Battle in Bowling Green

Livernois and SVTP sponsor an NMRA World Finals EcoBoost class

By Steve Turner
Photos by Steve Turner and courtesy of the NMRA

Your friends here at SVTP love to live on the cutting edge of Ford performance. With the EcoBoost family of engines being the future of that world, it was only natural that we would join forces with Livernois Motorsports and the NMRA to bring forth a racing class dedicated to vehicles powered by these turbocharged powerplants.

“We love hosting specialty shootouts to help showcase different red-hot aspects of the Ford aftermarket, so when Travis Hill of SVTPerformance.com approached us with the idea, we said count us in!” Rollie Miller, Director of ProMedia Events said. “Then Livernois Motorsports got involved shortly after Travis hatched the plan, so this should be a fun EcoBoost party at the NMRA World Finals.”

“SVTP has a tradition of being at the forefront of the Ford Performance world, so it’s only fitting that we would be a part of the first major shootout among vehicles powered by Ford’s latest performance-oriented powerplants,” Travis added.

Clearly the excitement is building about EcoBoost as a performance platform, so the Gas Turbo Direct Injection specialists at Livernois were quick to step up to the plate and support this exciting new class.

“For Livernois Motorsports & Engineering to be part of the first ever EcoBoost Battle at the NMRA Finals in Bowling green was an easy decision,” Andy Ricketts, Vehicle Operations Manager at Livernois Motorsports & Engineering, said. “We have been modifying EcoBoost equipped vehicles since 2009, and currently hold more world records than everyone else combined when it comes to this family of engines. We want to help support this family of engines, and show people what can be done with these power-dense platforms. We know that this is just the beginning of the use of these engines. With more Ford vehicles having an EcoBoost option under their hood, we know that this class has exceptional chance to grow, and has diversity not seen in any other racing class.”

Open to any EcoBoost-powered Ford, including Fiesta STs, Focus STs, Taurus, Explorers, F-150s, and Mustangs, the class will run heads-up on a .400 tree with a Sportsman ladder. The winner will score $500, a custom crystal award, and coverage in the NMRA’s Race Pages magazine, while the runner-up will take up $200, a plaque and a bit of coverage in Race Pages. If you make it to the semi-finals you will earn $100, and if you make it to the quarter finals you’ll win $50. Competitors will also get free entry into the True Street class as well. To see if your EcoBoost ride qualifies for the class, you can download the rules here, and you do not have to be an NMRA member to participate.

“In terms of performance, we expect to see a wide-margin of performances given the fleet-wide EcoBoost engine option from 12-second SUV and Focus models to 11-second F-150s and of course we are all looking forward to Brad Gusler of BG Racing taking aim at the first-ever 10-second run in a EcoBoost-powered vehicle. The JPC Racing crew has an EcoBoost Mustang and that group is always fun to watch because you never what they have in store when they show-up at a shootout,” Rollie said. “The plan is to experience a little bit of everything from Focus to Mustang to trucks. Who knows, maybe one day a new 2017 Ford GT can stretch its legs on the quarter-mile in the Livernois Motorsports EcoBoost Battle.”

It will definitely be exciting to see what kind of performances these high-tech vehicles can produce at the World Finals.

“Other than some reasonably quick times for street cars, I really don’t know what to expect. We know that EcoBoost engines respond well to added boost and alternative fuels,” Travis said. “It’s really hard to tell what some of these guys may be bringing to the party. That’s what makes this event exceptionally exciting, the unknown.”

The mystery will definitely add to the excitement, but there will be racers on hand looking to make their mark on the EcoBoost record books.

“Well, we already know there will be a lot of surprises when it comes to traditional racers seeing what some of these cars can run in terms of numbers. We have multiple 11-second street driven EcoBoost vehicles that we have helped churn out, and we think this being a race event, should bring some pretty fast cars out there,” Andy added. “We know that the 11-second barrier will be something to beat. We hope to see many more records being set, and a lot of minds being open to this new class.”

The NMRA All-Ford World Finals takes place at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, Kentucky, the weekend of Oct. 1-4, 2015. We will be there covering this class and the entire event, and we hope to see you there.

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