Cool Mover Wlostowski Aiming for Road America Top Step

New York, NY - August 6, 2020 - A fine series of results in the opening exchanges of the 2020 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season Super GT Class has seen New York based rookie Adrian Wlostowski mount the podium in all three of the races so far this season - one case in particular in extraordinary circumstances. Unsurprisingly, the extremely competitive New York ace now wants to go one better at Road America and claim his first win of the season, and his first in Trans Am.

Adrian is team principal and number one driver for the up and coming F.A.S.T. Auto Racing team. They've been running a Ford Mustang designated number 96. Having opened the season with a P3 at Sebring all the way back in March, he went one better next time out at Mid Ohio to claim second spot before an extraordinary turn of events at Brainerd. Trans Am really lived up to its name as the Big Apple outfit had to abandon their race car for the weekend and haul a partly decommissioned Chevrolet Corvette all the way from the East Coast to rural Minnesota! Adrian claimed second as he did in an unfamiliar car with a massively rushed preparation, it was a tremendous achievement for car, team and driver. Adrian also won the CoolShirt Systems ‘Cool Move of the Race’ award.

Now, Adrian is looking to build on his achievements to date this season at Road America, where there will be 10 cars in the Super GT class. He spoke to us before heading out west again, this time to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

"I can't say I'm too familiar with Road America," stated Adrian. "I've studied the layout and it looks a great track alright. We've been competitive so far this season and I'd like to think we can be again, but I'm taking nothing for granted - not after last time!"

Given the current circumstances, it's great that we're racing at all, something not lost on Adrian when he added, "To say it's been a tough year for everyone is an understatement. It would be great to get that first win on the board at Road America, but to be honest I'm just grateful that we're racing again and the season is underway. Big thanks go out to Trans Am and the organizers at Road America."

Located in Wisconsin's scenic Kettle Moraine, Elkhart Lake's Road America, Inc. is one of the world's fastest permanent road racing tracks. The 640-acre, park-like grounds offer amazing viewing opportunities, fantastic concessions and high-speed excitement to thousands of spectators each year. The Trans Am action forms part of a bumper program, billed as the NASCAR Xfinity Series Henry 180 weekend and will feature incredible wheel-to-wheel and door-to-door racing from the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Stadium Super Truck Series as well as the Trans Am Series.

The all important qualifying session for the Super GT Class is at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, August 7 with a 20 minute session. The grid for the race itself is bright and early at 7:20 a.m. on Saturday, with the race itself over 25 laps underway at 8:00 a.m.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/ for more information on the team, news and photo gallery. Stay up to date on social media following F.A.S.T. on Instagram @fastautoracing.Trans Am Series Facebook: facebook.com/gotransam

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com
Trans Am Series: gotransam.com
Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com
Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com

Fantastic Result for Cool Wlostowski After Epic Trans America Road Trip

Brainerd, MN - July 14, 2020 - It's not called Trans Am for nothing! Trans America by name, and Trans America in actuality. An extraordinary effort by the New York based F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Team enabled Brainerd rookie Adrian Wlostowski to score a highly improbable but hugely creditable podium runner up spot in the Super GT Class on a weekend of dedication, commitment and attrition.

Round 3 of the 2020 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season at Brainerd International Raceway began with a bang for Adrian, but sadly of the wrong kind. Early on in testing he suffered an engine failure, snapping the crankshaft at the harmonic balancer, something that meant his competition car was out of action for the weekend. That could have resulted an early finish for the Big Apple ace as there was no spare parts solution available, but the F.A.S.T. team are dedicated professionals who proved tough as teak and were determined to score all important Championship points at Donnybrook. The only solution was to bring a reserve car all the way from New York, an epic journey of over 1,300 miles - which they did.

F.A.S.T Auto Racing adapted the replacement SCCA T1-LP Chevrolet Corvette to SGT specs early Sunday morning. Topping it off with a set of Pirelli tires that barely fit the wheels and car - all the hard work paid off handsomely. Although running without a cooling system and a clutch slave cylinder that was on its way out, Adrian skillfully guided the Corvette into the runner up spot, matching his career best result in the Mustang at Mid Ohio the last day. To cap an extraordinary weekend, the New Yorker also copped the CoolShirt “Cool Move of the Race Award.” 

