The 2016 Rolex 24 at Daytona took place this past weekend, but before the new Ford GT hit the track for its first race – the new Shelby GT350R-C Mustang race cars made their racing debut in the BMW Performance 200. While their first on-track introduction came a few weeks back at the Roar Before the 24 (also at Daytona), the BMW-sponsored race was the first official racing action.
Two Ford Shelby GT350R-C Mustang teams made their debut in the 2016 BMW Performance 200, including the #15 Multimatic Motorsports car driven by Scott Maxwell and Billy Johnson and the #76 Compass360 Racing Mustang driven by Pierre Kleinubing and Paul Holton. Each of these Mustangs spent time at the top of the lap time list at the Roar Before the 24 and they continued turning fast laps during practice for the BMW Performance 200. However, a pair of Porsches (one 997 and one Cayman) laid down quicker qualifying times for the big race – leaving the GT350R-C Mustangs to settle for 3rd and 4th starting positions.
In the early stages of the race, the #13 Porsche team – the same crew that won this race in 2015 – was at the front of the field with the two new Mustangs close in tow. That all changed with around a half hour left in the race, when the #15 Mustang hopped into the lead. This lead change was quickly followed by a caution period and on the restart, the #13 Porsche had fuel system problems – leaving the two Mustangs to duke it out for the win.
During the final half hour, the two 2016 Mustang GT350R-C race cars went toe to toe as one of the Caymans trailed in a distant 3rd. In the final laps, Pierre Kleinubing and the #76 Mustang gave the #15 Mustang and Billy Johnson all he could handle – but Johnson ended up easing away to a lead of 2 seconds at the end of the final lap.
This gave the new Mustangs the top two spots on the podium with a Porsche in 3rd, while last year’s winner settled for 5th due to the late race mechanical issues.
Unfortunately, we won’t get to see a Mustang-Camaro battle in the GS class, as the championship-winning Stevenson Motorsports left their Camaro Z28R race cars for an Audi R8 in the GT LeMans class. As a result, there are no Camaros in series racing against the Mustang.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
