The foreboding bumper sticker read: "Caution: This Car Does Not Race Well With Others." That humorous warning set the tone that encapsulated an evening at the races held at QualComm Stadium in San Diego.
Everything about this particular drag race, sponsored by RaceLegal.com-a program developed to provide a safe dragstrip alternative to illegal street racing in San Diego-seemed typical. People from all walks of life and all types of vehicles revved their engines in the stadium's parking lot, and all was typical except for an untypical 15-year-old racer.
Jamie Lessie, 15 and a sophomore at Torrey Pines High School, is testing for her first driver's license as this issue hits the newsstands. However, with learner's permit in hand, she was already pursuing her passion. "I have had a thing for cars for a long time. I love cars, everything about them," said Jamie.
Although she doesn't know if this will be a life-long pursuit, for now she is content to visit car shows and auctions in Southern California and race on the weekends. Jamie's interest in cars has been encouraged by her father, Larry Lessie, whose zest for cars also began at the same age. As a 15-year-old, he built his first car, a '31 Model A Ford rumble-seat coupe, with his father. It was an experience that he says kept him out of trouble, taught him basic mechanical skills, and most importantly brought him closer to his father.
Jamie's first race occurred last spring, when she approached officials and requested a chance to compete. As long as she raced with her permit and a licensed driver over 25 years old, Jamie was given permission to race. She won the first race in which she competed. She has won almost every race since then and has an astounding top response time of .521. (RaceLegal.com rules state anything under .500 results in disqualification.)
It helps that the vehicle that takes her across the finish line is a Factory Five '65 Cobra 427S/C replica built by her father. The car's major advantage is its V-8 engine fitted in a lightweight body, which can accelerate to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds. "It's basically a saddle sitting on an engine," Larry said.
The Cobra replica was built in 1997 after Larry visited the annual Barrett-Jackson Car Auction in Arizona. He thought "the most exciting car being auctioned that day was an original white-striped, red '65 Shelby Cobra 427S/C." The Cobra was Larry's favorite car as a teenager and the original car sold for over $250,000. Shortly thereafter, he heard about another Cobra selling for $37,000, which caused Larry to investigate further. When he found out that the car was a kit car, it "got my juices flowing," he said. Six months later, he and his 78-year old father completed another father-son project. They built the FFR '65 Roadster during a three-week vacation using the FFR kit and donor parts from a '90 Mustang 5.0 GT with 39,000 miles on it.
Larry selected the Factory Five Racing kit because he liked the concept of a single donor, easily built, period-correct body with a modern, trouble-free drivetrain from a 5.0 Mustang. The chassis, PN FFR1170, has an original-style 4-inch round-tube frame with aluminum-riveted chassis panels and independent, adjustable tubular front suspension with Carrera coilover shocks. The solid, live-axle rear suspension is also adjustable, with coil springs and quad shocks. The car is powered by a stock Ford 5.0 H.O. 302ci engine with roller lifters and forged pistons and includes mass-airflow computer-controlled fuel injection, K&N Performance intake air filter, remote Ford Motorsport oil filter, headers, and dual side exhausts. In its current set up, the engine develops a little over 250 hp. The engine is connected to a Borg-Warner T5, five-speed manual transmission, an 8.8-inch Ford TractionLok differential with a 3.55:1 ratio, and "sunburst" polished, aluminum wheels fitted with 245x60x15-inch tires front and rear.