Ford’s SEMA 2015 booth honored its sports car racing history

Written and photographed by Kevin Triplett

Ford Motor Company’s massive display at the 2015 SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) show in Las Vegas paid tribute to the company’s remarkable history in sports car endurance racing and introduced visitors to Ford’s latest racing car. The 2016 Ford GT sports car will mark Ford’s return to the LeMans 24-hour race on the fiftieth anniversary of Ford’s landmark 1-2-3 finish in the world’s toughest sports car race.

This yellow Ford GT harkened back to the livery of the 1967 Ford GT40 Mark IV powered by a 530 horsepower 427 cubic inch Ford V8 engine that was driven fourth place at LeMans in 1967 by racing legends Mark Donohue and Bruce McLaren. The Ford GT powered by twin turbocharged 213-cubic inch Ford Ecoboost V6 engine designed to produce 600 horsepower in race trim.  

The Galpin Auto Sports concept Ford F-150 pickup truck brought back memories of the 1968 and 1969 LeMans 24-hour races the JWA Gulf GT40 Mark I chassis number 1075. The truck features the correct powder blue paint with marigold trim and a dark blue separation stripe just as with the original. 

The 20-inch ADV wheels shod with 37-inch Cooper tires look similar to the GT40’s cast alloy wheels.  Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the tailgate of the Galpin truck even features the Gulf “lucky horseshoes,” featured in the nineteen sixties marketing program for Gulf ‘No-Nox’ Gasoline, which claimed that “Gulf No-Nox puts extra kick in horsepower.”  

The star of the Ford booth was the 2016 Ford GT #66 race car, parked on a rotating turntable in front of a huge video screen. The Ford GT will compete in two sports car racing series in 2016 in programs fielded by Ford Chip Ganassi Racing.  

Nationally there will be two entries in the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship GT LeMans class with drivers Ryan Briscoe, Joey Hand, Richard Westbrook and Dirk Muller.  Ford will compete against teams racing Chevrolet Corvettes, BMW M6s, and Ferrari 488s beginning with the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona January 30 2106.

Internationally, the Ford GT will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship with two entries in the LM GTE ( LeMans Grand Touring Endurance) class with 11 stops which includes LeMans on June 18/19, and a visit to the Americas with a pair of scheduled six-hour races, at Mexico City on September 3 and at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas for September 17 2016.

  

A new US racing series for 2016! 

On  November 12 the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Pro Racing division announced the 2106 dates for the inaugural FIA-certified F4 United States Championship Powered by Honda. The world-wide Formula 4 championship was created in 2014 as a single-make category by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). F4 series races were held in 2015 in Australia, Italy, Japan, Britain, Europe, China, and Mexico.

 photo by the author 

The F4 United States Championship will make its debut at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut on May 27 & 28 together with the Pirelli World Challenge GT and GTS events. The next stop on the schedule will at the New Jersey Motorsports Park together with the SCCA Pro Racing Trans-Am Series scheduled for June 10-12. 

The series then takes an extended break before racing on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 13-14 on a weekend highlighted by the SCCA Tran-Am NASCAR (national Association of Stock Car Racing) XFINITY Series. 

The SCCA says that mid-season breaks were built into the schedule to allow each team a chance to reset before making their push to end of the season. Teams can examine data from earlier races to optimize both car and driver for a chance to capture the inaugural series championship.

A month later, the F4 race weekend will be at Road Atlanta, September 17-18 shared with HSR’s (Historic Sports Car Racing) fall vintage weekend , before the season concludes at the   Homestead-Miami Speedway paired again with the SCCA Trans-Am Series on October 9-10.

Drivers get three hours of track time every race weekend, including two free practice sessions, one qualifying session and three races. Starting grids and point scoring are in accordance with global F4 series standards. Each race win pays $1,000, and the top points earner for the weekend wins $1,000.

An example of the new entry-level, cost-contained open wheel cars was on display at the Honda display at SEMA 2015 in Las Vegas Nevada.  According to the SCCA, the US series has generated significant interest since its September 2015 launch as the chassis manufacturer Crawford Composites, based in North Carolina run by new Zealand native Max Crawford) North Carolina has sent 92 purchase agreements to race teams, drivers, and driving schools.

photo by the author 

The American-built Crawford carbon-composite chassis will cost $45,000 each and will include a fixed aero package paddle shifters, data acquisition, and a camera. The cars will each be powered by Honda K20 C1 2.0-liter engine sourced from a European 2016 Honda Civic Type R. The Honda engine displaces two liters or 122 cubic inches, used double overhead camshafts and direct fuel injection. Each race engine will produce 158 horsepower, and will carry a one-year lease price of $6,600. 

photo by the author

Pirelli P Zero racing radial tires complete the package, which will be priced at approximately $250 apiece, with a maximum allotment of six tires (three front, three rear) per race weekend. The plan is for Crawford Composites to begin delivery of completed race cars to customers in January 2016.

