Warhorse Racing’s Autocross Thread

Warhorse Racing

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I’ve posted a lot of autocross driving & tech tips, but I haven’t posted many run videos & results. I figured I would start sharing my results videos to help inspire more people to autocross their SN95 Mustangs and to create their own autocross threads.

I’ve been autocrossing my 2000 GT and 2004 V6 for years. I’ve won a few local championships, but I’m most proud of being an instructor. I get to introduce a lot of people to autocross, and I try to get as many Mustang drivers as possible to give autocross a try.

My results videos always include a breakdown of where I found speed and where I lost speed out on course. In addition to seeing a Mustang attack a cone course, I want people to see the process of analyzing an autocross run and making driving adjustments. And I also want to show people that, no matter how much experience you have, there’s always room for improvement.

These 4 videos are from the 2022 season. So far this year, I’ve struggled to fix driving mistakes out on course; I’ve had to use 245 tires instead of my usual 315-square setup; I’ve dealt with courses designed to confuse drivers; and I’ve shown that a 2004 V6 Mustang can be pretty fast on an autocross course!

I’m not a professional mechanic or a professional driver. My SN95s don’t have aftermarket K-members or coil-overs. If I can be competitive at local events, anyone can.

If you have any questions about autocross, please ask. I’m always happy to help.




 

sanyarcosean

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I just asked you a question last week on your 245 tire video! Thanks for thw quick reply and Great to see you here! Looking forward to your guidance as I work through my CAM Build!
 

tvsn95

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about a year ago I had ask your input on a basic handling problem i was experiencing.
I had an oversteer on turning and could not put my finger on it. It was a bit unnerving but controllable.
Here is what I FINALLY found.
The urethane bushings in my Lower control are were split. I replaced the entire set up with Max Motorsports heavy duty units. These have bearings in one end and urethane at the other. These FAILED in less than 100 miles, once again splitting the urethane.
After talking with MM they sold me another set that is ALL bearings and these appear to have fixed the problem. Car drives right and is predicable. I also installed A set of Wild Rides torque box reinforcements. I figured that If I were destroying the urethane bushings that I might also protect the torque boxes.
I send you this info so that you might help some other PSOB in the future. as you know taking apart the rear Suspension is no fun and fixing it the first time is ,,,well the best way.
Thanks for your old input and I hope to have given you some info that you / or somebody else can use.
Tony
 
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Warhorse Racing

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about a year ago I had ask your input on a basic handling problem i was experiencing.
I had an oversteer on turning and could not put my finger on it. It was a bit unnerving but controllable.
Here is what I FINALLY found.
The urethane bushings in my Lower control are were split. I replaced the entire set up with Max Motorsports heavy duty units. These have bearings in one end and urethane at the other. These FAILED in less than 100 miles, once again splitting the urethane.
After talking with MM they sold me another set that is ALL bearings and these appear to have fixed the problem. Car drives right and is predicable. I also installed A set of Wild Rides torque box reinforcements. I figured that If I were destroying the urethane bushings that I might also protect the torque boxes.
I send you this info so that you might help some other PSOB in the future. as you know taking apart the rear Suspension is no fun and fixing it the first time is ,,,well the best way.
Thanks for your old input and I hope to have given you some info that you / or somebody else can use.
Tony
Thank you for the update. I remember your question. I'm glad you were finally able to get the issue solved. It's really surprising to hear that your LCA bushings split (especially after only 100 miles). I've had poly bushings in the LCAs on my 1992 GT for over 20 years and they still look fine and perform well. Did you see anything in the LCA location that looked like it could be causing the issue?
 

tvsn95

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Thank you for the update. I remember your question. I'm glad you were finally able to get the issue solved. It's really surprising to hear that your LCA bushings split (especially after only 100 miles). I've had poly bushings in the LCAs on my 1992 GT for over 20 years and they still look fine and perform well. Did you see anything in the LCA location that looked like it could be causing the issue?
No as to location. I too had run LCA w/Poly for years and started having the turn in problem after much usage. In my efforts to resolve I found the split bushing on the left front.
Fast forward I replaced the LCA with MM heavy duty units. these have a bearing at one end and poly on the other. these split immediately. My thinking is that the reduction of shock absorbing ability was cut by 50%. And transferred the load to just 1 bushing and sped up the carnage.
I have MM extremes now and reinforced the torque boxes to save the car structure.
By the way MM has been great and are certainly making it right due to the fact that I bought what they recommended to me at the time. Their recommendation was that "since it's a street car the extremes would be to noisy and harsh". so far I can't complain.
 