Adrian had predicted that the Corvette, 200lb too heavy for the SGT class, would be much slower than the Mustang he was forced to abandon. He was also concerned about fuel capacity in the Corvette but neither of those factors appeared to affect the outcome and he was absolutely buzzing when he got out of the car. He told our reporter how the race unfolded, “In the first and second laps, I'm keeping up with our class in this car, which isn't meant to happen, and I'm like wow! Then the clutch pedal started going away. The clutch was a little iffy at the shop but we had very limited time restraints and we were here to race!" 

He went on, "I was keeping up with the front runners until the clutch completely went out. Third and fourth [gears] were all we had, and I was doing whatever I could do. Then, Aaron Pierce overheated, he pulled in at three quarters of the race. We took second. Once my crew chief Eric told me we'd done fifty percent of the race and I could go like hell, I was doing faster times at the end of the race than at the beginning with no clutch. Unbelievable!"

This was a weekend that will be long remembered by Adrian and his team, and the back-up support he received was at the front of his mind when he added, "The driver always gets all the credit, but really it's everybody else. We all did this. This really was a team effort. There were twenty guys involved in this. They really went above and beyond to make this happen. They did a Smokey and the Bandit run from New York to here in 24 hours with this car and we got it prepped, the whole weekend was unbelievable. Let's win one though!" When asked to describe the weekend in one word he added, "Nuts!" 

Adrian finished thanking his sponsors, "Thanks to Hawk for great brakes on our Mustang and the Corvette, and thanks to Forgeline for the super lightweight wheels. These guys really help us out here with what we accomplish racing in Trans Am."

The extremely hard-won points Adrian picked up at Brainerd keep him in second place in the Super GT Class, while he will get the next chance to win one at Road America August 6-8.

Download the App for your device from Google PlayStore or Apple. 

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/ for more information on the team, news and photo gallery. Stay up to date on social media following F.A.S.T. on Instagram @fastautoracing.

Wlostowski Seeking to One Up at Trans Am Brainerd Showdown

New York, NY - July 9, 2020 - Fresh from his terrific result at the Mid Ohio Sportscar Course, New York based Super GT rookie Adrian Wlostowski is taking aim at Brainerd International Raceway, July 10 to 12, with the clear plan to go one better than his P2 finish in Round 2 just last weekend. With two podium finishes from two races this season, Adrian and his crew are F.A.S.T. by name and fast by nature. The team is currently sitting second in the championship point standings and are rapidly making a tremendous impression on the Trans Am scene and there is no better place to make an impact than at the iconic Minnesota circuit on a weekend of special significance. Saturday's race, sponsored by Ryan Companies, is being held in memory of the late Jed Copham, the former owner of Brainerd, who passed away in a tragic accident in November 2018. This year is the first time Trans Am has visited Brainerd since his passing. 


The runners up spot Adrian filled at Mid Ohio was itself an improvement of one place on the result from the opening weekend of the season at Sebring, where he filled third spot on the podium. Make the same improvement again and we'll see Adrian's No. 96 F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Ford Mustang take the checkered flag in the SGT class, but as we all know, it's not quite as simple as that! Nevertheless, Adrian was understandably very upbeat when we spoke to him ahead of Round 3 of the 2020 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship. 


"It was a long wait from Sebring to Mid Ohio, that's for sure," he told us from the high performance Big Apple auto shop that gives the team its name. "Big thanks to everyone out there who made the racing possible and our partners, Hawk and Forgeline. Now we're racing again soon and it feels like we have the season underway. Long may it continue, everyone is working so hard. We just want to race." 


"I was pleased with the result at Mid Ohio. Conditions were very difficult after all the rain, but it was the same for everyone. Third at Sebring, second at Mid Ohio, naturally I'd love to go one better at Brainerd but it isn't going to be easy!" 


Adrian has never been to Brainerd before, so is looking forward to the test of skill presented by the highly technical, 13 turn, 2.5 mile circuit now dubbed the Competition Road Course after modifications made in 2008. "I've never been to Brainerd but I've heard it's a real drivers' circuit so I'm looking forward to the challenge." 


