GT500 North American Track Tour Is a Bedlam of Fun Despite Rain
GT500 North American Track Tour. Even without the whole track portion of the event, it is a worthwhile experience for any Mustang fan.
The moment I received the email saying that I had been confirmed to attend the 2021 GT500 North American Track Tour, I was elated. A few years ago, I attended the GT350 Track Tour and remember what a great experience it was. This one I expected to be even better. As much as I love the GT500, I have never been behind the wheel of one. Just finding one at a local dealership is like finding a four-leaf clover on Mars. Being allowed to test drive one, let alone test drive one on a racetrack is never going to happen. This was my big chance. Not only would I get to drive the GT500 on the track, but it would also be on my home track.
The GT500 Track Tour was going to be stopping at New Jersey Motorsports Park in Millville, NJ. There are two courses there, Lightning and Thunderbolt. The track tour was going to take place on the Lightning course which is my favorite of the two. I am a high-performance driving instructor and I have logged a few thousand laps around the 1.9-mile Lightning circuit. I am very familiar with the course and was excited to compare the GT500 to the dozens of other vehicles I have driven there. As it happens I am also in the market for another track car. After 5 years of trusty service, I am considering maybe retiring my 2016 Porsche Cayman S from track duty. The GT500 is on my short list of possible replacements. This was going to be epic.
I hopped in my 2018 Mustang GT and headed to the track on Friday May 28. The event started at 1 PM but being held on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend, I wanted an early start. The forecast called for showers later in the day but at the time I left it seemed that they would hold off until after the event wrapped at 5 PM. Still, I was a bit concerned and I was hoping that I would be one of the first groups on track with the GT500 so I would not be impacted by any possible rain. Things looked good as I arrived at the track a little before 1 and was greeted with bright, sunny skies. My excitement grew.
At registration, we were divided into three groups, red, blue or yellow. I was assigned to the yellow group. Each group rotated through three different stations for the day. One station was the road course, the other was a straight-line acceleration demo and the third was a GT500 walkaround presentation. Each group would have about an hour at each station. A quick check of the schedule for group yellow showed me that I would have the GT500 presentation first, then the straight-line acceleration demo second and I would be last on the road course. Crap. Still, the skies were still bright, and the hourly forecast was still showing that rain would not begin until after 5 PM, so no big deal.
Under a large Ford Performance tent a number of Ford Performance vehicles were parked. Of course, the GT500 wearing the Carbon Fiber Track Package was there. However, there was also a restored 1967 GT500, a new Mach 1, a GT350 R Heritage Edition, and a Mach-E for good measure. There was also a display GT500 laying on its side to enable attendees to see the underside of the super Mustang. There were also several stands that had individual parts on display. For example there was an engine stand, a wheel stand, a transmission stand, and so on. There was also a GT500 test mule that was used to test the aerodynamics of the new car. Nothing was roped off; everything was able to be touched and examined as much as you would like. Overall, it was a pretty damn cool tent to be under.
Being in group yellow meant this is the tent I would be under for the first hour of my day. Jim Owens, Mustang Brand Manager at Ford greeted us and gave us an in-depth look into the history of Ford, Shelby and the GT500 program. However, this is still a Covid world, so the first order of business was to explain all the steps being taken to keep us safe. All helmets are sanitized in a SaniboXX helmet decontamination unit. These units kill bacteria using UV lamps. These units require power to run and they were being run off the generator in the new F-150.
With the housekeeping items out of the way, it was time to get to brass tacks. Owens worked directly with Carroll Shelby back in the day. So getting insight from someone like that is a real treat. He told us what it was like to work with him, and he spoke to us about his thoughts on the Ford v Ferrari movie. In Owens estimation, he felt the movie was about 75 percent true to life. For a Hollywood production, 75 percent accurate is actually quite impressive. Owens spoke of the 1967 GT500 that was on the floor in front of us. It was modified back in the day to make enough power to run 11.9 in the quarter mile. Not big news today, but for the late sixties that was quite an achievement.
Then attention turned to the modern GT500. Owens explained that the performance of the car is so impressive that it could do 0-100-0 mph on the deck of an aircraft carrier. In fact, they tried to obtain a carrier for a demonstration, but could not obtain one that would fit their needs. Having taken part in the straight-line acceleration demo later in the day, I have no reason to doubt this claim. Owens then took us from station to station and spoke in detail about each component. The engine, the carbon fiber wheels, the transmission, the tires and so on. We were told a bit of history and backstory on each part.
This discussion of the GT500 only made my anticipation of getting one out on track grow. On top of that, right next to the tent was the straight-line demo area. So, as Owens was speaking, the other group was getting to see and hear the GT500 doing burnouts using the line lock feature. Beyond that, I could hear the cars roaring around the racetrack. So exciting. Although, my excitement was beginning to turn to worry. It was getting darker. The wind was picking up. Small drops of rain were starting to fall from the sky. No! Not yet! Please hold off for just two more hours. It did not. By the time our session under the tent was finished, it was a full-on rainstorm out there. And the temperature dropped to about 53 degrees.
Rain and cold are not friends of the Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires being worn by the 36 Carbon Fiber Track Pack equipped GT500 cars waiting for me on track. But maybe I will luck out and things will dry up a bit before my session is ready to start. In the meantime, it was time for me to head to the straight-line demo station. The rain did kill any chance of me seeing the line lock demo. That was cancelled and instead we were directed under a nearby tent to grab a helmet and get ready for some acceleration runs. Each of us would be a passenger for two straight line acceleration and braking tests. The wet surface of course impacted the ability to grip and pull off the line. However, I was still able to get a sense of the power this car provides.
Being launched in a 760 horsepower Mustang is a blast, and they sound fantastic. However, the road course is really what I wanted. But things were going from bad to worse out there. The track suddenly went quiet. I then noticed the wreckers being deployed. Ugh. Someone balled up one of the GT500s going under the bridge, heading into turn 7. No track experience is required to attend this event. The road course portion was a lead follow session, so no in-car instruction. Novice drivers, cold and wet weather, a street legal competition tire and 760 horsepower is not a great combination.
By the time my road course session was to begin, the track was actually drying. I have certainly driven in far worse conditions and thought we could still run. However, I think Ford was a bit spooked by the incident and did not want to risk anymore cars. They of course don’t want to risk the safety of any attendees either. Still there was no official word about our session. However, I saw the helmets being packed up, and then the corner workers come in from their stations, and I knew then that I would not get the chance to drive the GT500 on track as I had hoped. Damn. Still, I can’t blame anyone, it is just bad luck. If anyone from Ford is reading this and wants to send a GT500 my way for a track test, feel free to reach out.
Still, it was a nice way to spend a Friday afternoon and it sure beat working. Ford does a nice job with these events. There is no cost to attend, so getting your moneys worth is a no brainer, even without the track time. We were all given a goodie bag as a parting gift. A nice GT500 Track Tour cap, a replica GT500 supercharger cover, some Shelby stickers and other little items filled the bag. Everyone was extremely nice, and helpful. The access to the cars and the individual components is something you will never see unless you buy your own GT500 and take it apart. The product knowledge available at this event is unsurpassed. I learned a lot. I just wish I could tell you what it was like to drive the GT500 on the track.
Photos: Joe Kucinski
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