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Ford Fun Weekend Drag Race - Sunshine State ShowdownThe Fun Ford faithful kicked off 2006 in grand style. From the July, 2006 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords By Steve Baur Photography by Jeff Crick
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 Charlie Booze Jr. of Marion,...  Charlie Booze Jr. of Marion, Pennsylvania, came out flying in the normally aspirated CFE Racing Products Street Bandit class. He took the number-one qualifying spot with an 8.60 over last year's champ Matt Jones, who posted an 8.61. The pungent aroma of tire smoke and the sweet smell of burnt race fuel lures us to racetracks all over the nation, and as is customary, the Muscle Mustangs staff blew the dust off its cameras and descended upon Orlando Speed World for the first Fun Ford Weekend of the year. This race is also where we hold the MM&FF/Pro50.com Spring Break Shootout, of which you can read elsewhere in this issue. Let's just say that eight-second elapsed times were barely enough to win. For nearly two decades, we have been covering a plethora of Ford events, and it is at these gatherings that Mustang and Ford enthusiasts are able to take their street and/or race-equipped vehicles and compete against others who share the same interests. Enter the race if you like, and go heads-up or bracket racing in a number of different classes. For those who would rather watch the racing than participate, most all of these events have car shows, where one can win trophies and other prizes simply by shining up their ride and parking it. The Orlando race was preceded by a wild kick-off party at the Hooters of Waterford Lakes. Ever since MM&FF moved the party there, the gathering of Ford fanatics has grown crazier each year. Burnouts, beer, and, uh, well, you know where we were going with that one. In addition to the wild Mustangs, Lightnings, and assorted other vehicles that assisted in the "repaving" of the Hooters parking lot, we were also graced with not one but two Ford GTs that both exercised their supercharged 5.4's attitude. Come Saturday morning, there was an excitement in the air as everybody was looking to forget about winter and bite down on some sticky asphalt en route to some torque-twisting, engine-screaming, gear-banging fun.  Steve Angel's hot convertible...  Steve Angel's hot convertible used a turbocharged 281ci combination to qualify Fourth in Renegade, but trouble in the second round found him riding the guardrail in the wrong lane at the top end of the track. "When the car shifted into Third, it pulled the steering shaft apart, so I had no steering," Angel says. Despite the rather vicious-looking ride, he was unhurt, while the damage to the drop-top from banging the opposite guardrail was limited to sheetmetal.   Chuck Samuel, the '05 Pro...  Chuck Samuel, the '05 Pro champ, stole the number-one qualifying spot from John Gullett with a 6.50 to Gullett's 6.51 effort. As Bells, Texas, resident Doug Mangrum could not make lane call due to an injured engine, Samuel got a bye run in the first and second rounds. In the final, he was quick on the Tree with an 0.027 light, and quick to the stripe as well with a 6.49 run at 224 mph. The race was over at the start, though, as Gullett went 0.074 red on the Tree.  While his new car nears completion,...  While his new car nears completion, John Gullett dusted off his '01 twin-turbocharged Mustang and nearly set low qualifier. He beat David Schorr in the first round of Probe Industries Pro and Robert Patrick in Round 2, but even more impressive was his final-round run. Though he left early and redlit, Gullett sped to a 6.45 elapsed time at 221mph.  With his visits to the 6-second...  With his visits to the 6-second zone now a regular occurrence, it was no surprise to see Woodstock, Georgia's Tim Lynch qualify number one with a 6.92 at a suspicious 220 mph. Tim's twin-turbo, Steve Petty-powered Cobra took a bye run in the first round, and took out Dennis Lugo and Randy Leavy for the victory.  Robert Patrick entered his...  Robert Patrick entered his IHRA Pro Stock, 815ci, mountain motor SVT Cobra Mustang, and qualified in a strong third position with a 6.54 at 215 mph. After skating past the '97 twin-turbo Probe of Dan Saitz, Patrick fell to Gullett's turbocharged Mustang in Round 2.  Cooper City, Florida's Randy...  Cooper City, Florida's Randy Leavy was hot on the heels of Tim Lynch, qualifying Second with a 7.19 in ProCharger Street Outlaw. In Round 1 action, Leavy's 406ci, turbocharged Stang made quick work of Terris Hicks and then sailed past Cale Aronson who had to lift when his car got out of the groove in Round 2. Problems in the final against Lynch prevented a full assault and handed Lynch the win, who was on his game anyway with a 0.025 light and a 7.01 e.t.  Having almost written off...  