Deby
Nitro Member
[coverattach=1]Tim Wilkerson made three attempts on the PBIR track on Saturday, after one short launch late in the day on Friday, and his new Levi, Ray & Shoup Mustang improved with each lap. Friday's shakedown launch was followed by an aborted shut-off on Saturday morning, when wheel spin preceded tire shake, but Wilkerson then legged the next two passes well down the track, posting a 4.244 at 276.46 mph and then a 4.215 @ 285.95 mph in the late afternoon. Both of the later runs were still early shut-offs, as Wilkerson continues to work the kinks out of a new set-up, while he also learns the aerodynamic nuances of the Shelby Mustang body.
"All in all, we're getting there, and that's a good thing," Wilkerson said. "Nobody likes it when you shake or smoke the tires and have to come back and figure out why you were so far off, so it's good to make a run that gets off the line and goes down the track, even if it was far from perfect,. It might not be as quick or as fast as you want, but it's still good data and you can twirl the knobs from there and make it better, and plus it's a morale boost for the crew. It was running better on the last run, but it started chewing a piston up just after one second, and gave it up near the top end, so I only drove it about four seconds. We need to keep getting after it, and we're going to try some new things tomorrow, too.
"The facility here is terrific, and I think all the teams that are here are impressed with the all-concrete track and just the way they have this place set up. To me, it's seems like a great place to have this sort of spring training, because the air is good and the track is good, and these laps have some value for us. Plus, there's nothing bad about being in South Florida in January. We have the chance to not only shake things down, but work on tune-ups and get after it a little bit, so it's good for the driver and the team."
"All in all, we're getting there, and that's a good thing," Wilkerson said. "Nobody likes it when you shake or smoke the tires and have to come back and figure out why you were so far off, so it's good to make a run that gets off the line and goes down the track, even if it was far from perfect,. It might not be as quick or as fast as you want, but it's still good data and you can twirl the knobs from there and make it better, and plus it's a morale boost for the crew. It was running better on the last run, but it started chewing a piston up just after one second, and gave it up near the top end, so I only drove it about four seconds. We need to keep getting after it, and we're going to try some new things tomorrow, too.
"The facility here is terrific, and I think all the teams that are here are impressed with the all-concrete track and just the way they have this place set up. To me, it's seems like a great place to have this sort of spring training, because the air is good and the track is good, and these laps have some value for us. Plus, there's nothing bad about being in South Florida in January. We have the chance to not only shake things down, but work on tune-ups and get after it a little bit, so it's good for the driver and the team."
