Amazing! A Camaro wins the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Road America
Amazing, after years of having the Continental series to themselves, with a non-production engine, Ford’s win streak is coming to a close. A Camaro has won the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge race at Road America.
And it’s about time, because racing is all about the best car, driver, and team winning. Not the sole manufacturer entrant, running an engine nobody can even buy on their own.
Full story here: http://www.grand-am.com/news/index.cfm?series=k&cid=43688
Congrats to the Chevrolet and BMW teams that have been pushing past the masses of Mustangs. It’s about time we had some real competition here.
Nissan Motorsports Announces 2011 Racer Support Program and 370Z Customer Purchase Race Car
More goods news from Nissan – who clearly understands that grassroots support contributes to their image and helps sell cars to enthusiasts. The contingency payments aren’t much, but they are a start and they will show the racers that Nissan is behind them.
It’ll be interesting to see how the 370Z performs in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge. The GS class includes the class-leading BMW M3s, Ford Boss 302 R Mustangs, a small number of Camaros, and the Porsche Cayman. Will the 370Z have the power and/or weight advantage to compete here? Or would it have been better classified in ST against cars such as the BMW 330i? One 370Z competed in the last event at Barber Motorsports Park on April 8-9, with some promising lap times until it’s engine failed: http://www.grand-am.com/assets/CTSCCRace%20Results%20Official2.pdf. We know the Z can do better than this, we’ve seen it compete very successfully in Japanese series – so it’s time for NISMO to fully focus on this effort and deliver the needed equipment and support.
Nissan Press Release follows:
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04.13.2011 , FRANKLIN, Tenn.
Nissan Motorsports Announces 2011 Racer Support Program and 370Z Customer Purchase Race Car
Nissan Motorsports today announced its 2011 Racer Support and Contingency Awards Program as well as a newly-available customer purchase 370Z race car prepared by Nismo in Japan.
The Racer Support Parts Program is once again available to any driver competing in a Nissan or Infiniti vehicle. In addition, drivers competing in a number of designated race series and events are eligible for contingency award payouts. Qualifying series or sanctioning bodies include Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Club Racing, World Challenge, Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge, NASA, Lucas Oil Off-Road Series, Traxxas TORC Series, and the Formula Drift Championship.
Drivers must register with Nissan Motorsports in advance for both the Racer Support and Contingency Awards programs and award claims must be submitted no later than 30 days after the event to receive the contingency payments – which range from $250 for a first place finish in Formula Drift, up to $2,000 for a SCCA National Championship in a Sentra, 350Z or 370Z. The top contingency awards in 2011 are $5,000 for a World Challenge or Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge Driver Championship.
Nissan grassroots racers are given a valuable assist through the Racer Support Parts Program, which provides special pricing on Nissan Motorsports Competition or OEM parts. This program requires display of official Nissan and NISMO (Nissan Motorsports International) logos on designated areas of the race car or truck during all competition events. Components purchased through this program are intended for the sole use of Nissan racers on their race vehicles. Copies of the 2011 Racer Support Program and Nissan Motorsports Catalog are available now and can be downloaded at www.nissan4parts.com.
The 370Z racer is built in Japan as a race car by Nismo with a full FIA roll cage, special engine tuning and select Nismo racing components and is eligible for both the World Challenge GTS class and Grand-Am Continental Tire Challenge GS class.
For more information on the 370Z race car or the Racer Support and Contingency Awards Programs, contact Nissan Motorsports at 888 833-3225 or nmc.race@nissan-usa.com.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan also sells competition and performance parts through Nissan Motorsports. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program 2010, whose key priorities are reducing CO2 emissions, cutting other emissions and increasing recycling. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.infinitiusa.com.
About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.
2012 Mustang Boss 302: video of Speed channel announcement
WOW – as previously reported, Speed channel inadvertently released details of the 2012 Boss 302 Mustang in last weekend’s coverage of the 2010 Continental Challenge race in New Jersey.