Having almost written off the weekend, North Lauderdale, Florida's, Ronnie Wilson stuck it out for the win in Precision Turbo Street Renegade. After a bye in the first round, Wilson's Nitrous Pro-Flow '00 Mustang escaped a collision with Steve Angel in Round 2 and narrowly defeated James Black in a nail-biting 8.04 to 8.15 final.  Cale Aronson's naturally aspirated,...  Cale Aronson's naturally aspirated, Jon Kaase-built 698 is hammering out low elapsed times far more consistently than last year when Aronson was sorting out new-car bugs. The '05 Mustang qualified Third with a 7.29 and was set to go to the final when it made a hard move to the left in the second round against Randy Leavy. Aronson let out of the throttle to straighten it out, and Leavy sailed past.  The ProCharger-blown '04 Cobra...  The ProCharger-blown '04 Cobra of Dan Schoneck qualified in the top spot with an 8.01 run. Unfortunately, he fell in the first round to Newborn, Georgia's Tommy Smith, after his aftercooler imploded.  Dennis Lugo's trick, teal...  Dennis Lugo's trick, teal coupe qualified Fifth behind James Keen, but it had the power to jump up a few spots if it could put it to the ground. Built largely at Excessive Engineering in Apopka, Florida, the former Pro 5.0 notchback was updated to 25.2 specs, and uses twin 88mm Innovative turbos pressurizing a 388ci, Yates-headed mill.  Saturday morning found the...  Saturday morning found the '05 Street Renegade champ swapping engines. Ronnie Wilson had predicted 7.70-7.90 elapsed times with his new powerplant until it annihilated some valves. Drag Radial champ Adam Louramore offered up the motor he used last year, and Wilson used it to produce several event winning 8.0s.  Noted Pro racer Joe DaSilva...  Noted Pro racer Joe DaSilva trekked from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, not with his 6-second Pro car, but with his 16-year-old son Matthew, who is breaking into heads-up racing in the Street Renegade ranks. Papa Joe dusted off his '86 vintage Pro 5.0 coupe and dropped in a supercharged 306. Matthew qualified Eighth with an 11.20 at 132mph. "Once he gets used to this combination and driving the car, we've got faster engines waiting for him," Joe says.  BFGoodrich Drag Radial has...  BFGoodrich Drag Radial has seemingly been dominated by black Mustangs from the likes of "Big Daddy" Dwayne Gutridge, Adam Louramore, and now Hale Camerman, who took the Orlando win with his '02 Mustang GT. The Davie, Florida, resident put the car on the pole with a stunning 7.87 elapsed time, and went 7.86 at 183 mph on his first-round bye. Built by AC Car Craft in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Mustang sports a Job Spetter Jr.-tuned 360 with a 106mm turbo (88mm reducer), Victor Jr. heads, and a Powerglide transmission.  Fun Ford '05 Drag Radial champ...  Fun Ford '05 Drag Radial champ Adam Louramore often put his flamed GT up on its wheelie bars, forcing him to pedal it on several occasions. This photo is about 100 feet out, after getting out and then back in the throttle, and lifting the front end again. Louramore eased pass Josh Klugger in Round 1 and faced a tough Manny Alvarez in Round 2. Alvarez went red for the second time in a row (he was the lesser of two red lights in the first round) with his modular-powered ride, giving Louramore the bye into the final where the race went down to the stripe. Louramore was a hair quicker on the tree, but fell with an 8.59 to Camerman's 8.50.  Noted Drag Radial competitor...  Noted Drag Radial competitor Christina Eldert had her LaMotta Performance coupe qualified in the seventh position on Saturday, but it was Josh Klugger of Ocala, Florida, at the wheel as the expecting Eldert nurtured the fledgling D/R racer while his own ride is finished up. Klugger fought some transbrake issues early in the competition and sorted it out prior to the first round. But a loss of boost at the Tree sealed Klugger's fate as '05 D/R champ Adam Louramore took the win.  The '05 CFE Racing Products...  The '05 CFE Racing Products Street Bandit champ, Matt Jones, found some stiff competition from the bright-red Booze Brothers Mustang. The Austin, Texas, resident drove his '03 GT to the number-two spot in qualifying, and a no show from Robert Blankenship in Round 1 gave him two bye runs to the final where Booze was waiting. Booze broke the transmission about 60 feet out, while Jones was hammer-down to the finish line and the class victory.  Kevin Toothman wowed the crowds...  Kevin Toothman wowed the crowds all weekend with wicked wheelstands from his Visual Effected '93 hatchback. He wheeled past the '83 Mustang of Bob Hanlon, but fell to Charlie Booze Jr. in Round 2 in an 8.77 to 8.87 contest.  Elverson, Pennsylvania's Bob...  Elverson, Pennsylvania's Bob Hanlon put in his bid for the CFE Racing Street Bandit prize. Sporting the smallest motor in the group at 360 ci (everyone else touts 400 ci or larger), Hanlon put up a good fight against Toothman in the first round, but fell with an 8.91 to Toothman's 8.80.  