Why hold JetFest at a tire...
Why hold JetFest at a tire distributor? Because Tire Rack's impressive headquarters facility not only has sufficient parking area to easily accommodate all participants and exhibitors, but it also boasts its own on-property road course justified by its weekday use as a test-bed for the company's huge array of tires and rims. Saturday saw it festooned with orange cones that laid out a challenging autocross course, testing the limits of Foci and their drivers. The objective? Post the single fastest lap time without killing any cones. Besides, Tire Rack's colossal 530,000-square-foot (or 12-acre, if you prefer) office/warehouse/installation building made for an interesting place to ogle like a tourist or simply escape the heat.
Focus Fact: If you couldn't make the event, you may be able to watch the movie. That's right-BlckXenonZx3 (screen name) was there filming a documentary on JetFest '05, and he's considering selling a DVD. Track him down on Focaljet.com for the latest on the video.
It was the largest gathering of Foci we've seen so far, at least short of the vehicle-storage areas at Ford's Wayne, Michigan, or Hermosillo, Mexico, assembly plants. We're talking about JetFest '05-the Focus love-in staged last summer at Tire Rack's unique facilities in South Bend, Indiana, and orchestrated by Focaljet.com's Ron Myers. More than just a car show, JetFest provided the opportunity for Focus fanatics to not only show off their rides and check out others', but also take on the stopwatch in a little friendly autocross rally-type competition if they so desired. Not counting vendors' exhibition vehicles, more than 200 Focus hatchbacks, sedans, and wagons (along with the odd Mazda 3, and even a 4.6-powered '65 Mustang) registered for the two-day party on a warm and sunny final weekend in July.
A surprising number of participants arrived with their cars festooned with some form of SCCA decals and filled to the gunwales with spare wheels/tires, brake components, and jacking equipment. So it seems the Focus is developing a healthy road-course/autocross following. And why not? The C170 is such a great platform to start with, and it can be honed for just about any conceivable track duty by an ever-expanding aftermarket. Speaking of the aftermarket, though the number of parts vendors on site wasn't huge, major players such as Ford Racing, PowerWorks, and F2 Focus Performance were present and had plenty of temptations on display worthy of anyone's Focus wish list.
But perhaps the best aspect of JetFest was the opportunity to simply hang out with like-minded Focus fanatics for a weekend. Demographically, we didn't know quite what to expect, but we were pleasantly surprised to find that Ford's smallest enthusiast car (at least on this side of the big pond) apparently appeals to a broad swath of humanity from all age groups. And it seemed like a pretty happy swath, as this was one of the best-natured car gatherings we've ever had the pleasure of attending. On Friday and Saturday nights, large and small clusters of cruising Foci greeted one another all over South Bend with a flurry of headlight flashing and hand waving. With fanatics like these, the Focus should have an enthusiastic future.
What we really needed here...
What we really needed here was a stepladder or a bucket truck to get the angle necessary to show upward of 200 Foci and their fanatics lined up flank to flank in the Indiana sunshine. Though hatchbacks dominated, sedans and wagons were also well represented-meaning that with all those body styles and the cornucopia of aftermarket hardware we enjoy, no two were exactly alike.
Ford Racing brought its traveling...
Ford Racing brought its traveling show of cars and parts, and all manner of staff were on hand, ostensibly to talk about all that FRPP hardware and answer questions, but also to grab some track time in Ford Racing's flotilla of project vehicles, including the wicked RS8.
Part of Ford Racing's display...
Part of Ford Racing's display was a cool rally simulator, "driven" from the cockpit of this WRC-style ZX3, complete with force-feedback steering and thundering in-car surround sound, and convincing right down to the incessant racket of spraying gravel. And, no-that's not a guy in there, it's none other than Autumn from Toyo Tires. But then, you knew that, didn't you?
In the midst of the hardware...
In the midst of the hardware under the FRPP tent, Autumn, the Toyo Tires girl, wondered if she "looked too much like a guy" wearing her Ford Racing ball cap. Uh, no, Autumn, we don't think that was an issue.
With protuberant rubber, this...
With protuberant rubber, this '00 ZX3 may look like a barrio low-rider, but it's really a successful SCCA SOLO II Street Modified racer owned by Ford engineer Ryan "Schnack" Schnackenberg, and is co-driven with Jason Polk. Though these rims are 16-inchers, for short courses the preferred package consists of 225/45x13 Hoosiers on 8-inch-wide rims. Weighing 2,245 pounds, this is a serious race car, since it has to be to compete in a class having liberal engine, suspension, and transmission modification rules, and where BMW M3s make up the bulk of the competition.
The PowerWorks crew came armed...
The PowerWorks crew came armed with no fewer than eight blown vehicles in their armada, along with Zetec (SVT) and prototype Duratec systems on display engines. This corner of JetFest was always well attended, particularly so on Sunday when PowerWorks started offering testdrives of its blown Zetecs, SVTs, and Duratecs.