Gentlemen,

I’m sorry it’s taken a couple days for me to get to this but when I returned from the Texas Mile I was so tired I couldn’t think straight.

I planned to leave for the Mile early Wednesday morning as I was trailering my GT and the distance was over 1500 miles. A flat tire greeted my attempt to hook up the trailer and delayed my departure for several hours. Two full days of driving had me arriving in Goliad in time to get my car tech inspected and turn in my paperwork on Thursday evening. I was stopped at the entrance to the airport by a Mile official who asked me where I was going. I told him I was going to park near Jason Stevens at the 1 mile mark. “You talking about Mullet?” he asked. Yeah, that’s him. Everybody seemed to know Mullet and mentioning his name made everyone more cooperative. Jason helped get me parked in front of Apollo’s motor home, next to the giant rig of Mark H. After my tech inspection I loaded my car back into the trailer which was a good move because every morning all of the cars outside were soaked with a heavy layer of dew. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Beeville as my Ford Expedition pulling the little aluminum Trailex lacked the sumptuous sleeping and kitchen accommodations of most of my fellow members rigs. MJ was there and she joined Veronica and myself for dinner.

When I arrived back at the airfield early the next morning Ray Hoffman and his entourage were on site. Most of our members know who Ray Hoffman is, but for those who don’t, Ray has proudly flown the Ford GT flag at numerous events with cars that have pushed the envelope over the last couple years. His Heffner Performance twin turbo Ford GT won the Car and Driver Zero to 200 to Zero shoot out and was on the cover of that magazine some months back. A couple years ago his yellow GT set a Texas Mile and Ford GT record and was the first to exceed 220 mph at the Texas Mile. Ray’s flat black monster GT made quite a stir at Rally IV. And cars aside, this giant of a man is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. I seldom see him when he’s not wearing his trademark smile.

Our fearless leader, David Bannister, had slugged his way down to Goliad by driving a Toyota Yaris rental car all the way from Denver after several flights had been canceled due to bad weather.

Jason Heffner and his crew were working feverishly to put everything together as Ray’s car had never been on a Dyno and they were still working out a tune. Hey, if you want to go 250 in the Mile in an untested car, what better way to sort the bugs out than by bombing around narrow sand covered access roads around the perimeter of the airfield!!!!

Early Saturday morning Soroush, Kumar, Tomy Hamon, NardoGT, Doctor V-8, and a host of other members showed up. Quite a family reunion.

While my Heffner TT GT was being built in Florida last December, I spent many hours examining and photographing Ray’s Yellow GT. I discussed it at length with Jason Heffner over dinner and asked him who would be driving it at the Texas Mile. I really wanted Ray to drive the car, but Jason told me there would probably be a professional driver in it at the mile. My first question to Jason when I ran into him at the Texas Mile, was, “Who is going to drive Ray’s yellow GT?” I was jacked up when he told me that Ray would be doing the driving. Ray is a hell of a stick and I believe that the best hired professional wouldn’t be much of an improvement. And for those of us in attendance, as well as countless friends following this event on the Internet, it was twice as much fun watching our buddy do the driving.

The atmosphere in the Hoffman paddock was electric. Even Veronica was so caught up in the event she was smiling like a little girl on her first trip to Disneyland. Technicians studying laptops, floor jacks & air wrenches, and half a dozen mechanics attending to a myriad of details all made for a scene very similar to being in the pits at a Formula 1 race. After every one of Ray’s runs we would gather in the lounge of his semi-truck race rig to watch the videos. Simultaneously, his computer technician was downloading the data logs from the run and studying everything in great detail, cylinder by cylinder, temperatures and pressures, spark advance and mixture, boost levels and time to various distances. It was the coolest thing ever. Outside the rig, at least one crew member was always manning the giant gas barbecue grill where an assortment of great tasting food was constantly available. Ray’s little boy kicked a soccer ball around outside under the watchful eye of his mom Jenna who made sure he didn’t get run over by one of the many four wheelers dashing around outside.

Run by run, Jason Heffner dialed things up and Ray was running faster and faster. The entire Ford GT family stopped everything and stood at attention when Ray came to the line. We were all like Little League parents watching our favorite son on the pitcher’s mound. His success was our success. Expectations at the start of the weekend were modest with this untested car, but as Ray drew closer and closer to the world record, we all started to wonder if it was possible. Clearly, the car was capable of speeds far in excess of 253 mph in the Mile, even in its current fairly crude state.

Veronica had a flight to catch out of San Antonio, so I had to leave at noon on Sunday. Dave Bannister sent me a text after every one of Ray’s runs and even while driving my Expedition, it was still incredibly exciting. When Veronica landed in Phoenix I was headed west on Interstate 10 and she called me the moment her plane touched down. She didn’t ask how I was doing or how far I had made it. All she wanted to know was, “How did Ray do on his last run?” Outstanding, far beyond the weekend goals, but 3 mph shy of a world record.

And so, to Ray Hoffman, Jason Heffner, & the entire team......you put on a hell of a show at the Texas Mile. It takes some major stones to pilot an untested car to 250 mph, and Ray drove with the courage and heart of a lion. But he finished every run with the smile of a little boy.

The 2010 Texas Mile was only the beginning, and I'm sure that with the information learned last weekend, there are far greater things to come from the Hoffman-Heffner Team.

From all of us who have enjoyed your hospitality and your friendship, thank you. I think you already know Ray, that every time you leave the line, we are all riding with you. Godspeed and all the best my friend.

Chip

PS – The photo below is my favorite from the weekend as well.