After two months of denying spectators because of COVID-19 restrictions, Brainerd International Raceway has found a creative and nostalgic way to welcome fans to watch the professional road racing July 10 to 12. BIR is inviting fans back for its Fan Appreciation Weekend, a free drive-in-style event that will feature the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli and the Sports Car Club of America, two organizations that started racing at BIR more than 50 years ago. The weekend finale is the 100-mile, 40-lap TA/XGT/SGT/GT race and the TA2 race, both on Sunday. 


As fans will know, Trans Am now benefits from a fantastic new App that allows fans all over the world, as well as on the track, to follow the action with great coverage live at-track. “We’re really excited about the weekend because it’s hard to watch road racing on a 2.5-mile road course,” BIR owner Kristi Copham said. “But watching with the help of this app is really going to be a game changer." 


The action on the track in the Super GT Class gets underway at 11:00 a.m. on Friday morning with testing. There is a practice session scheduled for Saturday morning with the all important qualifying session at 4:30 p.m. the same afternoon. The Ryan Companies US/Jed Copham Tribute Feature Race in which Adrian is competing will start at 1:35 p.m. on Sunday.


Download the App for your device from Google PlayStore or Apple. F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/ for more information on the team, news and photo gallery. Stay up to date on social media following F.A.S.T. on Instagram @fastautoracing.  

Race fans are encouraged to watch the online race stream:

Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App download: gotransam.com/livetiming

Trans Am Series Facebook: facebook.com/gotransam

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com
Trans Am Series: gotransam.com
Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com
Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com

Wlostowski is F.A.S.T. at Mid Ohio for Second SGT Podium this Season

New York, NY - July 1, 2020 - Saturday's Trans Am race at Mid Ohio was undoubtedly exciting to watch, with cars leaving the asphalt at regular intervals due to the wet nature of the track, but that didn't stop New York ace Adrian Wlostowski in the No. 96 F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Ford Mustang from registering a second podium of the season in the Super GT Class with a fine and highly skillful drive in very difficult conditions to a career best second place finish in the Series. 


Even regular rain showers on Friday and Saturday couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of everyone in the Trans Am community, as all were thrilled to witness the resumption of muscle car racing. Mid Ohio Sportscar Course provided a great venue for the first competitive action in the 2020 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season since Sebring back at the end of February and F.A.S.T., the Big Apple team representing their own high performance auto shop along with Hawk Performance and Forgeline Wheels, took full advantage of the trip to the Midwest. 


Adrian's distinctive black Ford Mustang was one of six cars in the Super GT class to make the trip out to Ohio and there was a special atmosphere in the paddock as the event took shape with all participants thrilled to be back on track again and there were even some spectators present to share in the occasion.


Adrian was fast off the trailer in Friday's early sessions, registering 1:30:953 on lap 12 of the testing session. He improved on that to 1:30:031 to be the fastest man in his class in Friday's official practice, but official qualifying later that same afternoon indicates just how much track conditions had changed when the rain came.


The weather system in the area had presented a whole array of challenging circumstances with more rain before the race Saturday lunchtime. The race itself thus started on a wet and slippery track making the twisting circuit hazardous in the extreme. With the GT, Super GT and Xtreme GT cars sharing the track with the Trans Am cars, it meant 25 high performance vehicles all searching for the best racing line on the rain sodden surface. There were skids aplenty from highly experienced drivers, which made Adrian's stylish progress all the more impressive as he guided the Mustang home behind only Mark Brummond's BMW M4 for podium P2 in class, an improvement of one place over the Sebring result. 


"I'm happy that we're not going to win the record for the most third place trophies in the Series. We finished second, it's a step up and just one more place to go. We keep working hard to make the racecar better, we keep getting better and while there's always room for improvement, we're happy I'm not going to win the trophy for the most third place finishes in Trans Am," declared Adrian. 


When asked about how the weekend matched up to his plans Adrian added, "What we did here was we came with one plan off the trailer. We were fastest in practice when it was dry with that plan. And then it rained, and we started doing everything differently then we planned! We started getting more and more speed as the track dried out. Still it was a great result."