Last year's Borla Street Warrior...  Last year's Borla Street Warrior champ, Darrell Peterson, qualified number one with a scorching 9.29 at 141 mph. He credited several off-season changes, including a new EFI setup and cam tweaks for the improved performance, while the new Steeda Hardcore suspension parts netted consistent 1.29-1.30 60-foot times. Making all this happen over the winter were the Thunder Autosports crew, Steeda, Brian Tooley, and Peterson's wife, Jessica. Sporting a new Southern Paint and Graphics paint job, his Stang edged out John Scaro's 9.44 effort with a 9.39 run in the final for the win.  Woodstock, Georgia's John...  Woodstock, Georgia's John Scaro picked up the pace for 2006, posting a 9.50 in qualifying to take the number-two spot. Scaro sailed past Trai Sorrow in Round 1, but it was much closer in Round 2 where Robert Mollet of Port St. Lucie, Florida, cut down the Tree, but found himself about half a car length short of Scaro at the stripe.  Tony Gonyon and the HP Performance...  Tony Gonyon and the HP Performance team were firmly embedded in the Spring Break shootout class with Tony's big-block-powered, nitrous-sniffing notchback. He also brought out this Ford GT belonging to one of his customers, Joe Cermine. With a custom computer tune, a 2.7 blower pulley, an FRPP exhaust, and a "little" shot of juice, the GT put down 723 hp to the wheels and impressed the crowd with mid-10-second elapsed times. That was until someone complained about the nearly $200,000 car not having the required safety gear.  Robert Mollet of Port St....  Robert Mollet of Port St. Lucie, Florida, took a huge leap forward in Street Warrior, qualifying Third with a healthy 9.57 at nearly 140 mph. Mollet got a bye in Round 1 when Joel Lehr's distributor pin loosened and lodged itself in the oil pump, and he put in a valiant effort in Round 2 with an advantage at the start against John Scaro. At the stripe, Scaro edged Mollet out with a 9.52 to his 9.61 effort.  Mike Bowen of Modular Powerhouse...  Mike Bowen of Modular Powerhouse was the number-one qualifier in the new Ultra Stang class, posting a 10.68 at 129 mph. The '05 Mustang sports MP's new single intercooled turbo system and still runs the stock clutch, transmission, and rearend.  S.D. Wheeler from Crosby,...  S.D. Wheeler from Crosby, Texas, borrowed this V-6 Mustang from a co-worker to run in the brand-new Ford Racing Ultra Stang class. While the white six-banger qualified only 15th, it sacked the 17-car field to take home the top trophy.  Charlie McCulloch of Kinnesaw,...  Charlie McCulloch of Kinnesaw, Georgia, drove the wheels off his ATI-supercharged '98 Cobra and won the newly formed Sean Hyland Motorsport Mod Comp class in Orlando. The class combined last year's Open Comp and Mod Motor classes, thereby making room in the program for the Ultra Stang category.  Shane Williams went out in...  Shane Williams went out in the second round of Mod Comp, but he faired far better in Fast Ford where he doubled up as winner on both days.  Micah Monteleone picked up...  Micah Monteleone picked up the JDM Engineering Tough Truck win by taking out Paul Gamino in the final. Micah continues to swap in 4.0-liter V-6 engines to power the extended cab, and lightening efforts have gotten the rig down to 3,400 pounds and elapsed times in the low-14s. On the spray, it has gone high-12s.  While this '93 Mustang used...  While this '93 Mustang used to see quite a bit of street duty, it's mostly a track burner these days. Pompano Beach, Florida's Jeff Page has the Canfield-headed, SysteMAX-inducted 306 dialed in for easy 12.50s. With a 175 hit of juice, the Mustang goes 10.80s. Page drove to the Superchips Street Stang win, leaving Darrell Lucas and Mark Anderson in his wake. Brett Veneman doubled up in Quick Ford with his 347-powered Mustang, and Ed Pine drove his '90 Bronco II to a win in Street Ford on Sunday and a runner-up in the same class on Saturday.  As if having a full-time job...  As if having a full-time job wasn't enough, Chris Parisi of Jacksonville, Florida, ran five classes in Orlando. Having crew chief Brandon Hedges readying each vehicle during rounds most definitely helped. Chris placed Third in Tough Truck, runnered-up in Quick Ford, and won the Four-Six Frenzy with his daily driver Ford Focus.  The UPR Products car show...  The UPR Products car show had a bevy of high-quality rides this year and packed the grounds full.  This pair of Marauders was...  This pair of Marauders was pretty hot, as both were packing Trilogy Motorsports superchargers under their super-wide bonnets.  There were so many cool cars...  There were so many cool cars in Orlando that we didn't have time to shoot them all, but we're sure you'll see a few featured herein MM&FF.
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