Mustang Unleashed Experience - your opinion?

[RLE55]

For track day events I always opt for Haggerty's track day insurance,

Some other Track Day Insurance Companies, OnTrack Insurance, Lockton Motorsports Insurance, they're all good, but vary in costs.
For those wanting more Track Experience and fun, check out MVP Track Time. Have used them a few times when getting ready for NASA Nationals....more drive, more experience, more win..............

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[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

I’m in Charlotte right now for my event tomorrow (dinner tonight). Been making a fun racing trip out of it. Did the NASCAR HoF yesterday and spent about half the day doing their iRacing sims running Daytona (pulled the 2nd fastest time of the day), then today I hit RFK racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and 2311, then went up and turned some laps at Trackhouse Motorsports complex Go Karting (fast!!!).

should have a ton of great pics and video to share when I get home this weekend.

 

[rkmustang]

I’m in Charlotte right now for my event tomorrow (dinner tonight). Been making a fun racing trip out of it. Did the NASCAR HoF yesterday and spent about half the day doing their iRacing sims running Daytona (pulled the 2nd fastest time of the day), then today I hit RFK racing, Joe Gibbs Racing, and 2311, then went up and turned some laps at Trackhouse Motorsports complex Go Karting (fast!!!).

should have a ton of great pics and video to share when I get home this weekend.

Mustang Owners Museum just up the road from the CMS as well. Its Ok, some cool Mustangs and memorabilia.

 

[krisk]

Just got back from Vacation, part of which was the Mustang Unleashed program (8/18-8/19). It was awesome! The FPRS cars, instructors, and program were great. We got to experience things in their cars that I would likely not do with mine (unless necessary) - Balloon car braking, Lane change/ABS (in GTs). The autocross was a cool "run it hard" exercise (although in ECOboosts, still fun). Then the Road Course - Hairpin lead/follow sessions on Charlotte MS were super cool (in DHs). We didn't go as fast as I had hoped, but that was OK. Everything is in duplicate so Primary Driver and guest can split everything or Primary does everything 2x. My wife got to drive everything that I did and she loved it as well. Great all around experience. I would recommend that if you can make it, its worth the trip, even if you had to fly in. Thanks for the Experience FMC and FPRS! #fordperformanceracingschool #FoMoCo

ps. Will post a few pics and maybe a video once I get them uploaded to the laptop.

Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well. I had a blast there a couple weeks back.

It’s interesting they had you use the GT for Lane Change/ABS and the Ecoboost for Autocross. When I did the drag strip experience we used the Ecoboost for lane change and drifting, then the GT for autocross. I wonder why the switch?

 

[BrianJ77]

Glad to hear you enjoyed it as well. I had a blast there a couple weeks back.

It’s interesting they had you use the GT for Lane Change/ABS and the Ecoboost for Autocross. When I did the drag strip experience we used the Ecoboost for lane change and drifting, then the GT for autocross. I wonder why the switch?

How much time did you get for drifting?

 

[krisk]

How much time did you get for drifting?

If I remember correctly it was four sessions running in a small oval with cones on each end. Probably 2-3 minutes per session.

 

[BrianJ77]

If I remember correctly it was four sessions running in a small oval with cones on each end. Probably 2-3 minutes per session.

Not near enough time, but any time I can get sliding someone else's car I'll take. I'm going in October. Very excited.

 

[rkmustang]

A few pics from the 1037 that their professional photographer took. Lane Change/ABS drill, Suited and ready to race, Coming thru the CMS tunnel, Preview and race laps.

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Writing this several hours after completing the event. I'm utterly beat between the activities and the heat today (well over 90F). I'm about to crash hard in bed...

But wow the event was AWESOME!!! I had such a good time. The autocross (in ecoboosts) was so much fun this morning and I was getting progressively faster each run. If they had used my final time I would have taken the trophy, but they used our 4th run which wasn’t as fast for me. By the last run I had the throttle burried in sections and had the tires chirping in nearly every corner. It was a challenge to anticipate the Turbo lag and not have it kick in at a bad time.

They then have you do an emergency lane change+ stop drill and I killed that no problem in the GTs.

