April 2013: Ford GT Goes High-Speed Racing
While a Ford GT doesn’t work well for traditional quarter-mile drag racing, it’s a perfect candidate for Shift Sector Airstrip Attack events, like the one at Coalinga Airport in April of 2013. I drove my Ford GT up to this airstrip, about 100 miles northwest of Bakersfield, to try my luck at high-speed, straight-line racing.
Two Ford GTs flank a McLaren 12C at Shift Sector
At these Shift Sector events you can race from either a dead stop, like traditional drag racers, or you and your opponent can roll casually up to 50 mph and then punch it up to between 150 and 200 mph. This type of racing offers several advantage for high-horsepower supercars. First, it removes the traction issue that many supercars struggle with when trying to apply full power from a standstill. Second, it really tests a car’s horsepower and/or aerodynamics rather than just it’s ability to put power down from zero-to-60.