A positive weekend for the New York outfit, who continue to make a tremendous impression both on and off the track. Their thanks are extended to Mid Ohio Sportscar Course, Trans Am and the great state of Ohio for making the weekend possible and it's fingers crossed all round that the trip to Brainerd next month goes ahead as planned in this most challenging of years. 


F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/ for more information on the team, news and photo gallery. Stay up to date on social media following F.A.S.T. on Instagram @fastautoracing.


Full replays of the race can be found by downloading the Trans Am by Pirelli app for free:  

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nagra.ion.transam&hl=en_US

Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trans-am-by-pirelli-racing/id1494720210

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com
Trans Am Series: gotransam.com
Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com
Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com

SGT Podium the Aim for Trans Am Rookie Wlostowski

New York, NY - June 22, 2020 - Everyone in the motorsports community is looking forward to the resumption of the 2020 Trans Am presented by Pirelli Championship season, but few drivers are anticipating the return as eagerly as the man behind the wheel of the No. 96 SGT F.A.S.T. Auto Ford Mustang, Adrian Wlostowski. Competing in a full season of Trans Am for the first time, the Maspeth, New York based pilot made the podium at Sebring, finishing in a fine P3 after starting from P5. We spoke to Adrian earlier in the week and his enthusiasm for the return to action was positive. After such a great result in Florida, it's not surprising he is looking for a repeat performance at a track that's new to him and the Forgeline/Hawk sponsored team.

"I've never been on track at Mid Ohio before but from what I've heard it's a fantastic circuit and a real test of both car and driver. After making the podium at Sebring, naturally we're hoping for a repeat and a few steps up for improvement on the results. Going to places like Mid Ohio is one of the reasons we joined Trans Am. To say we are looking forward to racing on asphalt again after the situation we've all been in is an understatement! Fortunately, we've been able to keep busy during the lockdown working on the customers' cars and of course fine tuning the Mustang, ready for action. Now, I just want to be competitive again on the track."

Adrian and the Ford Mustang will be at the mid-western venue regarded by many as picturesque on the Trans Am roster. In compliance with the state designated requirements for the weekend's racing to go ahead, all the required protocols will no doubt be observed by the teams and drivers present.

A true professional both on the track and in the shop, Adrian and the F.A.S.T. Auto team leave no stone unturned in the quest for improved performance, hence Adrian's Ford Mustang will be benefiting from the exceptionally strong and lightweight wheels supplied by team sponsor Forgeline wheels. It's a similar story where the brakes are concerned, where the Big Apple outfit has teamed up with Hawk Performance. Hawk Performance Product Group Manager, Malcolm Sedano stated, "Adrian is so committed to continually exploring ways to improve, both in the garage and on the track, and that’s why he’s such a perfect match for Hawk Performance.”

Located in the township of Troy, Morrow County, Mid Ohio Sports Car Course is now in its 58th year of operation and is classified by the FIA as a Grade 2 circuit. Although perhaps lacking the prestige of some of the bigger circuits on the Trans Am presented by Pirelli schedule, Mid Ohio is invariably popular with the drivers, it presents a terrific challenge for the athlete drivers doing the steering.

The action for the Super GT class gets underway on Friday June 26 with a practice session scheduled for 11:55 a.m. The crucial qualifying session is at exactly 5:32 p.m. on the same afternoon. The grid for the feature TA/XGT/SGT/GT race itself will be forming up at 12:25 p.m. on Saturday with the start of the race at 12:55 p.m. over 46 laps of what is a relatively short circuit.

Team F.A.S.T. Auto Racing would like to thank Mid Ohio and the organizers of Trans Am for getting the show back on the road. We can't wait!

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/.

Forgeline Wheels are at https://forgeline.com/.

Hawk Performance Products are online here https://www.hawkperformance.com/.

F.A.S.T. Auto in New York Keeping the Performance Up During Lockdown

New York, NY - May 8, 2020 - In what has been an extremely difficult period for all of us, we are pleased to report that F.A.S.T Auto Racing have been keeping the flame of performance and automotive aftermarket alive right in the heart of New York City.

