Justin's Moore's Mustang GT: Practicality Pays Dividends

In its earliest state, Justin had wrapped the Mustang in highlighter yellow.

Justin Moore figured this time around, he’d save himself a little misery. Exchange some sentimental attachment for peace of mind, keep your ass in the seat, and drive the wheels off it. What is it? “It’s a piece of expendable athletic equipment,” he declares. That’s the way he feels about his 2011 Mustang GT. Not quite the passion project his big STI was, this Ford has proven to him that there are other aims in motorsport outside of manifesting the vehicle he saw in his teenage dreams.

The Mustang wasn’t the first dependable track vehicle he bought. Prior to this, he’d been autocrossing a 987.1 Cayman S with a few minor tweaks. Though the two got along beautifully, the thought of an IMS failure or a big crash in the Porsche left him feeling a little tense. 

Rather than risk it, he sold the Porsche and consulted the knowledgeable Tony Rodriguez. “I wanted something that was fast, fairly cheap, fun, and fuss-free.” Basically, the costs had to be restricted to consumables for the platform to work. There were a few possibilities, but Tony and Justin agreed fairly quickly on the Mustang.

Most of the chassis modifications he’s chosen are second-hand, including the homemade splitter and the APR rear wing. 

Soon enough, there was a new car in his driveway. With Tony’s guidance, the put together a fairly lengthy list of modifications: big wheels and tires, a few aero pieces, and a set of pads. The S3 rules at the time limited the tire width, but he learned to drive around the resulting understeer and got on with getting regular seat time. 

Though the mechanical grip wasn’t really satisfactory, the combination of that and the aerodynamic download ended up ruining a motor. Oil starvation is never fun, but Justin didn’t sit with his head in his hands. Instead, he contacted Mark Luton and laid out a very basic plan for the replacement lump. 

For Phase 2, Justin shed the yellow wrap.

Justin calls it “Stock Engine-Plus,” but that doesn’t really paint much of a picture. MMR made sure that the motor could handle track abuse and lateral loading. Included in the parts list is an expanded oil pan, an Accusump, and all the ARP hardware to make the motor more resilient. Of course, a few bolt-on modifications and a tune by Ed Susman helped raise the power output to a respectable 480 horsepower at the rear wheels. It’s also held up to all the abuse Justin’s put it through in the past two years.

After the motor came back, the rules changed. Now the SpeedSF Challenge rules allowed wider tires and the option of slicks without a big points hit, so Justin moved on from his 285-width Nankang AR1s to a set of Hoosier A7s measuring 315, and the handling balance shifted dramatically. “I used to deal with the understeer, which made me angry. Now, it’s neutral, forgiving, and much faster. Wider tires were exactly what this car needed.”

Getting the handling balance right also required leaning the front tires in some—about 3.6 degrees of negative camber. There’s not much one can do to improve the solid rear axle in that respect, so he dropped the rear as much as he could without scraping. Along with a Watts Link and a soft enough setup has given him enough grip and predictability to get airborne and continue attacking.

This handling balance and reliability allowed Justin to grow along with the car. “It was never scary—and not just on the track. There wasn’t a need to ever worry about much, and so I could relax and focus on the driving side of things.”

That approach paid off. Currently, Justin’s leading the S3 Championship and hoping to secure the title. All he’s had to do is build a motor—not a meager expense, but still a simple fix. Well, there were the modifications he had to make to his air-oil separator, but that’d have to be classified as a minor annoyance rather than anything that could turn hair gray. The rest has been sweet and simple.

Times

• Thunderhill Cyclone: 1:57.465 (Speed SF record)

• Thunderhill Bypass: 1:56.494

• Thunderhill West: 1:20.610

• Buttonwillow 13CW: 1:54.516

• Laguna Seca: 1:36.938

Modifications

• ST Suspension coilovers

• Whiteline Watts link and front bar

• Forgestar wheels 18x12”

• Kooks long tube headers and x-pipe

• C and J intake

• custom air-oil separator

• custom hood vents

• Ford Performance crate motor with MMR-built bottom end.

• ARP hardware

• Ford Performance oil pump

• Accusump

• MMR baffled oil pan

• Ford Performance trans cooler

• 3.55 final drive and rear end fluid expansion reservoir

• lightweight radiator support subframe connector

• APR GTC300 rear wing

• Custom birch splitter

• Boss 302 lower front fascia for brake ducts

• Brembo Performance Package brakes

• DBA brake rotors

• Fidanza clutch assembly

• steel braided clutch lines

• Hawk DTC-60 brake pads

• Holley dual fuel pump upgrade

A Letter to Our Open-Top Drivers: Is a Rollbar Necessary?

If you’re a Miata driver like me, you’ve been through a bit researching rollbars. They’re a necessity that worsens the practicality of an already impractical car. However, they do make life much more enjoyable when it comes time to tracking.

