It's time to welcome you to the eighth annual Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge! This year's event will once again take place at Gateway International Raceway park in St. Louis on May 12-15, 2005. And, for the eighth straight year, we are expecting a record-setting number of Ford race cars, Ford show cars, Ford manufacturers, and, of course, Ford-loving fans. We want to thank you for making this year's event a part of your racing season. Let's take a closer look at just some of the activities you can look forward to seeing and participating in.
Through the hard work of my family and the staff at World Race Events, we have been able to provide the Ford racing community with the one annual race that is a "must do" for anyone serious about Ford Performance. For 2005, we will be offering our fans more than 750 drag race participants, 800 car show entries, and more than 50,000 fans jamming the state-of-the-art St. Louis facility. As has been stated many times before, the Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge has become the standard by which all other Ford shows are judged.
I want to assure you that we have worked tirelessly to make sure that your Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge will be a special and unique experience for each and every fan that attends. The most important part of making this happen is that beautiful, spacious, and professional setting that is Gateway International Raceway. This professional venue is necessary to hold the amazing sights and sounds that envelop the annual crowds of thousands of Ford fans who make up the Mobil 1 World Ford Challenge. As for performance, it is now common knowledge that this racing surface serves up record-setting performances in every class, year after year, at each World Ford Challenge.
On May 12-15, 2005, you will watch as hundreds of the top Ford racers from around the world battle it out for the richest guaranteed cash purse in the history of Ford drag racing. This brings out the top Ford teams and rewards the winners with big purses. Besides that, it turns up the pressure, forcing the round-by-round racing action to be hot. This gives the World Ford Challenge fans the most competitive races they will see only once a year - at World Ford Challenge 8!
Pro Mod 5.0 is the top draw at WFC8, and this year we'll pay $35,000* to the winner of this class with dozens of the fastest Mustangs in the world battling it out in the six-second zone at more than 225 mph! Doug Mangrum, Les Baer, Billy Glidden, Randy Eakins, Donnie Walsh, Jr., and Chuck Samuels have won past Pro Mod 5.0 championships. Who will join them in 2005 as the undisputed king of the Mustangs?
Continuing our tradition as innovators in the Ford industry, we will be offering you the most creative lineup of classes in Ford drag racing-classes such as Wild Street, Hot Street, Real Street, Pro Lightning, the Ford Diesel Challenge, Cobra Eliminator. In all, we will be offering our WFC8 participants nine heads-up classes, seven open-comp eliminator classes, and three bracket classes. The WFC technical director has masterfully adjusted our rules so that with minimal modification, racers from all Ford sanctioning bodies can compete at WFC8. This means that you will see match-ups of your favorite Ford teams that will occur only once this year, at WFC8!
As you look down the dragstrip, you will notice that the massive Auto Show Spectacular (with more than 70 classes of competition) is positioned to the left. This allows both the WFC8 drag race and car show to go on simultaneously so no one misses a single round of action! Also, one of the biggest draws of our event is the monstrous manufacturer's midway. This part of the WFC8 will allow you to interact with more than 200 manufacturers' representatives to make sure you find that go-fast part for your Ford. We have also expanded the WFC souvenir merchandise area, so please take the time to pick up your Official WFC8 T-shirt to remind you of this special event.