While observing all the necessary and strict protocols - and let's not forget that the Big Apple has been one of the hardest hit cities by the current epidemic - Adrian Wlostowski and F.A.S.T. are gearing up for the return to competition on the track at Indianapolis at the end of June, while looking to hone his Esports skills at the virtual Daytona this weekend. The Super GT driver spoke to us ahead of tuning up for the return at the virtual version of Daytona. 


"I'm optimistic that we'll be returning to the track at Indianapolis on schedule. What a fantastic place to start back racing again," stated Adrian Wlostowski, Owner and Driver of F.A.S.T. Auto Racing. When we spoke to him at the Queens auto shop near the heart of his very slick operation he mentioned, "We're looking forward to promoting our sponsors, Hawk Performance and Forgeline Wheels and getting the Mustang fired up for action. In the meantime, there's this weekend's Esports race at Daytona. I'm enjoying the whole Esports simulated racing and I can promise you, it's no less competitive than the real thing!" 


Drivers will continue to race identically prepared Corvette C7.r GTLM machines on the Racing SIM for Round 3 of the Esport Championship. The burgeoning entry list for Saturday’s virtual race at Daytona International Speedway will be announced Friday.


Live coverage of the Round 3 begins Saturday, May 9 at 3:00 p.m. Eastern with live commentary starting with a swift 10-minute qualifying session followed by two 20-minute main events. For added excitement, the second event will feature an inverted field.


Fans can stream the action by downloading the FREE Trans Am by Pirelli app and via Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/umggaming. The action will also be available to watch on the Trans Am Series Facebook page.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing's website is here http://fastautoracing.com/ for more information on the team, news and photo gallery. Stay up to date on social media following F.A.S.T. on Instagram @fastautoracing.

Full replays of the race can be found by downloading the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli app for free:  

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nagra.ion.transam&hl=en_US

Apple App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trans-am-by-pirelli-racing/id1494720210


F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com

Trans Am Series: gotransam.com

Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com

Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com

Wlostowski Back For More Esports Racing with Atlanta Trans Am

New York, NY - May 1, 2020 - Having scored a notable podium P3 at Sebring on the opening round of the season, on tarmac, Trans Am SGT pilot Adrian Wlostowski would doubtless rather be behind the wheel of his Super GT Ford Mustang this weekend. However, while we wait for the resumption of the action to resume on track, the Esports racing is heating up with a virtual trip this weekend to Road Atlanta for Round 2 of the 2020 Trans Am by Pirelli Esports Championship. 

The Esports action has been a hit with fans starved of the competitive thrills and spills that characterize Trans Am sports car and muscle car racing. The advent of the excellent new Trans Am multimedia smartphone app could not have come at a time for the sport as it allows us all to watch all the racing - virtual and real octane - in real time. It's a tremendous boon to our sport and sure to please followers and boost popularity. 

Round 2 of the Trans Am by Pirelli Esports Championship continues Sunday, May 3 at 3pm Eastern at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta. Hurley leads in the standings by 12 points over Kicera heading into Round 2. The Esports championship follows the same scoring as the regular Trans Am season with the top drivers fighting for more than $20,000 in cash and prizes. The event consists of open practice, an online driver briefing prior to qualifying: qualifying (10 minutes), Race #1 (20 minutes) with Race #2 also 20 minutes with starting positions based on the inverted finishing positions in Race #1. 

Adrian Wlostowski represents F.A.S.T. Auto Racing, based in the Maspeth, Queens District of New York City where they run a high performance automotive shop aimed at competition motorsports and street performance. F.A.S.T are sponsored by Forgeline and Hawk Performance. Like the rest of us, Adrian and the F.A.S.T. Auto Racing team are looking ahead to June when the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli is set to resume at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, June 21.

Race fans are encouraged to watch the online race stream:

Trans Am by Pirelli Racing App download: gotransam.com/livetiming

Trans Am Series Facebook: facebook.com/gotransam

Full Results: https://bit.ly/2W0U4K7

Full replays of the race can be found by downloading the Trans Am by Pirelli app for free:  

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nagra.ion.transam&hl=en_US

Apple App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trans-am-by-pirelli-racing/id1494720210

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing can be found online, fastautoracing.com and on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com

Trans Am Series: gotransam.com

Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com

Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com

Hawk Performance Mail-In-Rebate Promotion

New York, NY - April 17, 2020 - Effective April 1, 2020 Hawk Performance is offering a mail-in-rebate promotion through May 31, 2020. F.A.S.T. Auto customers and fans can receive $10 cash back on every $100 spent with no limit or restrictions.

