Storming Laguna Seca in the new Ford GT Mark II, Billy Johnson Driving

[ENZO BTR]

Hey guys, I was fortunate enough to get a ride in the new Ford GT Mark II last Sunday during Monterey Car Week.

Billy Johnson was piloting, and it was a thrill to not only ride in this unrestrained track weapon but to do it with Billy at the wheel.

He and I first met during the new Ford GT press intro at Utah Motorsports Campus in April of 2017. He got his first drive in a 2005-2006 Ford GT (mine!) during that event, and we've been swapping social media messages ever since.

Great driver and human being! We even walked the Pebble Beach Concours later on Sunday (his first time there). Anyway, here's the Forbes story on the experience, along with some video I strung together. I had no camera crew to back me up, and given that I'm pretty thrilled with how well the video turned out.

Ford GT Mark II: A Ride In Ford's Unrestrained Track Weapon

The Ford GT Mark II is both lighter and more powerful than the IMSA cars that share its chassis, thanks to no “balance of performance” restrictions, making the Ford GT Mark II far more capable than even the Ford GT race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

www.forbes.com

 

[roketman]

Karl
Your video is better than porn!

 

[steved57]

Fantastic Karl

 

[STORMCAT]

Nice! !

 

[Cobrar]

Very Nice!! Thanks for the write-up and comparative GT experiences. There is obviously a lot of the 'base GT' in the Mk2, and the upgrades are actually pretty straightforward. And even compelling! ;-))

 

[Vince H]

No fair! Karl gets to do all the sweet stuff ..... Haha! So good man. Congrats.

Vince H

 

[Specracer]

Well done, this beats the hell out of the Hagerty article others are bantering about.....

 

[cobra498]

Lap Time?

 

[Indy GT]

Very Cool!
You are indeed very lucky to have Billy take you around the course. He makes it look so easy!
One hell of a driver......
Glad he wears a Ford helmet.

 

[Apollo]

What an experience!

 

[KennethClay]

What an exhaust note--beautiful! Great video, too. Based on the hand speed, though, I think the car had even more capability (but he wasn't going nuts with a passenger in the car).

 

[Mike Mosing]

How cool is that!!!! That car is sick. Anybody want to go in 1/00th's?

 

[ENZO BTR]

Lap Time?

Would love to see lap times, but without my 200 pounds slowing it down.

 

[ENZO BTR]

What an exhaust note--beautiful! Great video, too. Based on the hand speed, though, I think the car had even more capability (but he wasn't going nuts with a passenger in the car).

You said it. The first two laps were spent warming the tires. We went noticeably faster on the third lap (last one I recorded) then I put my phone down so I could soak up the final hot lap experience without distraction, and we were still going quicker!

I hope someone runs one at the ‘Ring...

 

[THamonGT]

Great piece of work Karl, Congratulations on your opportunity! It is Better than Porn!

 

[GTMD]

Damn! I'm jealous of that experience!

 

[daytrayd]

Loved it, this is what dreams are made of!

 

[SYCO GT]

More exciting than being 2 up in a congested Parade lap in Syco GT at the COTA track during a HOT Texas rally night?

Very cool!

 

[partssmann]

Thanks for sharing Carl. You are a lucky man. I would assume these GT Mk II cars were sold out in minutes after release.

 

[ENZO BTR]

Thanks for sharing Carl. You are a lucky man. I would assume these GT Mk II cars were sold out in minutes after release.

I believe there’s more than 45 interested parties, but final allocations haven’t been determined yet. People can still throw their name in the ring. Until August 31st.