your greatest race ever

[lyonsd]

Originally posted by explicitone
What is your guys greatest race you have ever been in (you know with that guy that talking all kindas of smack or dissin your car or what not) Or has is girl in the car revin on ya at the light just to make him look stupid. Or your greatest race at the track or on the street where it was an over all a great race

I've been in a few. Beat a 300ZX TT on the top end, beat a '89 Formula 350 with a bone stock '88 Mustang GT, educated a few ricers, etc... Here's one that happened a year or so ago that will get most people's attention:

'88 Mustang vs. '87 GN

And what makes this even more special is the fact that I own both cars in the race.

I've been having some problems with my Mustang lately. I won't go into details though. But I got them worked out with the help of some cat from the Corral who lives nearby - Jared Rude.

So we took my Mustang out, with me behind the wheel and Jared in my '87 GN. We couldn't get a light, so this first time we went form a roll. Side by side, at about 30mph, we hit it. I was in 2nd. I pulled out ahead and got about 2-car lengths ahead. But I shut it down because I really wanted to go from a stop. This wasn't an even start.

This is the first time Jared has driven a GN. I gave him some pointers: I told him to put it in "D", launch at 2-3 psi and launch hard because I just had the posi put in and it hooks pretty good.

So we go down the road a ways and at the next light there's a bunch of traffic. That's the last good light on that road to race on, so we made a left, and turned around through this car wash and got a red light at the same intersection going in the opposite direction.

Now we're set: my car vs. my car. I rev the 'Stang up to around 2000-2500 rpm and Jared is brake-torquing the GN. Light goes green and I execute a textbook perfect launch, immediatly putting 1½-2 car lengths on my GN. I powershift second and get a nice loud SCREEEEECH and my GN is still there - 1½-2 car lengths. It stayed that way all the way through 2nd and 3rd gear, before I finally shut it down. Mustang wins by 1½-2 car lengths.

This is the first time my GN's been beaten in a street race. But since I wasn't diving I can still claim I'm undefeated with it.

Jared said he didn't have a very good launch. That's understandable since it was his first time behind the wheel of a turbo Regal. If he had gotten me off the line, he would have won. The cars were dead evenly matched.

The '88 Mustang

• Mass air conversion with Pro-M 77mm mass air meter and K&N underhood cone filter
• 65mm throttle body
• Cobra intake
• Stock heads, mildly ported with slightly bigger valves
• Hedman long tube headers
• Kenne-Bell Mark II-117R cam
• Motorsport aluminum 1.6:1 roller rocker arms
• 14º initial timing
• Romac harmonic balancer
• Bassani Off-road X-pipe & "Quiet Thunder" mufflers ("Quiet" Thunder my *** - these things are loud!)
• 3-piece under-drive pullies
• SPAL electric fan
• Motorsport heavy duty clutch
• 3.73 rear gears
• MSD Digital-6 ignition
• Traction enhancers: Lakewood traction bars, Global West full-length subframes, and BFG 275/50-15 Radial T/As in the rear

The '87 GN

• 9" K&N underhod cone filter & aluminum inlet pipe
• Jet-Hot coated Terry Houston downpipe & high-flow cat
• Adjustable wastegate rod with boost set to 19-20 psi
• 100 octane Thrasher chip with Sunoco 100 octane in the tank
• Traction enhancers: HRpartsNstuff rear lower control arms, Eaton posi, and BFG 265/50-15 Radial T/As in the rear

Each car has other mods to support those listed above, like fuel system enhancements to supply the necessary fuel, plug wires, valve cover breathers, lower thermostats, etc.. Both are also running Mobil 1 synthetic oil.