It certainly wasn’t Ford’s intent that these details be released – nothing has been officially released, not even the existence of a new Boss 302. The Boss 302 was hinted at by Ford in a recent presentation, but not announced. It could still disappear off the face of the Earth…
Here’s a video of the part of the coverage where the slip occured. The announcers are discussing various racecars as they go around the track and the subject of the Boss came up. Listen carefully – it’s very clear. You decide – but we don’t think this sounds like speculation. It does sound like the announcer has been briefed.
Now that we know some details, including the likely HP rating of 430 (probably 20 less than actual, as in the base Coyote). And that Multimatic will manufacture some parts – and that’s where it gets interesting. Unique parts for the Boss 302 include the intake manifold as shown below. Even given that this is a limited production run, does Multimatic have the facilities to manufacture this? And is it fair for them to do so when they are also a competitor in the series?
In any case, assuming all the slipped details are accurate, there isn’t anything to do but wait for the official announcement. Hopefully Ford will provide all the technical details we require, right down to exactly what parts make the new Boss unique. Note to Ford: enthusiasts want all the details, including high-res images of the unique parts and an engine dyno chart (use the great work you did when the 2000 Cobra-R was announced for an example and don’t forget the little details like bushing differences).
At a $30k price tag – assuming this is also true, we shouldn’t expect much outside engine and suspension changes. At that price, there certainly won’t be any leather or nav and it’s even possible that aircon could be an option. One thing we absolutely won’t get are the extra-wide fenders and body parts shown in the original GT-R concept (click on the link for a high-res image). Too bad, because that car was wearing 305s in back! Nor, unfortunately, will we see an IRS - which is exactly what would help the Boss better compete in the Continental Challenge against the very strong M3s and the up-and-coming Camaros. Ford has it easy in prior years with the only viable car in the class – it’s not so easy this year now with aggressive and modern competition.
The original Boss 302 was a stripped-down minimal-option car. This goes against the sales trend that has developed in 2010, where consumers are buying loaded cars. Look at the take-rate for the Mustang GT Brembo option – Ford has said they can’t keep up. Perhaps Ford will release the Boss with all the options available…? Which is just as well, because 99.9% of these cars will never make it onto a roadrace event, other than parade laps and similar posing. As to long-term collecting, assuming that a modern Mustang could indeed end up collectible, fully optioned cars and rare colors will be the preference. Take note of that when ordering and you might just have a great investment on your hands.
Stay tuned to DrivingEnthusiast.net for full detials if and when they emerge. You’ll note that we have blog categories – all with RSS feeds:
- DrivingEnthusiast Mustang blog: http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/?cat=848
- DrivingEnthusiast Mustang blog RSS feed: http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/?feed=rss2&cat=848
Breaking news: 2011 Mustang Boss 302 to launch in August?
—> UPDATE: be sure to see the actual video where the “announcement” was made: http://www.drivingenthusiast.net/sec-blog/?p=7497
Interesting claim 1/2 hour ago today by an announcer during the Speed television channel coverage of the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
According to him, Ford will launch the street version of the Boss 302r racecar in August this year, with 430 HP and “some” parts manufactured by Multimatic. ”Certain” things learned on the track will be on the car. And the price is $30,000.
Was this his own speculation, or is the secret out? That’s the big question!
430 HP seems plausible, given the all-new intake (below, in the race car). As we discussed in our earlier coverage of this intake, this is obviously a production piece and it has clearance for the strut tower brace built in. Note that this type of intake will refocus the engine more towards HP than torque… the torque rating of this engine may actually go down a bit. All speculation until we see the specs (no pun intended).
The Mustangs powered by the new “Coyote” 5 liter aren’t doing so well in Grand-Am racing… they’ve only been available to the race teams for a few months and undoubtedly they need more tuning time with them to get them up to “speed”. Nor is the Mustang itself doing so well – BMW and Chevy are finally fully present and accounted for and Ford is probably wishing for the good old days when they were the only competitor in their class.
But 30k, for one of the most famous Mustang nameplates of all time? That price is very hard to see, even if the car is absolutely stripped of air, stereo, power seats, etc. Then the market for it would fall – as we know, the market prefers loaded Mustangs. As an example, look at the sell rate of the Brembo package – even though almost none of it’s buyers need it, they do indeed want it and Ford is having problems keeping up.
