 Who said Mexicans don't like auto racing? Some of the
most exciting racing I have seen recently came form south of the
border. Case in point is the "McCormick Cup", this series is based
on spec built Mustangs that compete for a championship in a 12 race
season across Mexico. Although they are known as the feature race
wherever they race, the series has also served as a support race for the
CART Series in Monterrey Mexico. It was so successful that they will
again support CART in Mexico City the
weekend of October 13, 2002.
These cars are build by one company;
Kubos
Organización in Mexico City and sold to competitors for
about $45,000.00 dollars a copy. The teams are limited to minor suspension
changes such as camber, tire pressures and ride height. Everything else is off
limits for modifications from the teams.
Each car has a 351W power plant with all your "off the shelf"
bolt-ons including: spec
aluminum heads, camshaft, pistons and a Holley 850cfm carburetor.
Although none of the suspension components is greatly modified Eibach
springs control the corners along with Hoosier
275/40/17 in the front and 315/35/17 rear. This set up keeps the cars well
planted to the ground. To stop this monster Brembo brakes on all 4
corners including a 4 piston caliper in the front are the builder's
choice. The goal of the race organizers is to keep a
close racing field that rely mainly on driver abilities in order to make
for an exciting show for
the spectators. As you can see this system is very successful as these
cars are very well sponsored.
In a recent conversation
with Humberto Garcia (race organizer), he explained that the series has
taken off in such a big way, that the next step will be to increase from
12 to 16 events next year along with longer races. He believes that fans
like to watch pit crews making tire changes and gas filling. Could this
be the Mexican version of Trans AM? The crowds love the roar of
the big bore V8 engines therefore filling up the grand stands everywhere
they compete. Some people think that the good looks of the cars have a
lot to do with how they are perceived among the spectators. These cars
are decaled and painted to perfection. |
