The SCCA American Sedan Race Series is comprised of 302 and 305 CID V8 powered Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds and is sometimes referred to as the Super Bowl of production based vehicle racing because of the intense competition, the grass roots nature of the series and the ensuing championship run-offs. This year, the Steeda sponsored and equipped 1985 Mustang owned and driven by Ed Hosni of Galloway Ohio captured the 2012 SCCA National Championship.
Ed Hosni is the perfect example of a grass roots racer - he competes in the series just to have fun and loves the competition the series provides. Ed operates on a very limited budget, rebuilds his own engine and transmission as necessary, and even sleeps in his race trailer to save precious money. Nevertheless, he takes racing very seriously and he is fully aware that in order to win the National Championship, you have to have a competitive race car and also be able to attack the race course with complete confidence in your car. In preparing his 1985 Fox bodied Mustang for the race series, Ed worked with our own Frank Stoddard from our Sales Team and chose the following regular production parts for his competition Mustang - parts that we sell everyday to our retail customers:
- Steeda 5-Link Suspension System
- Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
- Steeda Billet Caster/Camber Plates
- Steeda Light Weight Front Sway-Bar
- Steeda Bump Toe Kit
- Steeda Billet Rack Bushings
- Steeda Clutch Quadrant and Firewall Adjuster
With his car properly set up for the race series, Ed was able to competitively compete this season, and thru persistence, hard work, determination, and intense skill, Ed was able to make it to the American Sedan National Championship that was being at the Road America racecourse in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin.
The final championship race at Road America is best described by Ed in his own words that follow:
"The start of the race was OK. Everyone in front of me pulled away a bit as I have substantially less HP then everyone else at the front of the field. On the very first lap going into Turn 5, a car spun in the middle of the track under braking and I had to go into the grass on the inside to miss the incident - this off course maneuver resulted in my getting passed by three more competitors, but luckily, I managed not to hit anything. After the incident, with my car handling so well with it's Steeda suspension set-up, I was able to pass 2 of the 3 cars back before the end of the first lap! In the ensuing laps, I continued my passing of other cars, essentially carving up the turns and out handling everyone else as my Steeda suspension was performing at it was designed to do.
On lap 8 the full course caution came out, and without a race radio and no support crew I had no idea I was actually in second place until the pace car came out - wow was I surprised! On lap 11 the green flag dropped and the race leader got a good start and pulled me down the straight, but I caught him quickly in the brake zone. With the tight turns, I knew I had a shot at the win, all I had to do was continue to out handle him and fill his mirrors the next few laps until I had the perfect moment to pass. There was no doubt that he was clearly blocking with multiple moves at almost every corner and while I was picking my spot, the third place car had managed to catch up to me.
As we entered the last corner, I over slowed a bit to make sure I got the best run I could coming off the corner. As we got to the hill I purposely went inside and the leader then threw yet another block, I countered with a maneuvered to crossed over to the outside almost hitting him. When I crested the hill, I saw the starter holding the checkered flag. I seriously didn't know it was the last lap of the race - I must have missed the white flag as I was so close in the draft the previous lap. As we approached the finish line, I was in first place with the second place car just a tenth of a second behind me. Wow !"
Dario Orlando, President of Steeda Autosports had the following to say about Ed's amazing victory: "Steeda Autosports salutes Ed Hosni, the 2012 SCCA American Sedan National Champion and his 1985 Fox bodied Steeda equipped Mustang and all of the other racers and enthusiasts that rely on Steeda performance parts for their racing and also for their street cars. This is a really significant win in a race series that essentially uses production based vehicles - as it exemplifies the growing grass roots motorsports racing program in the United States."
Steeda - Speed Matters