People (see example, above left) seem to have a liking for proclaiming their allegiances. Whether it be to honour a football team, a college, a pop group or a favourite drink, we humans often festoon ourselves with logos and colours to let all and sundry know of our loyalty to our chosen brand or group. Car owners and enthusiasts are no exception to that rule, but hitherto those of us who think, nay, know, that the GT40 is the chariot of the gods, have found precious little available to permit us to display to the world our links with the most beautiful car on the planet.
Well, that’s changing, and now we can thank Fran Kress for giving us the opportunity to sport the colours. If you have read this far you are probably a GT40 enthusiast, and so may remember the photos of Fran’s exquisite blue and white GT40 (1054) which have appeared in some of our books, but in case you haven’t, there’s another one inset above.
The latest product from Kress Motorsport is this lovely baseball cap, in light blue with orange detailing, and featuring a great picture of 1075, and the red/white/blue Ford G.T. logo as used on the steering-wheel of the real thing. It also features the slogan The Ford That Beat Ferrari, which rings a bell for us, somehow. Also available from the Fran Kress emporium is a T-shirt showing a pair of GT40s, and which carries the self-same slogan. To paraphrase somebody or other, “You’ve read the book, now wear the clothes”.
Log on to Fran’s website by using the link above, make a purchase or two, and encourage him to provide us with even more means to show the automotive world whose side we’re on!
With just two weeks before the first round of the FIA GT3 European Championship taking place at Silverstone on 19th and 20th April, all cars relating to that category headed on down to the French Nogaro circuit at the beginning of this week to take part in two full days of collective testing. Christophe Bouchut, SRO’s reference driver for this category was charged with taking each car out on to the track, to establish what has now become the beginning of season traditional balance of performance evaluation. And when the verdict fell, the Ford GT built and developed by Matech Racing set the best overall time in its class, not without slotting itself handsomely amongst the overall hierarchy....
"The whole team had a rather cautious approach when we arrived in Nogaro", Martin Bartek, the man behind Matech GT Racing admitted. "At the back of their minds they were hoping that all the hard work put in over the winter period was going to pay off. And the fact is that stopwatches never lie..." Two days later, complete relief and pure satisfaction. "Bouchut drove all cars present in the GT3 category, and it was at the wheel of the Ford GT Matech that he clocked up a 1'28"4, in fact the best time at this level. On top of that a lap time equalling the GT2 reference, and in fact the fourth best time during the entire two days, out of all categories present ! Pretty flattering when there are Aston Martins, Corvettes and Saleen GT1s on the track..."
Christophe Bouchut, delighted by the Ford GT Matech’s handling, had some complementary and positive comments also. "During these last two days the car completed no less than 80 laps on the Nogaro circuit, and didn’t experience a single technical problem. ", Martin Bartek continues. "This definitely proves that the product is not only powerful but reliable. These are major factors when negotiating with clients interested in the Ford GT developed in our workshops. It goes without saying that the outcome of this balance of power will result in a handicap being imposed upon us. It’s frustrating to see some of the hard work put in during the winter season being demolished in the name of the balance between the various racing cars involved in the European FIA GT3 championship, but that’s all part of the game! In all honesty it doesn’t take anything away from the fact that the Ford GT was lapping one second per lap faster than the brand new Porsche, with the works personally taking charge of the design of their GT3 kit. This definitely gives an extra boost to our recent performance..."
Apart from the Ford GT, the Matech team also had its Mustang FR500GT3 on track at Nogaro, and as compared to last year the latter was showing signs of improvement. "In fact pretty spectacular as compared to the lap times registered in 2007, Martin Bartek commented. ”This should slot the Mustang up the starting grid this coming season. But our work is never finished, from one end of the season to the next.."
In the meantime full steam ahead for Silverstone for the RAC Tourist Trophy on 19th and 20th April, which undoubtedly promises to be a great event.
