Outlaw 10.5 – racing on the edge of insanity

The Moits Outlaw 10.5 Mustang sets a new world speed record at 252.95 MPH (Photo courtesy Hayley Turns)

The Outlaw 10.5 scene in Australia has come on strong in the last few years and has grown in popularity with both racers and fans.

Trying to put thousands of horsepower through a 10.5W slick is a huge challenge and it doesn't take much to go from hero to has-been if you get it wrong.

But it's this racing on the edge mentality that makes it such a spectacle for fans and an adrenalin rush for the racers. To be the quickest and fastest in Outlaw 10.5 you've got to make the power, get the car set-up just right and have someone mad enough get behind the wheel.

On August 17th all of these elements came together and the Moits Outlaw 10.5 Mustang powered down Sydney Dragway to record a 5.99 at 252.95 mph, resetting the mile-per-hour record previously held by Brad Personett in the Big Stuff Camaro.

The man behind the wheel is Paul Moyhaet, an experienced racer who has driven plenty of fast cars including the Sarkis Brother's blown Centura and Chevy Nova. "There's a crazy difference between running 243 and 252 mph. The Moits Mustang kept pulling for the full quarter and I knew it was going to be fast. To run 252.95 mph was awesome and we're keen to tackle the ET record now."

Michael Moit, of WOG-007 fame, owns the Mustang which was imported from the States in February of this year. "I'm good mates Rob Campisi and he spotted this car," said Paul. "It was built back in 2004 and Michael bought it from Brian Carpenter who had the car updated in 2011."

When the Mustang arrived in Australia the team pulled it apart and replaced more hardware than they kept. While Paul does a lot of the mechanical work, Con and Vic from CV Performance tune the engine, Glenn Davies from GD Race Cars takes care of the chassis tuning while Al from Al's Race Glides maintains the 2 speed Rossler Turbo 400.

With the mph record now if the bank, the team is turning its attention to resetting the ET record currently held by Brad Brand with a 5.942.

"We've got the car we want now and were going to turn the power up to try and get the ET record," said Paul. "We're right on the edge as far as speed goes but there's room for improvement in the first half of the track, and that's where we'll pick up the ET we need."

With the record setting performances also comes some scrutiny. "We run under the APSA Outlaw 10.5 rules which don't specify a minimum weight. The Mustang is lighter than some of the other local cars so I don't know how long we'll be able to compete in the class," said Paul.

"Our focus is the ET record and competing at the APSA round in November. Personally, once we've achieved our goals in 10.5 I'd love to put some big tyres underneath and go door-slammer racing. It would be fantastic for the fans and the racers to see blower v turbo v nitrous as the premier door class in Australia."

"At the moment though we can't run in door-slammer so it's either Super Sedan, which is a scary thought, or Competition. But where it's at is heads up and flat out to the finish line."

It takes a huge effort to get a car like this down the track and Paul has a lot of people he'd like to thank...

• Michael, Tony and George Moit
• The Moit's Mustang crew
• CV Performance
• GD Race Cars
• Al's Race Glides
• Abal Towing
• Thornleigh Auto Body Smash Repair