If you haven’t seen a real Boss 302 before, here’s an authentic one from 1969 (minus the correct air cleaner and maybe a few misc details). The original Boss 302 Mustangs are ultra-collectible… but there is no guarantee that the new one will also be since it will be mass produced in far higher numbers. 99.9% of them will never see a roadrace track – so it will be interesting to see if Ford really focuses on the suspension rather than just street-cred.
See the Ford Mustang tag, and the Mustang category for everything we have to date on the Coyote, the 2011 Mustang, and the Boss302R. We’ll continue to follow this story very closely – and stay tuned for the big day on August 13th (if it’s still on)…!
Intake Manifold: Boss 302R
Courtesy of TheMustangNews.com comes this picture of the intake manifold used by Ford for it’s new Boss 302R race engine. The site reports the engine makes in the neighborhood of 450 horsepower – and if you’ve been watching the race series it certainly shows on track where passing has “not been a problem”.
Now compare and contrast to the R50 race engine, based on the Cammer 5 liter engine. This engine was created solely for the race series, and while it was supposedly available for purchase “by the rest of us”, the price was prohibitive. Controversially, the only reason the Mustang has been able to run in the race series at all is because Ford managed to get an exemption to the intent and rules of the series so that this non-production engine could be used. Then, and only then, has Ford been able to do very well in the series. Is this fair? Of course not, but money and publicity speaks.
The differences in design for breathing of the two engines are obvious here, with the 302R engine focusing on all-out top-end breathing and the R50 focusing more on mid-range with long cross-runners.
Speculation on a limited edition street model of the Boss 302R is rampant in the press, but there is certainly no guarantee that the race intake system could be used on the street car or that any power increase will be part of the product at all. Now look closely the first picture above - it is interesting that the 302R manifold has an indentation in the middle where the production strut tower brace would cross over. You’ll also note that the production fuel rails are used, the production sensors, and the production throttle body and intake tube and air cleaner. Hmmmm……
At a minimum it’s possible that the “Boss 302″ will be nothing more than a dressed up oroption-delete-down Mustang GT with the Track Pack parts and some tape stripes. In any case, dealer mark-up will certainly make obtaining one very difficult and most of them will end up as long-term collectibles anyway.
Follow the Grand-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge here: http://www.grand-am.com/schedule/index.cfm?series=k&cat_id=91 . The Speed network is broadcasting most of the series (amazing, since it clearly isn’t lowbrow NASCAR).
2011 Mustang: Boss 302R for Grand Am Continental Challenge
Failing to deliver a street Boss 302, Ford updates it’s Grand Am homologation product.
Good to see Ford finally going racing with the same engine as in the production car – MAYBE. Unlike the rest of the Grand Am competitors, Ford snuck a non-production engine thru the rules. Of course, there is still the question of which 5 liter engine will actually be delivered in this car: the old Modular race engine that had been snuck thru the rules, or the new Coyote engine. The press release doesn’t say and Ford doesn’t offer any pictures to tell us. Hmmm… something is wrong here…
Ford Press Release follows:
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FORD RACING UNVEILS THE NEXT GENERATION OF RACING MUSTANG IN THE NEW BOSS 302R
DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 28, 2009 – Forty years after its namesake became a road racing legend, the BOSS is back on track for 2010 with a new 5.0-liter V-8 engine.
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Parnelli Jones’ 1970 Trans-Am championship in a Mustang BOSS 302 prepared by Bud Moore Engineering, Ford Racing is introducing the BOSS 302R, a factory-built race car ready for track days and road racing in a number of Grand-Am, SCCA and NASA classes.
“To keep pace with consumer demand, the Ford team has built modern versions of the most iconic performance Mustangs over the years,” said Jamie Allison, director, Ford North America Motorsports. “From Shelbys to Bullitt, Mach and Cobra Jet, it is now time for BOSS to join the list of America’s most coveted Mustangs. The original BOSS 302 was a championship-winning legend and the new Mustang BOSS 302R will carry on the tradition. The Mustang was born to race from the start, and this new Mustang is bred to win.”
