Going into 2022, I was expecting to do seven race week-ends (15 races) and finally have the season I’d been hoping for with the Mustang.
Looking back at 2022
…aaaand that fell apart pretty quickly. Not naming names or pointing fingers, but the fixes/upgrades to resolve the hot diff and faulty ABS didn’t get resolved until after the first race at Portland. I’ve raced there more than at my home track, so missing it was annoying but okay.
For “reasons,” I chose not to race at Pacific due to the constant forecast for lots of rain. Which, mostly, didn’t actually happen, but I made that choice. After a prior experience traveling the 300+ miles to Spokane with a faulty racecar, I wasn’t going to do that again, so that was another three races I missed to go with the first four.
I did the next two week-ends of racing, but was reminded that the last two races I’d planned on doing coincided with my daughter’s 16th birthday parties (yes, plural), so my 15-race season came down to just the four. Gah.
Looking forward to 2023
It had taken place over three seasons instead of one, but I’m finally at a point where I feel comfortable enough with the Mustang that I’m pushing more pace and running a little harder against the competition. I have all the issues figured out, and I know that adding just a little more power and reducing the weight a bit more would get me at the 10:1 ratio for a true ST car.
And yet…
If I’d started racing the Mustang in 2017, I don’t think I’m having this conversation, but the ST class isn’t what it once was. Most everybody has left the class (or racing completely) and quite a few of the cars that are racing ST are either “drop-ins” or quite literally factory racecars the Mustang can’t compete with. Add to that the fact the car itself is so large and heavy that, realistically, I need a longer and more capable trailer if I want to carry much more than the car itself. Added to that is the reality that, whatever the cause, I’ve personally just never developed an affinity for the car; it’s never really felt like “me.”
Finally, I’m looking at some upcoming “life decisions” that would probably mean I’d no longer have the room for a racecar, trailer, or truck without having to spend a load of money for storage. Take all these things together and it looks like it’s maybe time to call it a day on the racing “career,” just shy of 20 years in.