Providing some serious thunder...
Providing some serious thunder and making many others look like they are standing still was Robin Burnett in his Steeda-sponsored No. 21 race car. Robin races the 21 car in the NASA American Iron series and was the '08 champion in that class. To keep finishing on the podium, Robin relies on a Ford Racing Performance Parts Boss 302 engine and pretty much every suspension component from the Steeda catalog, which means you too can bolt AI-level handling onto your S197.
Robin Burnett's first racecar was a Ford Fiesta with over 109,000 miles on it. We'll wait while you Google "Ford Fiesta," but Robin won a local SCCA Improved Touring Car class at Waterford Hills Road Racing course. Waterford Hills is a tight, technical race course located in Clarkston, Michigan. Now that you are reminded of the Fiesta, you also see that the car is making a comeback stateside after a successful run over in Europe.
Memorial Day weekend is unofficially known as the beginning of summer. In Florida, that means the Blue Hairs have headed north, it's about to get bloody hot outside, and throw the umbrella in the car because here comes the rain. Since we drive our Mustangs all year, we don't use the arrival of spring or summer as an excuse to take our cars out of hibernation-they never go into hibernation (except for Editor Turner's GT500, which lives in hibernation).
Another weekend warrior representing...
Another weekend warrior representing Steeda at Sebring was Tom Ellis and his Steeda-prepped Q-series Mustang. Tom races in SCCA American Sedan and has multiple championships and First Place finishes to his credit. Both Tom and Robin Burnett were giving hot laps to people in attendance.
If anything, we don't make many trips to racetracks in the summer because of the heat. We actually don't mind traveling north to attend various NMRA and other regional events, which gives us a temporary break from the high temps.
One event that doesn't give us a break from the temperature, and that's not altogether a bad thing, is Camp Steeda. Held at Sebring International Raceway in central Florida, a cool sea breeze is miles away. If there is a breeze, it's a hot one. However, if the ferocious sound of fast cars doesn't make you forget about the heat, we don't know what will.
If that's not enough, the realization of driving your Mustang on Sebring's 3.5 miles of hallowed concrete should make the heat somewhat bearable for a few hours. To make that possible, Steeda Autosports (www.steeda.com) combined efforts with the SVT Owners Association (www.svtoa.com) and Track Guys Performance Driving (www.trackguys.com) to provide a weekend full of open track fun, camaraderie, and instruction. Check out the action.
Steeda Autosports had a pair...
Steeda Autosports had a pair of '10 Mustangs at Sebring. Though they hadn't yet received engine mods, the cars did feature Steeda graphics, wheels, and suspension mods. These cars are a precursor to the '10 Steeda Sport Edition and the forthcoming Q-series Steeda Mustangs.
This is the view at the wheel...
This is the view at the wheel of my '94 Cobra on a few parade laps during Saturday's festivities. The Mach 1 in the distance is Jeff Foster's, and even on parade laps, I couldn't keep up with him on corner exits. My stock Snake was no match for Jeff's Mach coming out of the corners. However, Jeff's Mach makes over 550 hp to the boots thanks to a transplanted Terminator drivetrain. Trying to keep up had me looking at the tach on several occasions to see what was wrong. The best thing was my son, Drew, was able to experience Sebring with me. He had a royal blast, and hopefully next year will bring a quicker car for his ride.
Steeda's own Dario Orlando...
Steeda's own Dario Orlando persuaded many in attendance that his company is the one they should count on for their performance fix. Dario gave many a hot lap behind the wheel of this Steeda Q-series Mustang. If the person didn't want to buy a Steeda car by Sebring's Turn Four, Dario would refuse to brake at the end of the track's mile-long back stretch. Just kidding. But every person we saw get out of the car truly had a smile as big as that back stretch.