Purposeful looking, potentially chassis stiffening, and, of course, safety adding. Considering how the list of essential trackday modifications for a lightweight car like a Miata is quite short, the additional $500 needed to help ensure an unscathed exit from the car is money well spent. Moreover, the relief which comes with knowing you’re decently shielded from an impact, you gain the confidence to go harder and experience the thrills your time and energy should be rewarded with. Isn’t the whole point to feel comfortable enough to push?

This Harddog M1 rollbar set me back a mere $350 and only took a couple hours to install.

Though the initial investment isn’t much, you’ll have to pay in other ways. Say goodbye to some space inside the cabin. Also, make sure there’s proper padding in place. The last thing you want to do is spend the time and money installing a rollbar and then clonk your head on it. Though the padding may seem unreasonably stiff to the touch, it’ll deform just the right amount when your head hits it at high velocity. 

For those of confused on the definition, let’s spell it out in perfect detail. A roll bar (defined here as a protection hoop with four mounting points) will help protect the occupants in the case of a roll over accident. Additional plusses include stiffening and a place to mount your seat, harnesses, camera, fire extinguisher, and whatever else you need in your cabin. It does come with some setbacks, however: a heavier car and reduced rear visibility being the main two. 

We adhere to the usual broomstick test. This test, usually verified by laying a broomstick on top of the the rollbar and the a-frame, is meant to determine if the highest point of the helmet is beneath this line between the two highest points on the car. Obviously, any helmet protruding above this line will not be sufficiently protected in a rollover.

Many open-top race cars come equipped for rollovers from factory.

Sadly, the seriousness of the build isn’t the determining factor when considering which rollbar to buy. Some cars, like the Miata, require one to be added to run most HPDEs. Some cars are equipped more adequately for track use from the factory, and require no such addition. However, a little extra safety isn’t a terrible idea when the speeds are consistently rising. The question remains: how hard do you feel like pushing?

When it comes time to start investigating the various safety options out there, it’s good to remember that there are some shysters happy sell you some scaffolding that wouldn’t support the weight of a golf cart in a rollover situation. We’ve listed a few proper rollbars which won’t crumble—and will give you enough confidence in your car to get after it.

Even if it’s not strictly required by the sanctioning body, some additional rollover protection for the open-top car isn’t a bad idea.

Acceptable roll bars include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Hard Dog units including the AC, D (center-braced model only), AB-M1 Hardcore, TB-M1 Hardcore Hardtop, 9B-M2 Hardcore, and NB-M2 Hardcore

• Auto Power Street Roll Bar, Street-Sport Roll Bar, and Race Roll Bar

• Blackbird Fabworx (Miata / MX5/ 2017 Fiat 124) SD (for NA and NB), RZ (for NC and ND), and GT3 (for NA, NB, NC, and ND)

Known Convertibles that will pass tech “as is” from the factory

• Targa top vehicles — OK

• Audi A4 / S4

• Audi TT Roadster (2009)

• Aston Martin DB9, DBS

• BMW 1 & 6 Series

• BMW Z3 (Optional pop-up bars)

• BMW Z4

• BMW E36 (Optional pop-up bars)

• BMW E46

• BMW E90

• Chevrolet Corvette C8

• Chrysler Crossfire

• Dodge Viper

• Ferrari 355

• Ferrari 360

• Honda S2000

• Honda Del Sol (top on or off okay)

• Infinity G37

• Jaguar XK8 / XKR

• Jaguar F-Type

• Lamborghini Murcielago / Gallardo

• 2002+ Lexus 430sc

• Miata NC & ND

• Mercedes SL (1990+)

• Mercedes CLK, SLK, E Class, C Class

• Mini Cooper 2009+

• Nissan 350Z / 370Z

• Porsche Boxster

• Porsche 991 / 996 / 997

• Saab 9-3 (2004+)

• Volvo C70

• VW Eos

• Some newer Beetles — years pending

Obviously, the list of acceptable convertibles is growing. If your vehicle is not on the list, you must provide factory documentation stating that your make and model have rollover protection. Factory-produced sales brochures and websites (a link may be sent), letters, or emails—which must be on letterhead or use the manufacturer’s domain—from an employee of the factory are accepted. The letter must state very specifically that the vehicle does indeed have rollover protection. If it was an option (e.g. pop-up roll bars), then you need to prove your car has these.  If your car isn’t listed, contact info@speedsf.com and let us know.

Though the chances of a rollover are slim, it’s important to prepare for the worst. But more than that, having the right safety equipment will help a driver make the most of their time on track and rest knowing that they’ll be fine in the event of an incident. That reassurance will help them push and gets nearer to the limits more of the time, and that’s what it’s all about.