I want to share with everyone the best weekend you could amagine. I went to the University of VARA at Buttonwillow, a 2 day racing school. Of course they don't allow trucks but my husband, being the great guy he is, whined & begged on my behalf, & I was in. Last month I went to the drags & it was so much fun but this was 2-8 hour days of solid excitement. There was a little classroom, then to the skidpad to learn the limits of our cars, the L hung on better & went faster than most all other cars, I was finally able to break it loose in water & by letting up on the gas & then punching it. We also tested our brakes, the L stopped shorter than any other car & did not skid even in the water. The next day I spun it on a dry pad by pushing it even harder. There was every kind of car you can imagine, BMW, Mustang, NSX, Corvettes, Boxster, 100 cars in all. We did auto-X which I did'nt like that much, But then there was the road-course, In the 2 days, I had about 4 hours on the track, the Lighting is incredable, it can hang with any of the other cars, it corners like no one could believe. On my last track time I had a corvette folowing me at 100mph into a sharp turn, I slammed on my brakes, slid into the corner, all completely under control, the vet was in the dirt. I could go on & on about what a great time I had but I'm sure you got the picture.



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Debbie
99 Red Lightning
13.80-100.16

 

WOW Debbie that is GREAT!!! I cant wait to take mine to a track to do some SCCA type stuff. Have to wait until I get a daily beater to do that though. Would have been great to see your "L" in action!

 

Debbie,

I am totally jealous. I wish we had a deal like that here in Houston (or Texas for that matter). I have been dying to get the Black Beast out on a road course and/or a tri-oval to see what she really can do. Drag racing is a blast, but top end speed or taking a trip through the twisties is a rush that cannot be duplicated!

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Chuck 'Wyldman' Shelton
wyldman@houston.rr.com
Black 99.5 Lightning Build # 1273, DOB 5-14-99, NLOC #315
Best run to date 12.857 @103.48
CD Changer; Tow Pkg.; Lojack; Sal's custom nitrous chip; G-Tech/Pro; SnugLid; BedRug; Invinca-Shield, full kit; NOS KIT 100 hp shot (currently); Clear and smoke Lexan fog light covers; 3M Ti Window Tint; Bel radar detector (shouldn't be an accessory); PowerStack cone filter (a.k.a. supercharger waker upper); American Auto Designs ram air hood; Cal-Tracs traction bars; Bassani headers;Goodrich T/A Drag Radials; Muth Signal Mirrors, inbound

 

Chuck, I'm sure you know about the SVT experience in Michigan next Aug. 10-13. Drag races, autocross, two road courses, and the Dearborn high speed test track, etc. All registered SVT owners to be invited by Ford. I know you are a little far from Michigan, but it sounds like a blast. Hope I have my L. by then, I think I'd like to go.

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I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

'92 Civic Si, Centerforce Dualfriction clutch, no front license plate.

'84 Alan Record Carbonio, Aerospoke wheels, Sugino AT crankset, Campy brakes (I think, hard to tell underneath the protective coat of grease and dirt).

'98 Honda "Harmony" 5.0 h.p. mulching mower, stock.

2000 silver SVT Lightning on order (the lawnmower will have to go).

alphadoggy@jetlink.net

 

alphadoggy tell us more about the meet in detroit in august.. probally a lot of interest..

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99.5 Lightning red
95.5 Lightning red
95 4x4 PowerStroke f=350 red
83 GT convt red
70 CJ428 Mach1
70 351c Twister Mach1
70 Cobra 429SCJ Twister
75 351 Bricklen

 

Please do, I hadn't heard this lil gem. All I heard about were the SVT OnTrack events that are to scattered about the country.

Lightning2strikes,

You've got 5 mondo cool Mustangs and two red Lightnings! Man, I thought I had it bad. I hope your oil wells are pumping.....

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Chuck 'Wyldman' Shelton
wyldman@houston.rr.com
Black 99.5 Lightning Build # 1273, DOB 5-14-99, NLOC #315
Best run to date 12.857 @103.48
CD Changer; Tow Pkg.; Lojack; Sal's custom nitrous chip; G-Tech/Pro; SnugLid; BedRug; Invinca-Shield, full kit; NOS KIT 100 hp shot (currently); Clear and smoke Lexan fog light covers; 3M Ti Window Tint; Bel radar detector (shouldn't be an accessory); PowerStack cone filter (a.k.a. supercharger waker upper); American Auto Designs ram air hood; Cal-Tracs traction bars; Bassani headers;Goodrich T/A Drag Radials; Muth Signal Mirrors, inbound


[This message has been edited by Wyldman (edited 02-08-2000).]

