Lightning Lap 2024 - DH edges Mach 1 by .2 sec

[2021 Mach 1]

Supposedly, yes. I'm wondering if the 200 lbs difference is the cause of this heating issue. That's a big difference everything else being equal.

These guys are the first ones to push the Dark Horse to the limits at a track.

They tracked the Mach 1 for two hours, no issues.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36030144/2021-ford-mustang-mach-1-drive/

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[Dragster]

sound deadening. No really. The immediate impression when driving the car for 40 minutes was, damn this thing is quiet. I guess Ford thought they were going to entice Honda Accord drivers.

The S650 has a bunch of under body panels, but I can’t imagine they weigh all that much. It also has steel front fenders instead of aluminum like on the S550.

Car and Driver lists two different weights for the Dark Horse in the articles I found. It looks like manual to manual, the DH is 130 lbs heavier than the Mach 1. Both cars were handling pack cars. Still ridiculous that the car has gained that much weight.

 

[WCRookie99]

The S650 has a bunch of under body panels, but I can’t imagine they weigh all that much. It also has steel front fenders instead of aluminum like on the S550.

Car and Driver lists two different weights for the Dark Horse in the articles I found. It looks like manual to manual, the DH is 130 lbs heavier than the Mach 1. Both cars were handling pack cars. Still ridiculous that the car has gained that much weight.

Exactly, the M1 should be 130lbs lighter then the GT350, the DH should be 130lbs lighter then the M1, once to manageable weight, save 20lbs per year. Just not the proper mind set, going the wrong way.

 

[IPOGT]

Lucid Air Sapphire lap time 7 seconds faster at 2:44.3, with 170 mph on the front straight. Insane ! Maybe time for a Ford Performance tuned Mach E ?

Lucid’s are stupid fast.

 

[saleen367]

For those that want to hear some commentary from the driver, Car & Driver has a breakdown of the 4 cars that David Beard drove over the 3 days. You can find it here - David Beard's Lightning Lap commentary and you can skip ahead to the 9:47 minute mark to view the DH.

 

[s3ltz3r]

Exactly, the M1 should be 130lbs lighter then the GT350, the DH should be 130lbs lighter then the M1, once to manageable weight, save 20lbs per year. Just not the proper mind set, going the wrong way.

The difference is that the Mach 1 getting heavier compared to the GT350R is excusable. The M1 gained more tech, updated components (ie GT500 rear-sub frame, toe-links) and still outperforms the GT350R at the track by a respectable margin.

Th Dark Horse on the other hand gained 200 lbs of useless weight. It affected its performance, and the tech is much worse than the Mach 1 (useless screens, locked ECU).

I guess it makes sense why Ford tacked on a titanium shift knob.

 

[Galvez1978]

For those that want to hear some commentary from the driver, Car & Driver has a breakdown of the 4 cars that David Beard drove over the 3 days. You can find it here - David Beard's Lightning Lap commentary and you can skip ahead to the 9:47 minute mark to view the DH.

For me, definitively Mach1 HP it's better car than Dark Horse HP.

 

[BreadBurner]

The Dark Horse puts in a respectable performance. The auto trans is an advantage to the manual for a one lap max effort. The Mach 1 6 speed is using, at most, gears 2-5 for VIR (I tend to run gears 3-5), so only 4 gears, the auto trans 7th gear is same as Tremec 5th gear. The auto, based on the overall ratios looks like it's going to be running between 3rd and 7th gear, total 5 different gears per lap, plus much faster shift times. I think that alone might be sufficient for the time difference.

Other than weather factors others have pointed out, it also depends what time of day you run you laps at VIR. The asphalt is getting really old and is due for a repave. My experience and others is that the best runs, based on available traction, will be in the mid-to-late morning runs. In the afternoon, once the track heats up, the traction goes down. I've lost between 1.5 to almost 2 seconds between morning and afternoon runs on a moderate temp day (mid 60s, low 70sF). This the opposite experience of most all other tracks I run, as I'm just an amateur and generally get faster as the day goes on.

There's no denying the S550 and S650 platforms are really pretty good out of the box and for the price it's really hard to beat. I think the S650 is probably an incremental improvement over the previous generation, but both are very capable.

VIR? Virginia International Raceway?

 

[shogun32]

VIR? Virginia International Raceway?

Yes

 

[Hack]

The difference is that the Mach 1 getting heavier compared to the GT350R is excusable. The M1 gained more tech, updated components (ie GT500 rear-sub frame, toe-links) and still outperforms the GT350R at the track by a respectable margin.

Can you post a link to a professional review comparing times run the same day between the Mach 1 and GT350R? I'm assuming you have that based on your emphatic statement.

 

[MAGS1]

Ok a little off topic here but another new option from Ford. Gotta say, I’m intrigued what Grabber Blue looks like in a matte finish. There’s a DH in the post so I think it fits here

 

[UpACurb]

Can you post a link to a professional review comparing times run the same day between the Mach 1 and GT350R? I'm assuming you have that based on your emphatic statement.

Exclusive photo of his stock car "outperforming a GT350R by a respectable margin" at the track as he stated

 

[MAGS1]

Exclusive photo of his stock car "outperforming a GT350R by a respectable margin" at the track as he stated

Just spit water all over my phone

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