Perfecting the art of autocross racing with a 2014 Mustang GT

Words And Photos: Cam Benty

Back in high school, Jose Ramirez never cared about cutting corners or shaving a few seconds off his lap time. After all, a ’65 Lincoln is a cruiser not a race car, Ramirez entertained himself in high school by customizing his Lead Sled. For fun, he would singe the facial hairs of unwary friends with the Lincoln’s rear-mounted flame-throwers. Fun but not fast.

While the Lincoln was a very different take on automotive entertainment, it did share a very important link to his 2014 Mustang GT, shown here — it was a Ford. If there is one constant in his life, it is that all of his cars, since that Lincoln, wore the Blue Oval brand name.

His signature “56” on the hood is to remember his departed ’56 F100.

The Lincoln performed great for many years, but it was the ’56 Ford pickup that was his first real automotive project. Starting from scratch, he gutted the car and took the parts from a 1972 Mercury Cougar to motivate the pickup. Over time, he installed the Cougar’s 351 Cleveland engine, performance automatic transmission, and other key ingredients to drive the classic F100.

In the end, the truck was really awesome in so many ways, except for fuel mileage. That issue was not a problem while working at a local Jiffy Lube, but the opportunity to work for the nearby oil company made the ’56 truck less than optimum when commuting in Los Angeles traffic. With great regret, the truck had to go — but it is not forgotten even today. The number “56” emblazoned on this 2014 Mustang is a constant reminder of the beloved truck.

The 5.0L engine incorporates a 101mm cold air intake to help boost its performance. The yellow coloration? That’s plastic coat — one of Ramirez’s best kept secrets.

In 2008, Ramirez purchased a Mustang, his first Ford sports car, which was to have a profound impact on his future. It was a fine commuter vehicle and handled the corners great but was lacking in power. On the heels of that experience, he was to purchase a 2010 Mustang, only to kick himself when the 2011 Mustangs came out with their 5.0L engines, his 2010 still running the 4.6L.

Ramirez’ worst fears arrived in 2013 when he was to attend Dyno Day at Braun’s Automotive in nearby Lomita, California. Compared to the new 2013 Mustangs, his 2010 GT produced a full 100 rwhp less than the new model cars. But, if there was a benefit to that experience, it was to introduce him to his new performance mentor, Greg Nelson.

With the experience of Dyno Day fresh in his mind, he began hanging out with Nelson and his friends, which set into motion his purchase of the 2014 Mustang you see here. Stripped of the luxury items, the car included some critical performance pieces, including the Track Pack option that delivered wider wheels, radiator and oil coolers, six-speed manual transmission, and the performance Torsen differential. It was on this platform that his serious autocross directive was launched.

“Seat time means a lot,” notes Ramirez of his racing experience. “At every event, I learn more and improve my driving. I regularly attend events including the monthly autocross events at Camarillo Airport in Camarillo, California. Greg Nelson of Demon Motorsports fame has been a great help and has taken me under his wing to help me prepare the car and improve my driving skills.”

Building the Platform

While his driving skills are a work in progress, Ramirez has dug in to improve the tools at his disposal — translation: building up his Mustang. With regards to suspension enhancements, Ramirez added offset Bilstein B6 Mono-strut shocks along with H & R springs, which drop the Mustang 1.6 inches in the front and 1.5 inches in the back. In the rear, he added WhiteLine suspension pieces including upper and lower control arms, prototype bushings to reduce flex, and a Panhard Bar with relocation brackets.

These Dunlop Starspec tires are Ramirez’ favorite for competition. Wheels are 18×11 Forge Star F14s with adjusted offset.

Underhood, the most prominent changes are the Ford Racing Export brace to stiffen the front suspension and a massive Steeda 101mm Cold Air intake (plan calls for installation of a factory Boss 302 intake in the near future). To add a little contrast, Ramirez used plastic-dip yellow on the valve cover inserts and other key pieces. While he expected the coloration to burn off quickly, it has remained in good shape for many months, with the ability to peel off the coating at any time and change out the color. A similar technique was used on the rear brake calipers, with a charcoal gray coloration — incredible!

The exterior changes are subtle but effective. The large rear spoiler mounts to the trunk lid (a new rear spoiler is being considered), and the Stillen front “splitter” dresses the front end. The wheels are Forge Star F14 wheels, 18×11 inches all around, with a custom offset wrapped by Dunlop P285/30-18 Starspec tires.

Interior upgrades include swapping out the original cloth seating for a set of Shelby GT leather covers, and the shifter boot has been upgraded to Alcantara Suede. Most significantly, the passenger dashboard has been autographed by two of the most significant personnel in Ford performance history: Henry Ford III and Steve Saleen.

Seat Time

As mentioned, Ramirez is big on learning by doing, and after two years, his education is far from complete. Most recently, he attended an autocross at California Speedway in Fontana, California. There he met legendary racer, Mary Posey. Not only has Posey won more than her fair share of races in her Second Gen Camaro, she has a style that is plenty blunt — and informative.

“I learned a lot from Mary, she was incredibly helpful,” says Ramirez. “It’s interesting, in some forms of racing, like drag racing, the drivers are so competitive and don’t share their secrets of success. But with autocross, you find folks are very helpful. That was the case with Greg Nelson, who is the main reason I’m so hooked. In addition, most of the autocross racers in our group drive Camaros, yet everyone gets along and shares info. In most groups, Camaro and Mustang guys don’t even talk to each other.”

So, the plan from here is more seat time and additional horsepower increases, while keeping his ear to the ground for tips to improve lap times. Just like anything automotive, it’s a matter of careful tuning to achieve perfection. Turn it up!