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Warhorse Racing

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One of my favorite things about autocross is that the courses are always different. At this event, the course designer used the art of deception to try to slow drivers down. I had to "decode" the course design in order to find speed. Being able to analyze a course and determine where speed is hiding is key to improving your times.

This video shows my first & fastest runs, breaks down the deceptive elements and how to attack them correctly, and reveals how bad a run can be when you attack them incorrectly.

 
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Warhorse Racing

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The course for this event was SUPER-FAST, but there were a couple of “SPEED TRAPS” designed to punish drivers for going too fast in certain elements.

I was up against 6 competitors, and there was a close battle for the top spot in CAM-T.

This video shows the benefits of linking fast elements together to find speed & the importance of adjusting my attack strategy to avoid getting caught in the speed traps.

 
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Warhorse Racing

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Autocrossing these cars is an absolute blast. The courses can be confusing at first. But, after a few events, it gets much easier to find your way through the cones. Most clubs will have instructors on hand to help people.
 
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Warhorse Racing

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The final event of the 2022 Autocross Season got pushed into early December. Finding speed on a frigid course was a challenge.

I was up against 8 other drivers in CAM-T and my main competitor was using tires that perform better than mine in cold weather.

This video shows several of my runs, my attack strategy for the course, and what it took to get faster on tires that didn’t want to stay stuck to the surface.

 

white95

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The final event of the 2022 Autocross Season got pushed into early December. Finding speed on a frigid course was a challenge.

I was up against 8 other drivers in CAM-T and my main competitor was using tires that perform better than mine in cold weather.

This video shows several of my runs, my attack strategy for the course, and what it took to get faster on tires that didn’t want to stay stuck to the surface.


This video is especially helpful because I’m facing this exact scenario tomorrow.
 
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Warhorse Racing

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Your course walk is going to be key tomorrow. Find all the hidden straightaways & identify areas where you can attack when you get heat in your tires. Then, fine tune that attack strategy on your first few runs as you build heat in the tires. The car will feel very different on your last run; you want to be ready to capitalize on whatever grip you have. Don't worry about anyone else's time.
 

white95

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Your course walk is going to be key tomorrow. Find all the hidden straightaways & identify areas where you can attack when you get heat in your tires. Then, fine tune that attack strategy on your first few runs as you build heat in the tires. The car will feel very different on your last run; you want to be ready to capitalize on whatever grip you have. Don't worry about anyone else's time.

I’m going to pay attention on piecing elements together and trying to stay close to the cones. It’s me versus Duke in his well sorted, big power 65 C10 and Erik with his IRS equipped 97 Cobra. Both veteran drivers and I look forward to the challenge.

F4D3C9B6-147A-4CDC-882D-3570CF08C751.jpeg48AE90D7-7A93-4981-AFB3-708884AD568A.jpeg
 
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Warhorse Racing

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It's all going to come down to fundamentals and patience. I'm excited to see your run videos!
 
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Warhorse Racing

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At this event, my 2004 IRS-swapped V6 was up against 4 fast V8s and 2 slow pivot cones.

Pivot cones can be cruel, especially if a car doesn’t have a lot of torque. Luckily, this course also featured several blazing fast sections.

This video shows my first & fastest runs, provides tips for making pivot cones less painful & reveals how my little V6 compared to cars with more power!

 
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At this event, my 2004 V6 was up against 7 other cars in CAM-T and Mother Nature. Autocrossing in the rain is always a challenge. My tires are terrible in wet weather, so I had to adjust my attack strategy.

This video provides 5 tips for autocrossing in wet weather & shows how I found speed on a soaked, slippery surface!

 

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