When we spotted Whitesburg,...
When we spotted Whitesburg, Georgia, resident Mike Pate idling through the parking lot to his final display location, we knew he had something hot under the hood. What we didn't know was that the hood-well, the whole front end for that matter-flips forward. And what did we find under that cool nose but a 410-cube Windsor with enough go-fast parts on it to make sure people know Mike means business when the hammer drops.
While the Year One Experience...
While the Year One Experience is far from an all-Ford event, there was a great showing of support from the Ford owners in Georgia and the surrounding states. Terry Laughlin brought out this nice little 289-powered '64 Falcon for all to see. Not over the top, but not completely stock either; we're sure it made the trip from Hodges, South Carolina, a more pleasurable one.
While we never got a chance...
While we never got a chance to talk to David Echols of Hoschton, Georgia, about his '74 Cougar XR-7 and its 351 power underhood, we were amazed at how clean the car was. It also brought back many memories of my mom's '73 Mercury Montego MX, in the same brown metallic at that!
The '64 1/2 Mustang of Stephanie...
The '64 1/2 Mustang of Stephanie Akins certainly made us stop and take a second look. The Jacksonville, Florida, resident certainly knows a good combination that makes people stop in their tracks-mile-deep silver paint with over-body stripes and big, polished Torq Thrust II wheels.
Last year Michael Hyde of...
Last year Michael Hyde of Cumming, Georgia, became the first Ford owner to become a finalist in the Year One Cup competition. He returned again this year with his beautifully restored '70 Boss 302 for another chance. With two classic Mustangs in the finalist contention for the last two years, can a classic Ford be far from taking home the big prize in the next year or two?
Busy, Busy, Busy
We knew the Year One folks and the Road Atlanta and Atlanta Dragway people were busy all weekend, but these numbers, provided by Year One, really tell ya what you missed!
Panoz Driving School Track Day Sessions
There were 40 openings Friday morning and 40 openings Sunday afternoon. Both sessions sold out prior to the event.
Hot Laps in Panoz Race Cars
Sold out all three days. Over 180 Hot Laps over the three days.
Autocross Laps
Full the entire event. There were well over 2,000 laps put down over three days (and it was shut down a couple times for scattered showers).
Parade Laps around Road Atlanta
There were too many to count. The 40-car staging lane for parade laps was full from the time the event opened until it closed. There were 11 hours scheduled over three days, and extra time had to be added to accommodate all the parade lap participants.