They have you then do a thing where you accelerate to 30 mph straight at the “inflatable car” and take your feet off and let the cars auto baking feature kick in. That was seriously nerve racking for me because I’m an autonomy engineer and know WAYYYY too much about how that shit works and how it can fail. 3 tries of that and I had enough of it.

The big track in the afternoon was fantastic. They divide the group into 2 (one group rests while other is on track and then you switch) we ran the hairpin configuration. They then subdivide you further into groups of 3 behind a pro driving a leader car giving you info over the radio the whole way. I was in the fastest group and in our final session we ended up lapping 2 of the 3 other groups (would have caught the last one if we had 1 more lap).

What really stood out to me was: 1) when you really start getting on it after coming out of the infield into NASCAR 1 and feeling the G's push you down into the seat and the front end get heavy as the G's push the nose into the track. 2) When you make the uphill right hander in the infield, and then hit the dip for the tight left hander - the car gets lite and then suddenly heavy when bottoming out and you use the extra grip to start the turn in. You never feel any of this in iRacing, even with the 3 axis motion rig I have at home.

Now, could I have gone faster in that last session? Probably… with 2 other cars in your group you have to stay together and stay in line (they do a swap like bicyclists do nearly every lap so your position in the group of 3 changes out). That swapping does limit how fast you get up to because they have to wait for the former leader who drops to the back to catch back up. I think I saw 115 on the speedo going into the HARD braking in the back straight before the hairpin in our last run.

Finally, you get to do a ride along lap with one of the instructors. Let me tell you, I thought I was going a pretty good clip... Nope, we were leaving GOBS of performance on the table and if showed after riding with the pro. He was on it from the word Go and was so deep into the corners before braking that I was seriously wondering a few time if he planned to even touch them! When he did, you were thrown forward in the harness HARD. I saw 135 on the speedo that lap.

Basically, I had a great time and if you have never done a track day., or you want to learn how to get more out of your car and see what it is really capable of it’s totally worth it!

I can’t wait to go through the video from their camera and my GoPro, not to mention all the stills from their photographer.

If you do it, either do it solo or bring somebody who doesn’t want to drive (you both get a chance to), that way you get 2x as much driving time. (Hence why I got 8 autocross runs but they only counted the 4th since that was the last of the first batch through ).

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Here’s a few videos from mine. I have a lot more but need to wait til I get home to edit and post…

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

Ok posted all of my videos here.

 

[RLE55]

IMO and experience, being able to drive your own car in events like this is sooo much more rewarding. You are learning your car, it's limits and capabilities. Just not the same with someone else's car.

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

IMO and experience, being able to drive your own car in events like this is sooo much more rewarding. You are learning your car, it's limits and capabilities. Just not the same with someone else's car.

And see im Of the opposite mentality - my car is my baby, I don’t WANT to push her to the limit and potentially break her. Better to learn the limits on their car and let them deal with the increased wear and tear. It’s the same car unless you’ve made major modifications.

And honestly there’s no way you are getting out on the big track without a roll cage installed and the other required safety equipment. For the autocross and other exercises, you aren’t going fast enough to really see any differences in their car vs yours.

 

[RLE55]

- my car is my baby, I don’t WANT to push her to the limit and potentially break her.

And honestly there’s no way you are getting out on the big track without a roll cage installed and the other required safety equipment. For the autocross and other exercises, you aren’t going fast enough to really see any differences in their car vs yours.

#1. Then you'll never know the full potential and limits of YOUR car.
#2. Look into Clubs and Associations that offer HPDE. YOUR personal car does not need to be race car equipped. Street cars, lightly upgraded (brake fluid, brake pads) out on road courses learning what their car can do and not do. Programs are very safe and for the 6 years I was in HPDE with NASA (National Autosport Association) I never hurt or broke my car.

 

[DontHitMeSafetyYellow]

#1. Then you'll never know the full potential and limits of YOUR car.
#2. Look into Clubs and Associations that offer HPDE. YOUR personal car does not need to be race car equipped. Street cars, lightly upgraded (brake fluid, brake pads) out on road courses learning what their car can do and not do. Programs are very safe and for the 6 years I was in HPDE with NASA (National Autosport Association) I never hurt or broke my car.

True, but we're talking about THIS event, not some OTHER event...

Be my guest! Go join one of those orgs that do autocross or do track days or whatever... THIS ISN'T that event.

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