When you walk out into the...
When you walk out into the MMP garage and see a Boss 302 emblazoned with your name, it makes you feel pretty great. Not as great as it feels to rip around the racetrack in that Boss 302, however.
After sneaking through the esses of Agony and Ecstasy, it’s time to squeeze on the power. The note of the quad exhaust swells from a growl to a buzzsaw as the RoadRunner sows its oats in Third gear. A tap on the brakes at the First Attitude and then the speed builds to triple digits before it’s time to throw out the anchor at the Tooele turn and get back on the power.
Power is plentiful and the grip is surprising for a street car, but what’s even more impressive than romping around Miller Motorsports Park in a ’12 Boss 302 is doing so for free.
That’s right. If you bought a Boss 302, this one’s on Ford. Welcome to the Boss Track attack.
“This is the first program of its kind from Ford. We’re so proud of the new Boss 302 that we wanted to offer owners the opportunity to stretch their legs—and carve corners—on one of the coolest tracks in America,” said Mickey Matus, marketing manager for Ford Racing. “The Boss 302 is a legendary nameplate, and our latest version is such a tremendous fun-to-drive car that we wanted to ensure this exclusive group of owners learn all they could about it, and experience its capabilities in the fun, controlled environment that Miller Motorsports Park can provide.”
That’s the kind of hype you might expect to find in the press release announcing the school. However, in this case, we’d have to say it’s a bit of an understatement. The Track Attack is the kind of opportunity that no Boss owner should turn down, and if you happen to be friends with a Boss owner, you can pay a little and go along for the ride.
For your author, the time to accept the invitation to attend this school was shorter than the time it takes to shift into Second. I don’t own a Boss, but I’ve logged significant seat time in a number of Bosses since first experiencing them at Laguna Seca. I know they were born to boogie on the track.
Of course, that’s the real draw of the Track Attack. Getting some track time with instruction. If you like driving on the road course, you can never get enough track time. That’s because driving rust will build up faster than it will on bare steel at the beach. When you own a Boss, it’s important to hone your skills to make the most of it.
Next to getting this experience as part of your car purchase, the coolest part of this school is honing those skills in a car just like yours. When you sign up, you provide the details on your car. From there, Miller will try to assign you a car as similar as possible to the one you own. You own a Laguna? They’ll put you in a Laguna. You have a Yellow Blaze Boss? You might just get to tear it up in a yellow one.
Of course, that makes the experience cooler, but the idea that you get to drive a car like yours on the track without the worry of any wear or tear is amazing. The latter makes the experience more relaxing, and the former opens up your mind about the true capabilities of the car.
Clearly my classmates had a good idea of what the car was all about. Some were lifelong Mustangers. Others had lots of experience in Euro or Pacific Rim hotness. All were drawn to Utah to expand their capabilities and learn a bit about their Bosses along the way.
Though many in your scribe’s class had on-track experience, there were a handful of rookies, and the program is crafted to succinctly bring up the level of its students in an action-packed day.
The instructors at MMP really...
The instructors at MMP really bring the Track Attack students along briskly with their open and relaxed teaching style. Here instructor James Burke covers some basic driving dynamics concepts before the class hits the track.
A stock RoadRunner 302 is...
A stock RoadRunner 302 is what’s under the hood, and it’s completely up to the task of track-day duty. In fact, it’s elastic powerband allowed for taking the entire track in Third gear. There were a couple spots that allowed for Fourth if you were up to it, but the car’s ample torque and 7,000-rpm redline give it the range to handle the East Course in one gear.
Before putting the pedal to...
Before putting the pedal to the metal, the instructors refreshed us on heel-toe braking. Even if you’ve done it before, a little practice in a new car is handy.
The optional Recaros get you...
The optional Recaros get you off to a solid start for tracking a Boss, but MMP adds a cage and Safecraft harness belts to its school Bosses for increased safety. Otherwise the interior is stock as a rock.
This MMP Ford Taurus became...
This MMP Ford Taurus became a skid car thanks to the addition of four hydraulically controlled extra wheels, which the instructor controls to increase or decrease traction. Attempting to navigate a short autocross course that felt like a ice rink was a great lesson in car control.
This is the complete MMP road...
This is the complete MMP road course. It is typically run in four configurations: the full 4.6-mile course, the 3.06-mile outer course, the 2.2-mile West Track, and the 2.2-mile East Track. The East Track is host to the Boss Track Attack, and it is the more technical of the two smaller courses. This keeps speeds down a bit and helps you work on your skills. If you stay for Day Two in the FR500s, you move to the faster West Track.