Ford's initial test for the pre-production GT didn't go very smoothly. The car suffered some mechanical issues a few months ago, so the company sent racer Billy Johnson to Virginia International Raceway to test it out again to see what went wrong.
Naturally, Johnson set a track record in the GT at VIR.
Johnson ran a 2:38.62 in the GT, which beat the Dodge Viper's previous record of 2:40.02. He told Road and Track that they weren't even trying to break the record.
"It was a last minute deal," Johnson said. "I think I had a two-day notice before I was on a plane to go up [to VIR]. It was to validate an issue with another car... We just happened to turn a fast time when we were testing something else."
Related: Ford could be in store for a difficult season in the Cup Series
The record was set despite there not being ideal track conditions, and the car supposedly wasn't even equipped to be able to set a record.
Johnson said it wasn't a Competition Series car, and the GT didn't have the ideal titanium exhaust. The track also didn't have the ideal grip that it normally would under regular racing conditions.
It's an impressive accomplishment for Johnson and the GT, and it's safe to say the recent testing went more smoothly than the initial testing.