Want to really race? Can’t afford to buy into NASCAR or Grand-Am? There are many avenues out there from regional series like Pro-Autosports in the SouthWest, SCCA and NASA nationally where you can drive pretty much anything that fits into their class structures. Depending on whether you build off of a street car or buy a purpose built-race car the price of entry can be all over the map.
One option is the Pro Challenge Car that captures NASCAR look and feel but at a far more affordable buy in. What’s pretty cool is that you can set yourself up in a pretty slick looking Mustang bodied version of the Pro Challenge Car.
The series has programs in different regions around the country that run both oval and road course races. The cars are available in several body styles depending on the series you choose including the Mustang, BMW 3-Series, as well as other models from Chevrolet and Dodge.
Built from a tube frame with a fiberglass body, the cars are slightly smaller than an actual Ford Mustang. Measuring about 14′ long with a 92″ wheelbase. It’s scaled down to something closer to a Mazda MX-5. The Pro Challenge Mustang race car features a Duratec 2.3 DOHC sealed Ford engine, similar to the ones you might find in a Ford Fusion or Mazda 3.
The engine delivers about 170hp at the crank and puts it to a solid rear axle through a tried and true T-5 manual transmission. Now 170hp may not sound like the makings of a race car, but when you consider that the Pro Challenge Mustang only weighs about 1500 lbs ready to race, and about 1750 with driver & fuel. That’s a power to weight ratio of close to 10 lbs per horse. Compare that to a 2010 Mustang GT that has 12-13 pounds for each horse to carry. And with that light weight you are glued to the planet. It means later braking into corners and faster exits without compensating for the momentum of a heavy car.
Top speed is advertised at 175-185mph. The car shown here owned by Dave Hester has seen close to that. “It is a really fun car to drive. Faster than my full size Fox Body I ran in A/Sedan. Almost as fast down the straights (140 opposed to 160), but much faster in the corners. It brakes quicker (later) into and accelerates quicker off the corners,” says Hester who has been campaigning his Pro Challenge Mustang all over the South.
Dave, his wife Linda, and brother Matt make up Rheacer Motorsports out of Dayton, TN. They have been driving and racing all sorts of Fords over the last decade or more including Focus, Contour, and half a dozen Mustangs from Fox-Bodies to his 2008 Roush 427R. So the Pro-Challenge Mustang fits right in.
If you are into club racing, the price point really makes the total package pretty attractive with a turn-key price tag of around $35,000 depending on how you option your car out. Of course replacement tires, parts, and all the other racing necessities that go along with it can cost at least another $10,000 if you do it right. But when compared to other options it can be attractive.
Specifications
Price: Approximately $35,000
Top Speed: 185 / 175 mph.
Dry Weight: 1,500 lbs (approximate)
Length: 14′
Height: 48″
Wheel Base: 92″
Chassis: Two inch reinforced steel tube frame
Body: Fiberglass with race wing and wide angle mirror.
Choice of powder coat: White, black, red or yellow
Instrumentation: Water, oil, tachometer and brake bias gauges
Engine: Sealed 2.3 Liter four-cylinder Ford water-cooled engine
Fuel Cell: Eight gallon with sampling hose
Fire Suppression: FIREBOTTLE system
Suspension: Front coil-over; Rear three-link coil-over
Differential: Winters quick-change rear end
Brake System: Wilwood brake bias system with dual purpose pedals; dual piston calipers with cooling ducts
Wheels: 15″ Hoosier radial on chrome competition 8″ x 15″ rims
More information: http://www.prochallenge.net
More info on car/team featured: http://www.rheacermotorsports.com
Thanks to Dave Hester for assistance in this article!