F.A.S.T. Auto owner and Trans Am driver Adrian Wlostowski made comments earlier in the week, “We are very excited about this promotion that Hawk Performance is offering and will make sure our customers take advantage. Hawk Performance brakes are an essential street and track product for those looking for the best.”

For those interested and in need of Hawk Performance, reach out to Adrian and F.A.S.T. Auto Racing will gladly take care of your needs with the best service quality and attention to detail.

Whether you're on the street or the track, protecting the lead, or your family, you have to know that your brakes will do their job in any circumstance. Hawk Performance has been providing performance you can trust since 1993 by leveraging technology that is used in military and airline applications.

Hawk Performance brake pads are designed, engineered and produced in the United States. We stand by our products and offer a Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Discover more Hawk Performance online across social media platforms with these hashtags: #stopwithhawk #hawkperformancebrakes #hawkequipped and the website, hawkperformance.com.

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing can be found online, fastautoracing.com and on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Turnology: Forgeline And Hawk Help F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Go Even Faster

By TOMMY PARRY MARCH 28, 2020

When the smoke settles, and motorsport gets back up to speed later this year, we can properly welcome a new team into the 2020 Trans Am Championship. Recently, the New York City-based F.A.S.T. Auto Racing has taken the leap from NASA ST2 and SCCA T1 into the grand world of Trans Am. Remaining at the sharp end of the pack there requires a little help.

To ensure F.A.S.T. has everything they need to make their SGT-class Mustang truly quick, Forgeline and Hawk Performance lent the team their expertise and technical support.

I say “properly welcome” since the recent outbreak overshadowed the team’s auspicious maiden race in SGT. During the season opener at Sebring International Raceway, team owner and principal Adrian Wlostowski rounded the 3.74-mile track in an impressive 2:10.853 before finishing Third.

Considering their lack of experience in the series, strong pace, and the promising podium in Florida, it’s likely they’ll be joining the group of front-runners when the racing world restarts later this year.

Part of the impressive pace is due to being able to pare their Mustang closer to SGT’s minimum weight of 3,400 pounds. This car, which is based on a production ’17 GT, has had several hundred pounds trimmed thanks to a carbon hood, trunk, doors, seat, lightweight battery, and lighter Forgeline wheels. As it currently sits, it’s only 80-pounds heavier than the minimum, and that’s with Wlostowski sitting in it.

For the season opener, the wheel of choice was Forgeline’s GS1R in the standard 18 x 11-inch size — incidentally, the same wheel used on the Mustang GT4. Since then, Forgeline used this unfortunate interlude to build an even better wheel — one which showcases its ability to cater to a client’s needs.

“We will be testing new wheels from Forgeline, helping our Mustang reach minimum weight, which has been the most difficult task,” Wlostowski said.

To generate a little more stick, Forgeline tailormade a GS1R wheel with an additional inch of width and a custom offset. “Getting an 18 x 12-inch wheel to fit in the Mustang’s wheelwell was not simple — it’s a pretty tight squeeze. But, our offsets made it all possible to clear the Mustang’s massive AP Racing brakes,” Schardt said proudly.

Grippier Pirelli DH slicks, a rigid chassis, and plenty of power increase the chance of tire slip. To battle this, Forgeline designed these wheels with a knurled bead to minimize said slip, as we can see below.

That monumental grip, compounded by the vehicle’s weight and mild aero, puts quite a lot of strain on the brake pads. With Hawk Performance aiding their efforts, F.A.S.T. Auto Racing put their brakes through rigorous testing procedures to find the right combination of pads.

The undisputed choice for the front axle is the DTC-70: a high-temp, high-torque pad that can withstand the abuse of long, hot races. However, because they run with the factory ABS for the time being, the choice of rear pad varies based on the circumstances. Much like the Miata TURNology tested last year, F.A.S.T. Auto Racing had to tune their brake balance with the correct pad selection.

