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H&H Cold Hard Art Model

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This year for my birthday, my boyfriend Alex surprised me with one of the most unique and amazing gifts:   he commissioned Tom Patsis of Cold Hard Art to create a metal art sculpture of my 2007 Twin Turbo Mustang Pro Mod.

Tom took only the photos I have online here to create the model.   The attention to detail is stunning!  Everything is present:  the turbo impellers, the wheelie bars, the parachute and beadlock wheels.   It is one of the most impressive art pieces I’ve ever seen, and it looks exactly like my racecar!

He’s done other impressive models as well, and I’m quite honored to be one of the lucky subjects of his art!   I’m also quite honored to have a really smart, resourceful and thoughtful boyfriend who knows that car parts and racing art beat flowers hands-down!

 View Photos of the Build

Erica Enders for People’s Choice

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K&N Horsepower ChallengeErica Enders has really been on fire this season after her return to Cagnazzi Racing, and I’m expecting her first win to come any time now this season in Pro Stock.

Its good to see EE doing well, after struggling for the past few years.   See what a difference a great team can make when a great driver is paired?

Erica Enders for People’s Choice

I’d love to see EE go for the glory this year in the K&N Horsepower Challenge, so I’m asking everyone to get out and vote for Erica Enders in the People’s Choice entry.   She’s doing so well this season, she may not need it… but it sure would be great to have her win the People’s vote!

Good luck, EE!

Fun Ford Weekend is BACK!

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Fun Ford Weekend is back in 2011
A sight for sore eyes.

Now THIS is the kind of news I like to hear!

Fun Ford Weekend has just announced that they are returning with 5 events this season, and more to come in 2012.    The series, which is where I raced from 1998-2006, is only returning to bracket racing, car shows, and adding an autocross event… for now.

One of the biggest reason my 2007 Mustang Twin Turbo project has laid dormant for the past 4 years is that the series the car was built for (Fun Ford) closed its doors in 2008.   This left myself and many others with purpose-built cars that could not compete elsewhere without significant changes.

Seeing the old Fun Ford Weekend logo flying back around the net is a huge kick in the seat of optimism.    The website says that the events will only feature bracket drag racing in 2011, but that the series will be expanded in 2012.

In less than 24 hours since the FFW site  first went live, my phone has already been ringing from a handful of my old Fun Ford Weekend friends who are thinking much the same way I am, that we need to talk FFW into bringing back heads-up racing in 2012.

For me, this could be the fast track back to racing.   The elimination of Pro 5.0 left my car virtually obsolete and uncompetitive against the only alternative of full-fledged Pro Modified racing.    The car simply could not compete against cutting edge pro mod chassis and engine combinations, and no other sanctioning body filled the void between weekend Pro 5.0 racing and full-fledged professional pro mod operations.

If Fun Ford Weekend can resurrect the Pro 5.0 class, it would allow racers a more economical and more recreational venue to continue racing for many displaced by the shutdown.  It would also reunite a loyal following of friends and family devoted to the series that spanned over a decade of fond racing memories.

I’m going to be reaching out to other Fun Ford racers in hopes of rallying support for the return of heads-up racing in Fun Ford Weekend.   Perhaps if the new?? owners of FFW see the loyal following and demand for heads-up return, it will convince them to revive the series in 2012.

Get those emails ready folks, Horsepower & Heels is campaigning for a comeback to FUN FORD WEEKEND RACING!

Gearbox Magazine Feature

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Gearbox Magazine
Gearbox Magazine, Feb 2011

Check out this quick interview with Gearbox Magazine!

Gearbox is an online enthusiast magazine.   The interview discusses the Horsepower & Heels Mustang Build, difficulties in the tough economy and the impact on Erica Ortiz’s race career.

http://www.gearboxmagazine.com/erica-ortiz-2007-pro-mod-mustang/

Published Online: Feb 11, 2011