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!

The demise of my Mustang

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

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,245
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
If you are patient, they Will have something in blue soon enough.

 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
Is the windshield broken? If not, the cowl is probably in decent shape and you can rebuild it. Many companies do cover HPDE damage, so be very careful how you " phrase" any questions they have. Glad you are OK.
I'm pretty sure anything can be repaired, it just becomes a question of whether it's cost effective.
The windshield is broken BUT not from a change in the perimeter structure. A sharp point inside impact at the upper l/h corner. My best guess is airbag shrapnel, this from the recall replaced airbag!?
As to insurance, I haven't contacted them yet out of concern over a denial of coverage and the possibility of a negative impact to my premium by reporting an at-fault accident. Under Physical Damage Exclusions:
20220525_071705_(1).jpg
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,422
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Was there Instruction given at the Event as this may be construed in your favor, but you might as well chat with your Ins. Agent and get his input before filing. Really tough deal, and like others glad you are okay, yet a dedicated track car may be in the works after chatting with your Agent. Keep us all posted and Sonoma is a sexy lady , but she can be demanding and high risk, you are definitely not the only one to see her wrath. My old Boss wadded up a Viper Competition Coupe in turn 10.
 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
Damn, that was tough to watch. You were looking a lot smoother than the Vette driver up until then, too :(
Yeah, the guy in the Vette had enough power to match me in the straights but among other things was braking early & slower in the corners. He opened up a big window in turn 7 and I saw an opportunity but tried to put down too much power too soon. I should've known better, I've had issues in that same spot before.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,422
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
I think we have all seen that open door, taken a shot and wished later we had not been so opportunistic! Tough penalty to pay, but I hope you get back on the Pony, she is a fun ride and you have found her limits. The Torsen coming may help you decide which way to go, but a dedicated race car may be in the cards so the timing may not be as ironic as it currently seems?
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,518
8,154
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
It's been said that good judgment comes from experience & experience comes from bad judgment. On Sunday I got a huge dose of experience.. While chasing a Z06 Vette around Sonoma I got a bit overzealous out of turn 7 and spun into the inside wall. After pouring myself into this car over the last 4 years I'm afraid it is a total loss 😫


View attachment 76115
View attachment 76113
Oh man that sucks!
I was there Saturday and that corner was super slippery....got it loose there several times myself.
Were you there Saturday?
 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
Oh man that sucks!
I was there Saturday and that corner was super slippery....got it loose there several times myself.
Were you there Saturday?
I was there on Sunday only, but now that you mention it, I was told by a couple of those that were there Saturday that the track felt kinda greasy. I was in NASA HPDE 3, 1st run was 2 & 3 together and had a lot of slower traffic. This happened on run 2, which started with 3 or 4 laps under yellow so this was my first max effort exit from turn 7.
 
Last edited:
118
275
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Auckland, New Zealand
Glad to hear you're okay, condolences on the car.

Some ideas on what to do:
  • Fix to "20 foot" standard and use as a dedicated track car (it's been pre-disastered)
  • Transfer good parts to a new shell
  • NASCAR-style tube frame front clip
  • Sell it to someone in New Zealand, I hear they can fix anything
Hahahhaa, in New Zealand sometimes it's a necessity! :)

If I lived in the US I would go with option 2 above and reshell the car. Look around for a good donor, something with some issues that keeps it cheap and then make one good one out of the two. By the time you sell off remaining bits you can sometimes come out ok from a cash perspective (though it will rarely, if ever cover your time).
 
42
23
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Texas
So....about that new Torsen.... Too soon??? LOL
JK! Sorry for your anguish but glad you're OK. Your build thread will live for eternity and continue to help me with my build. And unfortunately, this is a part of it and will happen to all of us if we put enough laps in at 9/10ths+. Selfishly, I like to hear all of the suggestions on how to get back out there and to learn what all options you might have. Helps me frame it correctly in my mind. This is just a hobby...a very expensive one.
 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
So....about that new Torsen.... Too soon??? LOL
JK! Sorry for your anguish but glad you're OK. Your build thread will live for eternity and continue to help me with my build. And unfortunately, this is a part of it and will happen to all of us if we put enough laps in at 9/10ths+. Selfishly, I like to hear all of the suggestions on how to get back out there and to learn what all options you might have. Helps me frame it correctly in my mind. This is just a hobby...a very expensive one.
Thank you for these inspiring words!
 
17
14
Exp. Type
HPDE
CT
Sorry to see this. I had the same thing happen to me in pretty much the same car. I weighed all my options and at the end of the day I didn’t think it was worth trying to salvage my car. I picked up a rolling chassis from the parts farm in Georgia and swapped in my drivetrain. I gutted and caged it. That worked for me because I was able to do all the work myself but it would have gotten real expensive had I paid someone for the cage etc. It was a ton of work but at the end of the day I’m happy with how the car came out. Also realize if you decided on a track only car you have to factor in a trailer and tow vehicle.54824E25-F00B-4E92-B0AD-BFD680D00CBC.jpeg99688844-501C-4C44-89ED-9D5497DB7A1D.jpeg819DA817-2DB9-4C51-A3D8-4EDA1378A13D.jpeg12290488-4BE5-4875-80D3-4108E62FB550.jpeg
 
I hit Sonoma this past Sunday for the first time. Everytime I rounded turn 7, I thought of your video. I’m glad I made it out unscathed as 5 cars had tagged a wall and were towed off by the end of the third session that day when I left.

I look forward to see the rebuild if you decide to pursue it!
 
303
251
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
25 min. to 1½ hrs. from Sonoma (ugh... traffic!)
I'm looking forward to your recovery! I'm not going to lie, but your build list has me salivating just a tinge. If it was me I'd definitely try to put that stuff back into a car as soon as my wallet and time allows!
Well, half the time I poured into this car was time spent thinking I don't ever wanna get bogged down with that much detail again. But... crazier ideas have crossed my mind since! We'll see what happens, it would take a ton of $$$$$ just to get back to where I started from. Other concerns are taking priority now so I'm gonna have to sit tight for the moment, I've got plenty of time to figure out what's next. Thank you for the kind words.
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top