During the three or four laps of qualifying, when the rear tires won’t get overheated, they opt for the more aggressive DTC-60. However, as the tire performance fades over the course of the race, they’ve found the rear tires struggle with that much pad torque.

To keep the rears from locking under heavy deceleration, they’ve been using Hawk’s trust HPS 5.0, proving a punchy street pad is enough for a heavier racing car. In the coming months, Hawk Performance plan to design a new DTC-30 to fit the Mustang’s rear calipers, which ought to offer a considerable bump in stopping power, feel, and reassurance.

Having a detail-oriented driver and a great team who are willing to put in the extra testing time is what makes the most significant difference at the end of the season. “Wlostowski is so committed to continually exploring ways to improve, both in the garage and on the track. And that’s why he’s such a perfect match for Hawk Performance,” noted Hawk Performance Product Group Manager, Malcolm Sedano.

“It’s the testing opportunities that come with collaborations like this that provide Hawk with the real-world benchmarks needed for our own continued improvement, not only in on-track performance but for tow and chase fleets, too,” Sedano adds.

Let’s hope the season restarts soon to give this team another chance to shine.

New York SGT Team Aiming to be F. A. S. T. in Innovative Trans Am Simulated Race

New York, New York - March 27, 2020 - There's an old saying that ‘You can't keep a good man down’ and that would certainly be the case both where both the Trans Am organizers and the F.A.S.T. Auto Racing team from Queens, New York are concerned. The Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli Championship schedule for 2020 had Atlanta inked in for the upcoming weekend but while the current virus crisis sadly put a rest to that, it by no means a blank weekend for Trans Am fans. 

Instead, and for the first time ever, current, former, and even future Trans Am Series drivers from all five Trans Am classes will come together on the virtual stage to compete in the inaugural Trans Am by Pirelli Showdown at Lime Rock Park in a groundbreaking event that fans can follow on the new App. To even-up the simulated race, all the digital cars in competition will be prepared identically with spec trim.

Aiming for the podium in this highly innovative and welcome development at this testing time for all of us, is Adrian Wlostowski, who we would normally expect to find behind the wheel of the No. 96 F.A.S.T. Auto Racing Ford Mustang. Hailing from NYC where COVID-19 is taking a hard hit (44,000 cases estimated in NY state) Adrian tells us that they set up the simulation rig in the Queens office of their performance auto shop just hours ago. 

Sponsored by Hawk Performance, Forgeline Wheels, APEX, and F.A.S.T. Auto, Adrian finished third at Sebring in SGT earlier this month. Adrian's Birthday happens to be this weekend, on Sunday, March 29th, but his mind was on the exciting substitute for the Atlanta race when he spoke to us earlier today. 

"This is my first time using a simulator," stated Adrian Wlostowski. "I am missing real life racing, but this is the next best thing we can do in a time like we are currently in. This is a good way to help people to get their mind off things and have fun for a little bit. We are praying for everyone sick and everyone on the frontline of the COVID-19 putting themselves at risk to help others."

The Trans Am Racing Company President John Clagett made a statement late Friday and was understandably delighted that Trans Am had something for the fans at such a difficult time, "Taking Trans Am racing to the virtual world is a historic move for the series,” he stated earlier this week. “We miss racing just as much as our fans and drivers, and with the help of our app team, NAGRA, Sim partner Torque eSports, we will be able to deliver exciting Trans Am racing to a global market during this extended break.”  

Live coverage begins at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time with live commentary starting with a swift 10-minute qualifying session followed by two 20-minute main events. For added excitement, the second event will feature an inverted field.

Fans can stream the action by downloading the FREE Trans Am by Pirelli app and via Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/umggaming. 

WHEN:
Saturday, March 28 at 4 p.m. EST

HOW TO WATCH LIVE:
Watch the LIVE Stream on the Trans Am by Pirelli App, available via a FREE download:      
Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nagra.ion.transam&hl=en_US
Apple App: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trans-am-by-pirelli-racing/id1494720210

F.A.S.T. Auto Racing: fastautoracing.com

Trans Am Series: gotransam.com

Forgeline Wheels: forgeline.com

Hawk Performance: hawkperformance.com