Ford Mustang 5.0 - Stepping Up

Every form of auto racing has a hierarchy, and the world of Mustang drag racing is no different. Pro 5.0 is the major league, of course, followed by Outlaw, Renegade, and several street classes.

To continue briefly with baseball metaphors, Chip Havemann of Shavano Park, Texas, has been a mainstay of the "Double-A" Renegade class since 1998. He won Fun Ford Weekend cham-pionships in 1998 and 1999, also sweeping all three NMRA races in 1999. This season, Chip has promoted himself from Renegade to "Triple-A" Outlaw.

"If I didn't do it this year, it never would happen," Chip says. "I had a horrible year in 2001 and melted four or five pistons. We could not find the cause. I decided to regroup and try again, but in a class that gets more media coverage."

Consequently, his Mustang's makeover for 2002 is extensive. Technical sophistication is up, e.t.'s are way down, and even the flames on the paint job glow a little brighter. Accompanying Chip's leap to Outlaw is his decision to switch from a supercharger back to a turbo system. He ran a turbo earlier in his racing career in the FFW Street 5.0 class, before he moved up to Renegade.

"Since then, I've wanted to return to my roots," Chip says. "I did not think turbos had an advantage. I just like them, and had access to Corky Bell's years of engineering experience to design our system.

"Plus," he says, only half-jokingly, "my neighbors were tired of hearing us put the car on the transbrake in the middle of the night with the supercharger. The turbo is so much quieter."

Chip is tight-lipped regarding the details of what makes his turbo system unique, but the custom hardware was designed by turbo guru Corky Bell at Bell Engineering in Spring Branch, Texas, outside of San Antonio. "Corky knows turbo systems like the back of his hand," Chip says. "His entire career has been devoted to designing and testing different systems, and he was able to give us the insight that I needed to have a competitive car."

Chip ran two different turbos during the course of the '02 season-a 91mm Precision unit in NMRA and WFC competition, and a 101mm Precision in FFW. Chip reports he has seen "in excess of 30 pounds" of boost from each of the turbos.

The intercooler was fabricated by Corky and Caleb Gonzalez, as were the headers and exhaust. The intercooler is mounted in the passenger-seat footwell, for convenience more than anything else, Chip says.

Running two different turbo sizes to comply with the rules of the various sanctioning bodies has been a large part of Chip's learning curve in Outlaw. Tire sizes vary as well. He runs 28x10.5-inch tires in WFC and NMRA events, and 31x10.5Ws for FFW and the Clash of the Titans, a regional series run in Texas.

"So far," Chip says, "the hardest part has been learning how to adjust the chassis for different track conditions and tire/turbo sizes. There are so many adjustments, and when you get the suspension set up correctly, just a few minor changes to two or three things make the biggest difference."

It hasn't hurt that Chip's father, Gerald, also works for Bell Engineering and had a hand in the car's creation. Gerald fabricated the radiator and cooling system, and he serves as Chip's crew chief.

Chip is off to a strong start, although as of this writing he has not yet won in Outlaw. He has competed in three FFW events; his best finish was a runner-up at Houston. He advanced three rounds at the World Ford Challenge, losing to eventual winner Dan Millen. And don't forget that win versus pal Mike Murillo in the NMRA Maple Grove finals. Chip's best e.t.'s so far include a 7.79 at 180 mph on the 31-inch tires and an 8.12 at 178 mph with the smaller tires and turbo. "Trust me," he says, "there's plenty left in the car, and we are taking it one step at a time. Keep in mind I'm still making laps in the car, trying to get seat time."