I guess the speed limiter wasnt working that day

[WD Pro]

I'm careful about what I post whilst I am away from home / out of the country, but now I'm back in the UK its time for me to add some comments

There must have been some alignment with my stars and when I got the chance in a middle of a Florida family holiday / wedding (mine !) / honeymoon to hop in with Tom for a session at Daytona it simply had to be done

I went out on the first Saturday session when Tom ran in group 1 - What can I say, that car on that track is an absolute monster !

It's quite clear that Tom can fight his own corner so I'm not here to do that, but I will say that along with his ability to pedal a car very well, he's also on it with the details and the care and attention needed to play the game as safe as possible.

New fluids, brakes and tyres etc before the weekend. Visual checks, pressure checks and torque checks etc before the sessions. The car up in the air immediately following a session, IR gun across the tyres and CV's etc. After the second session the cars up in the air again, wheels are off, checked, cleaned up etc etc.

'Anal' is the best way I could describe Tom's approach to car prep - which I found reassuring as I was getting strapped in for my first ride ever in a 500 !

Having spent much of the day with him I can't find anything I can disagree with in what he has written, including the pesky Miata's working in swarms (blocking the faster cars etc).

If it helps with the discussions above, here are some example shots of the tyres I took during their Saturday PM inspection :

Quite honestly, I'm still in awe of how Ford turned the CFTP's out of the door and what they are capable of on a track in 'standard' trim ...

WD

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[Tomster]

Gotta play, gotta pay.

The grease that is in the joint has held up quite well. It is more common and much cheaper than the krytox grease. Just like my tires, I keep a sharp eye on the temps of my inner CVs, focusing on the passengers side inner because it is the usual one to fail. I mentioned a fellow driver blew his second passenger side inner CV again last weekend at Daytona. Both were stock. He had a rebuilt half shaft ready to go that used a higher temp grease. No further problems that weekend. Simply put, Ford probably does a cost point analysis to pack all the GT500 axles with expensive grease, or just replace the broken half shafts on a case by case basis. The good news about when these shafts are failing under these conditions, is that they remain contained in the CV housing. That effect of an 800 pound gorilla with a crowbar letting loose in your aft right wheel well doesn't seem to occur with this malfunction.

Simply put, if you are running thr 500 hard at Daytona, the halfshaft rebuild is a requirement.

An expert I consulted with did chime in and I was told you can't get any better grease than the krytox for this application. Gotta pay to play?

 

[Tomster]

I'm careful about what I post whilst I am away from home / out of the country, but now I'm back in the UK its time for me to add some comments

There must have been some alignment with my stars and when I got the chance in a middle of a Florida family holiday / wedding (mine !) / honeymoon to hop in with Tom for a session at Daytona it simply had to be done

I went out on the first Saturday session when Tom ran in group 1 - What can I say, that car on that track is an absolute monster !

It's quite clear that Tom can fight his own corner so I'm not here to do that, but I will say that along with his ability to pedal a car very well, he's also on it with the details and the care and attention needed to play the game as safe as possible.

New fluids, brakes and tyres etc before the weekend. Visual checks, pressure checks and torque checks etc before the sessions. The car up in the air immediately following a session, IR gun across the tyres and CV's etc. After the second session the cars up in the air again, wheels are off, checked, cleaned up etc etc.

'Anal' is the best way I could describe Tom's approach to car prep - which I found reassuring as I was getting strapped in for my first ride ever in a 500 !

Having spent much of the day with him I can't find anything I can disagree with in what he has written, including the pesky Miata's working in swarms (blocking the faster cars etc).

If it helps with the discussions above, here are some example shots of the tyres I took during their Saturday PM inspection :

Quite honestly, I'm still in awe of how Ford turned the CFTP's out of the door and what they are capable of on a track in 'standard' trim ...

WD

Thanks for the kind words Peter. I didn't want to spill the beans about you being there unless that is what you wished to disclose. Congrats on your marriage, I hope you are happy and had a great time.

The Daytona scene is a special event that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. Even if someone doesn't have the opportunity to get on the track, just being there to take in all the atmosphere and be immersed in an enthusiasts haven is special within itself.

I go every year and will continue to do so as long as I can keep doing this. You are always invited.

 

[16Kobra]

Thanks for the Video @Tomster

 

[Tomster]

Thanks for the Video @Tomster

You were missed this year.

 

[16Kobra]

Yea I know, I missed it too, but it was not in the cards to attend.

Planning to go next year

 

[Strokerswild]

I would loooove to ride shotgun on a lap, certainly envious of @WD Pro on this one....

 

[WD Pro]

Now I've done a little editing, some more pictures from the day :

In general, the blue garage was mostly populated by Shelby & Ford Performance kit :

For obvious reasons I have a bit of a soft spot for this one, loving the plate ...

Bit of a purple theme going on :

Carried though to the Wipple 3.8 :

I guess its running a bit of Boostane ...

Shelby SE :

Difficult to capture on film, but very obvious in the sunlight (zoom in) :

And slightly off the Ford topic but still worthy of a mention, the car that took my misses and our girls to our wedding :

As a period of time, I genuinely believe I've just had the best two weeks of my life

And boom, now I'm back in work ...

WD

 

[16Kobra]

Now I've done a little editing, some more pictures from the day :

In general, the blue garage was mostly populated by Shelby & Ford Performance kit :

For obvious reasons I have a bit of a soft spot for this one, loving the plate ...

Bit of a purple theme going on :

Carried though to the Wipple 3.8 :

I guess its running a bit of Boostane ...

Shelby SE :

Difficult to capture on film, but very obvious in the sunlight (zoom in) :

And slightly off the Ford topic but still worthy of a mention, the car that took my misses and our girls to our wedding :

As a period of time, I genuinely believe I've just had the best two weeks of my life

And boom, now I'm back in work ...

WD

Great pics, thanks for posting

 

[Epiphany]

Love the seat covers on the orange car. That was all I wanted was a simple, black leather cover for the Recaros. But noooo....

 

[Houston Kid]

Apparently with some mods and a Christmas tree on top, it can do 192 in 5th gear!!
I am indifferent to Hennessey. I met him in person a few times, very personable. Definitely see the salesman side of him. Like Carol Shelby light. A lot of stories floating around the car community in Houston that don't paint him in the most positive light. I would not take a car of mine to him for work, but that's just me.

 

[Epiphany]

Spencer, the gentleman driving, was my instructor for the FPRS GT500 Track Attack. Dude was awesome. Only 3 in our group, and that included him. He didn't limit us and it made for a great day.

 

[WD Pro]

Love the seat covers on the orange car. That was all I wanted was a simple, black leather cover for the Recaros. But noooo....

Yeah they were nice and eye catching

The hood along with the colour coded cage also grabbed attention and for me that likes some of the smaller details, I thought the Shelby hood pin plates were really cool and wondered if they could be paint filled to match …

WD

 

[Inthehighdesert]

He was mine as well. Super nice guy. If memory serves me he’s the one that drove the 350 out for Ford for the debut as well.

Spencer, the gentleman driving, was my instructor for the FPRS GT500 Track Attack. Dude was awesome. Only 3 in our group, and that included him. He didn't limit us and it made for a great day.

 

[WD Pro]

Forgot to add this one.

Tom exiting International Horseshoe pictured with one of the Dean Martin / KhoR Motorsports mustangs :

WD

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