The Mustang BOSS 302R is a serialized off-road-only vehicle ready to race. Each base model will come with a 5.0-liter four-valve engine and a six-speed manual transmission with a roll cage, race seats, safety harness, data acquisition and race dampers/springs, and a Brembo brake and tire package, starting at an MSRP of $79,000.
And, with a special Grand-Am Homologation Package (M-FR500-BOSS R1), it will also be ready to compete in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge series (formerly known as KONI Challenge), starting with the season-opening race in Daytona on Jan. 29, 2010. As of today, five BOSS 302R race cars will be delivered to customers ready to race in Daytona. MSRP of the BOSS 302R1 is $129,000.
The Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge-ready Mustang BOSS 302R will feature a sealed high-output race engine with an upgraded cooling system, a close-ratio six-speed transmission with integral shifter, a seam-welded body, race suspension/KONI dampers and ABS brake tuning, race performance exhaust and a high-speed balance one-piece driveshaft.
The BOSS 302R follows in the very successful footsteps of its most recent road racing predecessor – the Mustang FR500C from Ford Racing. In 2005, when the Mustang FR500C debuted at Daytona, the first car was delivered on Wednesday of that week and won the KONI Challenge race on Friday.
In five years of competition since then, the Mustang FR500C has won three Triple Crown championships of driver, team and manufacturer’s titles in KONI competition including back-to-back (2008 and 2009). The FR500C has also seen success in FIA GT4 competition winning the 2007 and 2008 driver’s championships.
“We expect the BOSS 302R to continue the successful tradition of winning with factory-built production-based race cars from Ford Racing,” said Allison. “The FR500C and FR500S road racing Mustangs, and the Mustang FR500CJ (Cobra Jet) for drag racing have proven to be great cars for our customers, helping teams win races and championships. We believe that the BOSS 302R will provide that same sort of competitive product for our customers with the tradition you can only get from Ford Racing.”
Each Ford Racing factory-built production-based turnkey race car has won its competition debut.
“Racing has long served as a technical proving grounds for production engines,” said Allison. “What’s good enough for the streets is now good enough for the racetrack. The 5.0-liter block and architecture in the Mustang BOSS 302R is the same as the 2011 Mustang GT.”
“We have a great team on the BOSS 302R project,” said Andy Slankard, Ford Racing engineering supervisor and the lead engineer on the BOSS 302R project. “Between our partners at AutoAlliance International, where the Mustang is built, Team Mustang, Multimatic and the entire Ford Racing team, we have once again proven to be a leader in turnkey production-based race cars.”
Available through Ford dealers, a total of 50 BOSS 302R Mustangs will be built by Ford Racing. Delivery is anticipated in the third quarter of 2010.
For more information on Ford Racing Performance Parts, please visit http://www.fordracingparts.com/
Ford Introduces Ultimate Mustang – FR500C
Ford Introduces “Ultimate” Mustang. Ford introduced a $125,000 Mustang, to be available at selected dealerships. Before you start cashing in on that Google stock, be warned: It’s not street legal. The 2005 FR500C Mustang Grand Am,… [Jalopnik]
Ford 5 liter Cammer R50 intake manifold
Thanks to Multimatics hood issue (it flew off in the middle of the race), we get some detailed pics of the new intake for the Cammer. This is an intake much like that of the original SHO… offering both mid and high end advantages. Packaging of the fuel injectors is tight… note the fuel rail and electronics on top of the manifold.
Ford FRPP R50 race engine intake manifold
Thanks to fate for finally making available a picture of the intake on the new R50 race engine. Contrary to what the FRPP marketing folks woudl have you think, the Grand Am cars don’t use an out of the box FRPP 5 liter Cammer engine. Instead, the engine is modified with Ford GT heads, and this unique intake manifold. The manifold isn’t available from Ford (yet or ever?).
What is amazing is that the cars are so close to stock – even relying on stock rear brakes (with pads).
More technical details are needed. Such as what transmission is used… how it’s shifter is mounted.