 

I read about it in v.2 iss.3 of theSVT Enthusiast magazine that I picked up at my dealer yesterday. Page 14 is devoted to this event that Ford calls SVT Experience 2000. I quote:

"SVT Experience 2000 is a four-day exclusive ownership experience for SVT owners in Dearborn, Michigan. Owners will have the opportunity to meet the people behind SVT and their favorite vehicles, as well as drive their vehicles as they were designed to be driven at a variety of venues throughout the four-day event.

Owners will have a chance to participate in the following activities:

Race their SVT vehicles at Milan Dragway.

Experience the handling course at Waterford Hills Race Course.

Drive on the Ford Dearborn Proving Grounds' high speed track.

Test their skills on an autocross course.

Maneuver (sic) around the Ford Dearborn Proving Grounds' ride and handling track.

Take part in an SVT owner's clinic.

Tour Ford's wind tunnel and crash test facility.

Visit local Ford Motor Company plants on a guided tour.

Compete in the Pit Crew Challenge."

and so on.

Event is scheduled for Aug. 10-13, 2000.
Invitations will be mailed to all SVT owners registered in the SVT database as on February.



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I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

'92 Civic Si, Centerforce Dualfriction clutch, no front license plate.

'84 Alan Record Carbonio, Aerospoke wheels, Sugino AT crankset, Campy brakes (I think, hard to tell underneath the protective coat of grease and dirt).

'98 Honda "Harmony" 5.0 h.p. mulching mower, stock.

2000 silver SVT Lightning on order (the lawnmower will have to go).

alphadoggy@jetlink.net

 

Sounds like one he** of a time!!! I think I'll be there, no matter what!

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$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
PFA
'99 WHITE LIGHTNIN'
#0873--1 of 866--
RHINO, Soft cover, LoJack, Valentine 1, Mobil 1
Superchip, Water Wetter, Phantom Boost Gauge
Best ET to date-13.54 @101.51MPH--10/29/99
Best MPH to date-102.33MPH @13.68
Best 1/8---8.70 @80.82MPH
NEWEST ADD.--16" SNOW TIRES
SuperChip out for now

'98 Red Lincoln Continental
1/8 mile--10.25 @69.64MPH
1/4 mile--15.82 @88.16MPH

 

Debbie, good to hear you are exploring your trunk's limits on a track. Two comments and a question. Usually these schools are not normally "racing" schools, but high-performance driving -- there is a difference. The fast way is the smooth way, so don't let all that adrenilin cause you to "slam on the brakes". Being an automatic, the L will respond well to left foot braking. Did you have a qualified instructor with you while on the track? I look forward to hearing more about your track experiences with the L.

Z

 

Can you post the phone # and name of the person that allowed you to take your Lightning into the school ? I would like to go to something like this, but only if I can take my truck.

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99 Black Lightning
Rhino liner
Superchip
Underbody coating
Yokohama RV-340 245/70-16

 

Debbie, several questions about your adventure.

1. Were you running the stock Goodyear F1 tires? Any mechanical modifications?

2. How would you rate yourself as a driver compared to the other participants? You can brag if you want.

3. What kind of reaction or comments did you get from the track staff and other participants?

 

The school I attended University of VARA(vintage auto racing association) is a 2 day course offered once a year to let beginners break into racing, & it only costs $175. We are now planning to buy a bug-eye sprite to race. The man that gave the OK for the L to join was Jeff Ireland 800-280-8272. My L is bone stock, I'm sure I took at least a year off my tires, but it was worth it(I can't stop smiling). Everyone was amazed at the way the "truck" performed. One person said it looked like a Ford commercial. As for my driving I had never been on a track before but had wanted to ever since I got the L, so I was amped! I had 7 practice sessions on the track, 3 with an instructor. During my last session the instructor with me said "you are a racer". I don't think anyone out for the first time would be better than me, but the Lightning made it easy, it is so confidence inspiring.

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Debbie
99 Red Lightning
13.80-100.16

 

Debbie, excellent posts!

It is great to read accounts about the Lightning performance other than just straight line acceleration.