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New Canadian series promises international quality competition

January 20, 2021 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

Motorsport, like just about every business/activity/hobby/sport/whatever, has been in a bit of a state of flux since March 2020, as the world figures out how to deal with the challenges presented by operating during a global pandemic.

That doesn’t mean that those behind the scenes are just hanging out on the couch swilling PBR and downing Doritos like the government wants us to do.

There are those who are so passionate about the health of motorsport that they are, in between snacks, are laying the foundation for the future of racing. Chris Bye from FEL Enterprises is one of those guys.

Bye’s business FEL is known for hosting top flight events for auto manufacturers, but his passion is racing. So much so that he spends an inordinate amount of time working with up and coming drivers, who have their eye on a career as Canada’s next international superstar.

We are arguably in a modern golden age of motorsport, when a significant number of auto manufacturers are building true turn-key race cars. Cars that the aspirational racing team can buy and go racing without doing anything beyond choosing their own suspension settings. Perhaps even more exciting is that those aspirational teams have the opportunity to prove their mettle against actual factory run racing teams.

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Ford GT Gets Even Lighter, Faster

March 1, 2017 by Scott Huntington Leave a Comment

Editor’s note: We’d like to welcome Scott Huntington to The Garage Blog! This is his first story, so we’ll ignore the fact that he did not mention that the Ford GT is built from the ground up, here in Canada, not in America as most people think!

We know it’s been getting to you. The lack of sleep, constant nail-biting and pacing can end now because there’s an answer to the question, “Will my Ford GT be fast enough?”

Really, how fast does it need to be? The answer, of course, is “faster than everything my friends drive,” and therein lies the problem. If you’re someone special enough to make it on Ford’s double-secret Ford GT future owners list that’s written in a basement somewhere and can only be viewed under blacklight, chances are your friends can hang.

Ford Adds Lightness

So now, for those who’ve got to outshine the guy who just picked up a new McLaren or Porsche RS, there’s the Ford GT Competition Series. We know because it showed up the other day on Ford’s car configurator.

Ford even claim the car is the nearest thing you can buy to the 2016 Le Mans-winning GT race car that channeled the Dearborn company’s racing heritage direct from the late 1960s. It uses the Colin Chapman approach: Anything not critical to driving must go.

Cutting Carbs and Adding Carbon

That means your stereo, cup holders and air conditioning don’t stand a chance, but the crash diet doesn’t stop there. The bulkhead behind the driver has in fact been narrowed, and all glass in the car has been replaced by lightweight alternatives — Gorilla Glass in the front and Perspex for the engine cover, which no longer opens automatically because lightness.

One of the greatest things about lightweight cars is they typically rock an absurd amount of everyone’s favorite lightweight woven Wonderbread, carbon fiber. For the GT, which already uses a carbon body, that means even the wheels are made of the stuff, and they get special titanium lug nuts. Even the exhaust is made of carbon.

Slim and Stylish

We’re guessing road noise from inside this new GT flavor is increased, but you will certainly look cool in it. The car’s trademark stripe is done in exposed carbon, and the tasteful lightweight goodies don’t end outside.

The dash and doors are made of exposed carbon, and the Comp. Series cars get unique instrument bezels. Shift paddles are done in anodized red, which is the color of choice for all the interior bits that aren’t carbon or black.

Ford will build only 250 Competition Series cars per year, as if the GT wasn’t already exclusive enough. Keep a close eye on that configurator — when they’re gone, they’re gone.

 

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CMHF Grand Opening

June 11, 2006 by Gary Grant Leave a Comment

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Yesterday was the Grand opening of the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame at it’s new home at Legendary Motorcar. Of course a drive across Southern Ontario on a Saturday afternoon wouldn’t be complete without some excitement on the road. Cruising along at about 130 kmh (about 80 mph) we were making good time, when we spotted a low slung red thing with a HUGE wing. Could it be a Ferrari F40? No way, it must be a kit car, nobody would drive one of these things on the 401. As we got closer, we could see that it indeed was a real F40. Traffic slowed for a while, so we got a good look & got to revel in the popping & banging from the pipes every time he lifted off the throttle. Then the traffic opened up & the sport bike beside him took off. The guy in the red beast wasn’t about to be outdone. at this point, we were doing about 150 kmh when he launched the car in pursuit of the bike. He left us like we were tied to a tree. On every shift, flames shot out of the tailpipes. Unfortunately, the camera was in the back of the wagon. Very cool Ferrari spotting. Would we classify this as street racing?

The CMHF is dedicated to preserving the history of all types of racing in Canada, including cars, bikes and even boats. We have a rich history of racing and some of the top racers the world has seen have been born in this country. Inside the Hall these days, [Read more…]

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