Making a Pass

SCT Performance makes the first drag run in a production 2015 Mustang at the NMRA World Finals

By Steve Turner
Photos by Stacy Stangz and courtesy of SCT Performance

Weâ€™ve all made some questionable decisions while shopping on eBay. Maybe we bought something we really didnâ€™t need. Maybe we even bought something really expensive without checking with the boss first. Well, if you are in the performance aftermarket, you can be forgiven if you buy a 2015 Mustang on eBay without clearing it with the boss first, right?

Here is the first production 2015 Mustang to make a drag hit with Matt Alderman behind the wheel. SCT Performance made it happen on the big stage at the NMRA World Finals.

Well, thatâ€™s just what Tim Roi, Performance Product Manager at SCT Performance did. Who could blame him, really? He found the car at Ford of Murfreesboro in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville, which happens to be really close to Bowling Green, Kentucky. You know, the location of the NMRAâ€™s World Finals.

So, after striking a deal over the phone, Tim drove all night to the dealer, picked up the car, and drove it right to the NMRAâ€™s premier event. Before doing so, he did have to clean off the tires a little bit:

Then, with just a scant 138 miles on the clock, the car became the first production 2015 Mustang GT to run down the quarter mile.

“I didn’t run it, our lead calibrator Matt ran the car. I knew he could make it hook on the street tires and after driving all night with me to pick up the car, I figured he deserved the chance to take it down the track for the first time.”

Doing so at the NMRAâ€™s premier event made for a storybook ending to Timâ€™s bold tale. Check out the pass here:

After buying the car over the phone, Tim Roi of SCT Performance, picked the car up at Ford of Murfreesboro and drove it straight to Beech Bend Bend Raceway Park in Bowling Green, Kentucky, for the NMRA World Finals. It wasnâ€™t tuned there, but Tim did make sure the SCT LiveWire TS worked like a charm.

Despite a stiff headwind and a tank full of 87-octane fuel, the automatic-equipped Premium GT clicked off a 12.86 at 107 mph, making history for both SCT and the NMRA. In the process, it garnered massive attention and untold brand awareness for SCT, so we are pretty sure the boss will approve Timâ€™s expense report.

“The look on the bossâ€™s face Monday morning when he pulled in and saw it was priceless. We had both been searching all week for a car with no luck. When this one popped up Friday just before 5 p.m., I jumped on it even though the boss was out of the office. I figured if he didn’t want it, I would buy it.”

However, the story wasnâ€™t without any bad news. On the way back to SCT headquarters for tuning the SCT GT also became the first 2015 Mustang pulled over by law enforcement. That one might be harder to expense, but it still makes for a great story.

“He was a good guy and was just doing his job,” Tim said. “We chatted a bit about the car, but he was eager to get us off the side of the road.”

Here is the photographic evidence of the historic 12.86 at 107 mph run.

Despite not impressing the officer,Â the stock GT earned Tim’s respect on the road trip back to Florida from Kentucky.

“I was really surprised with this car. Not only was it comfortable, it had lots of leg room. Being 6′ 2″ tall, I don’t fit well into most cars,â€ Tim said. â€œPerformance wise, it has lots of it and the automatic transmission seems to work well. I prefer a stick, but it wasn’t as bad as I imagined driving an automatic. Ford really got it right and the new styling is growing on me. Any stock car you can drive 75 miles and click off a 12.8 at 107 with 87-octane fuel is impressive to me.”

Naturally, this tale has just begun. As you read this, Matt Alderman is tweaking away on the car to maximize its power. Stay tuned as we bring you more information on SCT’s historic Mustang. SVTP will be front and center as the GT gets tuned.