Details and updates are available at http://www.f4uschampionship.com/

Information for this article was provided by Honda Performance Development and the SCCA. 

Consumers can see SEMA show cars up close at 2015 SEMA Ignited.

Information provided by Della Domingo, SEMA Public Relations Director

The SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) Show in Las Vegas is “trade only,” but in 2015, auto enthusiasts can now visit the SEMA Ignited website to purchase tickets to attend SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA Show "after party" that connects the general public with industry leaders, celebrities and award-winning custom vehicles.

The Friday-night festival will take place immediately after the SEMA Show closes on November 6 at 3:00 PM and run until 10:00 PM. As the SEMA show vehicles exit the Las Vegas Convention Center, they will parade across the street and congregate in what is known as the 'Gold Lot.' 

The customized rides will be displayed in either the hot-rod, truck, sport-compact or general village area for consumers to get up close with vehicles that feature new and innovative products from the coveted trade-only SEMA Show. The night will include vehicle demonstrations, automotive celebrities and plenty of entertainment.

Entrance into the event is free for credentialed SEMA Show attendees, but consumers can purchase tickets at 50% off the regular fee of $20 until July 6, 2015. Students and military members are free but must still register for tickets. Children ages 12 and under are free with a paid general admission ticket.

Additional details about the event are available at www.semaignited.com

2015 inductees for the SEMA Hall of Fame

Information provided by Della Domingo, SEMA Public Relations Director

Joel Ayres, Jim Bingham and Dennis Gage will be inducted into the SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association)  Hall of Fame. The new members will be recognized as part of the festivities during the SEMA Installation Gala, Friday, July 24, 2015, at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. They represent an accomplished group of professionals who have shaped and inspired the $33-billion automotive specialty-equipment market.

Joel Ayres is honored for his involvement with the truck industry and the role he played in merging the Truck Cap Industry Association (now known as the Light Truck & Accessory Alliance [LTAA]), and he helped found SEMA Cares nearly 10 years ago. The nonprofit group unites the SEMA industry’s fundraising efforts and provides businesses with an easy way to give to those in need. Through activities, such as vehicle builds that are auctioned off to raise money and pinewood races where underprivileged and chronically ill kids join in the fun, SEMA Cares has raised more than $1 million to support a variety of charities.

Jim Bingham began his career in 1968 at Lang Auto Parts. As a farm boy just breaking into business, Bingham was the youngest counter guy at the store and knew nothing about high-performance parts. However, after just two years, Bingham founded Winner’s Circle Speed and Custom Inc.

Bingham’s company has grown to include three retail store locations, wholesale distribution under the name 1st Performance Warehouse and two major trade events. Throughout his career, he has taken an active role in helping the industry grow. In addition to serving on the SEMA Board of Directors, Bingham has held roles as a board member for the Performance Warehouse Association (PWA) and is an original owner of Route 66 Raceway.

In 2009, Bingham was honored with the SEMA Chairman’s Award for his role with the Hot Rodders of Tomorrow—a program that attracts the important youth demographic to the automotive aftermarket and motorsports. He helped grow Hot Rodders of Tomorrow’s Engine Challenge in 2008 with 35 students from five high schools, to include more than 110 teams with 770 students competing in 2014.

Dennis Gage had an early interest in cars and purchased his first ’59 T-Bird at age 15, he didn’t immediately begin a career in the industry. After graduating from college with degrees in physics and chemistry, Gage started a country rock band and toured for two years. He returned to graduate school, and later joined Proctor & Gamble, where he helped develop the Pringles potato chip before joining Bristol-Myers Squibb. There, Gage led the development of Boost nutritional energy drinks and went on a 20-city media tour to promote the drink. His unique look and signature mustache captured consumer attention, and in the mid-’90s, the pilot for “My Classic Car“hosted by Dennis Gage premiered. The program is now in its 20th season and has reached nearly 90 million households.

Despite his fame, Gage remains humble and actively volunteers his time to the automotive industry that he loves. He’s served on several SEMA committees and groups, including three terms on the SEMA Board of Directors and the Select Committee of the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO).

Check out the SEMA Hall of Fame website for the stories of the inductees over the past 46 years at http://www.semahof.com/