy it. Now I have my Mustang! My DD is a 2011 VW Golf *yawn*.
My father dying early (pancreatic cancer, very fast) really helped motivating my decision to get into HPDE now, while I still have strength and reflexes, instead of waiting for the better money conditions.
I am very competitive. In the winter I compete in Masters alpine ski races. I use the same approach as with my driving: I read everything I can find about gear and technique, I practice, try to find competent coaching, review video to correct mistakes. I'm not very good: I started in my forties and my competitors have been racing since childhood. But I do improve every time and this keeps me motivated.
I chose HPDE for my driving because while I would enjoy racing against competitors, I know I can enjoy the sport for a long time racing against myself, find satisfaction improving on my lap times and skills.
I found this forum very welcoming and thank you all for your patience with my questions and I look forward to being in a position to help others one day like you have helped me.
 
Jerome, You seem like a very down to earth kind of guy...that's a good thing.....sorry to hear you lost your Father to cancer. Continue to follow your passion with tracking your GT and enjoyi being with your kids......Family is what life is all about......fast cars are a close second.....;)
 
14
23
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Naples, FL
-

I'm Dan. I've come to the conclusion that I've always been into precision driving and curious about the limits. I didn't know this when I got my first car at 16 but I can recall my attitude, my mindset, when I got into the car.

That first car was a black 1980 Mercury Capri RS, 3.3L inline-6, automatic. This was the beginning years of the Fox body. The important part, which my subconscious noted moreso than my conscious mind, was that the car was rear-wheel drive.

It was with my second car that I became conscious of the mechanicals involved. That car was dad's 1982 Trans Am, 5.0L V8, automatic, the first year of the F-body platform. The Knight Rider car :D (though mine was red).

After too many transmission issues with that Trans Am lol I knew I needed to further my driving education.

That meant a manual transmission. Enter the Ford Escort.

I got myself a 1985 Ford Escort with manual transmission. Yes, it was certainly gutless, but it had a MANUAL TRANSMISSION, so, worth every penny.

Then a 1985 Honda Accord, manual of course. This 10yr old car took me thru college.

I still needed to race though. But racing a car meant needing a car trailer, in addition to all the prep of the car itself. I didn't have any mentors in this field, didn't know that racers often sell their already-prepped cars, etc, so I went the motorcycle route.

Enter a Yamaha FZ600 my senior year. It was a dog, lol, ridden hard and put away wet. But it got me started in the world of motorcycling. It also got me to my first track, Summit Point Raceway in WV, but I was only there as a corner worker for some motorcycle races.

My first year as a mechanical engineer; got myself a new 1995 Honda CBR600F3

9F2EDFA6-F5F9-469C-B9A1-2689FD9DC806_1_105_c.jpeg

and I was out in California .... Sunnyvale ... in northern California ....

..... close to LAGUNA SECA!

Yes, esteemed readers, my first on-track experience was a Reg Pridmore motorcycle class at Laguna Seca on a 600cc race-bike-with-lights. A simple track day where I rode there and rode back. I was hooked. When the company brought me back to Michigan I entered a motorcycle racing series.

This is where I came back to rear-wheel drive in the form of a GMC K2500 short cab, long bed, pickup truck :D. This was going to be my transport to the track and back. It didn't last long though. I had bought it with too many miles and needed too much engine work. It ran, never stranded me, but it had something weird that happened when you gave it too much throttle. Sold it.

Next rear-wheel drive was the 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4. I loved this vehicle! Great daily driver and transporter! I got it with the tow package as this time I resigned myself to admitting a trailer was better suited to hauling the race bike. Fortunately a trailer for transporting a motorcycle is much smaller than a car trailer. I could work with this.

This year is when I finally got smart about documenting with pictures. Some pics on my way to Road America, then some with my pit setup:

03.JPG04.JPG08.JPG09.JPG


My first official race number :D

RDP race pic.jpg


We had a great Race Director. He had us at Grattan, Gingerman, Mid-Ohio and Road America. Mid-Ohio was my favorite layout but the track surface itself (at the time) absolutely sucked for motorcycles. You had concrete patches here and there that sometimes didn't blend with the asphalt. One time, right behind David W, going thru one right-hander, I saw a spark as DW's right swingarm bolt caught the higher lip of the upcoming concrete patch and nearly high-side him. Fortunately a nice recovery by DW.

That Jeep and motorcycle were my last rear-wheel drive vehicles for over a decade.

From then till now it has been front wheel drive vehicles; a four door Accord with manual trans :D, which I did have on Grattan once at a track day. After all the motorcycle racing this was actually my first time on a track with a four-wheeler.

Then a boring Ford Taurus, then an Acura Legend (great daily and highway car), then a simple Toyota Corolla but with a manual trans. The plain jane Corolla was a fun little car lol, no joke! Another boring two door automatic Accord.

Then a Ford Fiesta, but automatic. But enough brakes and chassis to have on THE TRACK!

A bit better with the pics now lol (Homestead Raceway):

5C5C4DA1-7579-4457-9F88-30814FD91AE9.jpegD6CB2689-976E-47C3-89FC-239580A1AFA1.jpeg294E15BD-B140-4966-AE65-1672E3171E01.jpeg

Later (and current) came a FOCUS ST! Though still a front wheel drive car.

7A3AECBA-0C0D-4A3B-897C-0C4F373A5AC6_1_201_a.jpeg

This time I've been at Sebring:

7AC81418-EA6B-4A11-8B72-E626F4C16168_1_201_a.jpeg01C61E63-E912-4910-9B94-65632D4D1C16.jpeg669C5068-C77F-4B41-B05F-432B29081122.jpeg85185993-514D-4535-965F-CADC68247BE4.jpeg

and Homestead

4898773C-6C3A-4029-8CBB-F5204D786F3C.jpegCE49F137-2E7D-41D5-97E2-2324D1D606B9.jpeg1BB723C2-BF7F-4131-8F0D-5818743E0221.jpeg

-

but soon, a NEW PLAYER will enter the game, a new player ..... with REAR-WHEEL drive:

Screen Shot 2021-08-01 at 11.34.45 AM.png

-
 
Last edited:
97
111
Exp. Type
Autocross
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Southern Illinois
Hello everyone! My name is Brad. I've been into mustangs since I was little. I'm on my 5th mustang. Owned a 66, 73, 99 v6, 12 v6, and now a 14 Gt. In college I joined the Formula sae team for a couple years. From there I got interested in autocross and took my 2012 out to a few events. Eventually traded it in for my 2015 f150 xlt. A couple months ago I had a buddy wanting to sell his 14 gt. Ended up trading him my bass boat with money for it. Now I've been to two autocross weekends so far and a 3rd one next weekend.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
Hello everyone! My name is Brad. I've been into mustangs since I was little. I'm on my 5th mustang. Owned a 66, 73, 99 v6, 12 v6, and now a 14 Gt. In college I joined the Formula sae team for a couple years. From there I got interested in autocross and took my 2012 out to a few events. Eventually traded it in for my 2015 f150 xlt. A couple months ago I had a buddy wanting to sell his 14 gt. Ended up trading him my bass boat with money for it. Now I've been to two autocross weekends so far and a 3rd one next weekend.
Welcome Brad!
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top