Track Pack Shelby at VIR

This year Shelby and Ford seem to be pulling out all the stops for their GT500. Power is up just a bit to 550 HP but the real performance lies in the way they've cut about 120 pounds from the motor alone by switching to aluminum. For a little extra coin you can opt for the SVT Performance Package that delivers higher spring rates, lighter wheels, and a higher diff gear to make it track ready. Oh and the Goodyear Eagle F1 SuperCar G:2 tires probably don't hurt performance either. Watch the video below to see the awesomeness that is the new GT500.



The track pack brought the car's lap time from 3:07.4 to a respectable 2:58.5. If you watched the telemetry you should have seen lateral G's spike to an awesome 1.2 on the straights. The driving isn't too spectacular but it is a pretty quick time and the car is nipping at the heels of Chevrolet's ZR1 super Vette.

Getting up to speed

In December '09 I purchased a '94 Honda Civic CX with the hope of building it up to be an SCCA Solo car in the Street Touring or Street Modified class. The car was unmolested and well taken care of. After picking up a set of 15x6.5 Konig Heliums (11-12 lbs) and fitting them with 205/50 Falken RT-615 tires I went to my first autocross.


If you take a look at the picture you can see TONS of body roll. However the car felt great. It's very neutral the much wider than stock tires give it lots of grip.

So to fight the body roll a set of Koni Sport shocks and Ground Control sleeves were ordered and are currently being installed on the car. The next Solo event is in a week so hopefully I'll have enough time to get the car decently dialed in and the next picture should be of a car with a little more composure.