Mar 24, 2008

Recalling the Trans-Am Series Today

Usually in this space we write about the big-time racing series -- NASCAR Sprint Cup, Formula One and the now reunited IndyCar series. But this week, we’d like to tell you about a racing series that allows one to participate without being a multimillionaire -- and channels the glory days of Trans-Am racing. The inaugural Ford Mustang Challenge for the Miller Cup racing series held its first official event just a weekend or so ago with 19 entrants taking delivery of their new Mustang FR500S race cars in a special program at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Participants also had the opportunity to attend the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School, meet series officials, receive technical information from Ford Racing engineers and shake down their new race cars for the first time during the open track sessions on both Saturday and Sunday.

“The Mustang was a dominant showroom-based race car during the glory days of American road racing in the mid-‘60s and ‘70s, and this car certainly continues that proud tradition,” said Jamie Allison, manager of the Ford Performance Group. “Our intent was to develop a fun-to-drive reliable race car that delivers on what people have come to expect from a Mustang -- V8 power and rear-wheel drive performance at an affordable price -- and I think we’ve accomplished that with the FR500S.”

Allison said that since the creation of the Mustang Challenge was announced at SEMA, the interest in both the FR500S and the series has exceeded expectations. The mix of participants that bring experience from various forms of racing -- including the Grand Am KONI Challenge Series -- which should produce exciting, fender-to-fender racing.

The FR500S was co-developed by Ford Racing Technology and Miller Motorsports Park. A total of 77 cars were manufactured at AutoAlliance International in Flat Rock, Mich., with additional race-prep fabrication at Watson Engineering and final race prep at Miller Motorsports Park. The FR500S is the first race car built by Ford Motor Company at a Ford-owned production facility intended for sale to the public.