Stu Mullan Races at Sebring

Stu in his SRF3 ready to roll.

On September 5, 2020, SBCC member, Stu Mullan, was at Sebring International Raceway for a series of races under the auspices of the Sports Car Club of America. Stu races in the SRF3 class and he invited President Jim Wilson to attend as one of his crew members. This was a rare treat because no spectators were otherwise allowed due to the coronavirus. Everyone also had to wear a face mask at all times. Jim filed the following report.

The SRF3 (3rd generation of the Spec Racer Ford class) dates back to 1994 when the SRF was introduced by SCCA as an economical, purpose-built race car. This is what they call a “spec” class, meaning components are built by one supplier and then sealed so modifications are not possible. This makes all cars equal, leaving driver skills the determining factor in the races. The SRF3 has a rear mounted Ford 4-cylinder engine with dual overhead cam and five speed transmission. With the driver, the car must weigh 1,560 lb., resulting in a very high power to weight ratio with speeds up to 140 mph.

Stu has owned his car for 10 years, and he has it garaged and prepped by PM Racing in Lakeland, Florida. The company does all the maintenance and repairs, transports the vehicle to the race track, and provides race day support at the track. On this occasion, there were five other SRF3’s besides Stu’s car running out of the PM stables. On Friday, Stu broke the transmission and clutch during a practice run, but PM had spares and had the car ready to go for the first event Saturday morning. Jim recalls that as a pit crew member in the past, he’s done plenty of wrenching to get broken racers ready for the next day so it was great to be a member for once with nothing to do but spectate! It was an enjoyable day, but unfortunately, afternoon lightning forced the cancellation of the latter portion of the program, including Stu’s last race.

Jim plans to go to the next SCCA Sebring event in January. Obviously, that depends on the status of the coronavirus and whether the track is open to spectators again. If anyone else is interested, let Jim know.

Leave a Reply