The 16th Annual Run and Gun kit car triathlon was a showcase of speed, driving skill, and automotive technology, and last year, something special was added...production Mustangs.
Run and Gun is a wonderful stage for kit cars of all types and power setups, and for the drivers who own, build, and fine-tune them. The action pits the one person's driving skill, car setup, power, aerodynamics, and strategy against other combatants' from around North America.
Last year, 58 drivers took 56 kit cars to the fray and showed off their cars and talents. Not simply an event for Cobras, Run and Gun 16 attracted GT40s, Lotus 7s, Dragons, Lolas, an Ultima, a Manta, a Corvette, a Dio Tipo Maserati inspiration, and an Artero. Also, last year, for the first time, production Mustangs were invited to compete in their own class.
However, when it came down to the run for King of the Hill, the production Ponies were invited to test their best against the kit cars...and the final was an historic battle between a Mustang and a Cobra for the Run and Gun crown.
The event, held at Gateway International Raceway just outside of St. Louis, consists of time trials on the SCCA autocross, the CART/IRL road course, and the NHRA dragstrip. These muscular kit cars, which house up to 900 horses under the hood, really flexed their muscles on the dragstrip, the final venue in the competition.
Dragstip competition is held in time trials against class, for points toward Top Dog and 'strip trophies, the Quick 8 bracket race in each class, and final run-offs for King of the Hill-the best bracket racer at the event.
In terms of quickest times, Bill Bonadio added a nitrous bottle and blew away the competition in his Classic Antique Replicar Specialist Dio Tipo '61, with a blazing 10.045 e.t. Wayne Turpin posted the second-fastest time overall on the kit car side, smoking his Contemporary Cobra to 10.686 e.t. Pete Tork, the 69-year-old bracket racing expert, took his FFR Cobra down the 'strip in 10.774, and Bob Mustic, in his old faithful Johnex Cobra, beat the 11-second barrier at 10.923. Just missing the 11-second mark was steady Rich Pickles, at 11.088 in his Contemporary Snake.
In terms of top speed for the quarter-mile, Bonadio hit a best velocity of 139.65 mph. Wayne Turpin blasted his Contemporary to a 135.97 heat in the Quick 8. Chuck Nickloy, in his Premier Motorsports-prepared-and-built Kirkham Cobra, posted the third-highest speed at 132.35 mph, and Pete Tork topped the 130mph mark at 131.91 mph.
The ageless wonder, Tork, used his skill and mettle to defeat all kit car opponents in bracket racing. After winning his final kit car race against the ERA Cobra of Rick Lake to become Kit Car King of the Hill, it was on to the finals against the production ponycar of Jonathan Blevins.
In the showcase shootout, the King of the Hill Final veteran Tork took his 421ci Donavan-powered No. 69 Factory Five Cobra down the 'strip against the lone remaining Pony, No. M460, the silver '01 Mustang of Blevens which is propelled by a 4.6L Ford engine.
Tork was dialed-in at 11.80 and Blevins marked his windshield with 13.95. Blevins took off with a reaction time of .687. Tork took off 2.15 seconds later with a reaction time of a quick .579. Tork reached a top speed of 130.80 mph and finished in 11.143 seconds, but Blevins won it late, by reaching 101.47 mph and an e.t. of 13.983, closer to his dial-time than Tork and enough to win the King of the Hill showdown by 0.2024 seconds.
The King of the Hill was decided after a series of one-on-one duels in bracket racing, to whittle the field down to the top two-Blevins and Tork.