FORCE RUNS BOSS 500 IN PHOENIX
Fri, 2009-02-20 11:29
Force Becomes Second JFR Team to Run Ford’s New Nitro Engine …
When a trend starts to go south, sometimes you have to pull out the secret weapon.
John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has won at Firebird Raceway an unprecedented eight times in the last 15 seasons. He has, however, been winless the past two years, at least at Firebird Raceway.
Time to roll out a new weapon, to get an "edge" up on the competition. Force Becomes Second JFR Team to Run Ford’s New Nitro Engine …
When a trend starts to go south, sometimes you have to pull out the secret weapon.
John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has won at Firebird Raceway an unprecedented eight times in the last 15 seasons. He has, however, been winless the past two years, at least at Firebird Raceway.
Time to roll out a new weapon, to get an "edge" up on the competition.
Force’s special edition, gold-and-black Ford Mustang sponsored by Castrol EDGE®, his long-time sponsor's newest product, will do battle with the new BOSS 500 Ford nitro motor between the frame rails.
"It's a nice piece," Force said of the nitro motor developed within strict NHRA specifications by his crew chiefs and Ford engineers. "Mike Neff and John Medlen put that motor in three finals last year, but we're still trying to get the first win. I think we'll get it this year, me or Neff or both of us."
"(Crew chief Austin) Coil says it makes more horsepower," Force said of the new motor, "but the big thing (to me) is durability. "You can knock a rod out the side and it doesn't destroy the block. We built strength into it. I don't know of any of the Ford blocks we've lost so far. We just put ‘em right back into action."
Force becomes only the second driver in the nitro Funny Car division to run the new engine combination and because of that, the 59-year-old icon is locked in a good-natured duel with teammate Mike Neff to become the first to win an NHRA Full Throttle tour event with BOSS 500 power.
The plan is for all four Team Force cars to run the BOSS 500 engines, but the current inventory will not support the effort at this time.
Force conveyed the BOSS 500 blocks and the team's proprietary cylinder heads shared a single CNC machine, creating a frustrating bottleneck in the manufacturing process. Now, there is a dedicated MAG Giddings and Lewis unit for each application.
"After we got a second machine (a MAG Giddings and Lewis CNC), we were finally able to get blocks for me and for Neff," Force said.
When a trend starts to go south, sometimes you have to pull out the secret weapon. John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has won at Firebird Raceway an unprecedented eight times in the last 15 seasons. He has, however, been winless the past two years, at least at Firebird Raceway.
Time to roll out a new weapon, to get an "edge" up on the competition. Force Becomes Second JFR Team to Run Ford’s New Nitro Engine …
When a trend starts to go south, sometimes you have to pull out the secret weapon. John Force, the 14-time NHRA Funny Car champion, has won at Firebird Raceway an unprecedented eight times in the last 15 seasons. He has, however, been winless the past two years, at least at Firebird Raceway.
Time to roll out a new weapon, to get an "edge" up on the competition.
Force’s special edition, gold-and-black Ford Mustang sponsored by Castrol EDGE®, his long-time sponsor's newest product, will do battle with the new BOSS 500 Ford nitro motor between the frame rails.
"It's a nice piece," Force said of the nitro motor developed within strict NHRA specifications by his crew chiefs and Ford engineers. "Mike Neff and John Medlen put that motor in three finals last year, but we're still trying to get the first win. I think we'll get it this year, me or Neff or both of us."
"(Crew chief Austin) Coil says it makes more horsepower," Force said of the new motor, "but the big thing (to me) is durability. "You can knock a rod out the side and it doesn't destroy the block. We built strength into it. I don't know of any of the Ford blocks we've lost so far. We just put ‘em right back into action."
In 2007, Ford's Dan Davis and members of John Force Racing pose alongside of the new BOSS 500 nitro engine during the SEMA unveiling.
The plan is for all four Team Force cars to run the BOSS 500 engines, but the current inventory will not support the effort at this time.
Force conveyed the BOSS 500 blocks and the team's proprietary cylinder heads shared a single CNC machine, creating a frustrating bottleneck in the manufacturing process. Now, there is a dedicated MAG Giddings and Lewis unit for each application.
"After we got a second machine (a MAG Giddings and Lewis CNC), we were finally able to get blocks for me and for Neff," Force said.
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