There is a new man in the Ford Racing camp and his name is George Goddu.  Goddu has been with Ford Motor Company for over 20 years now, moving his way up through the ranks and he is now the Manager of the Ford Racing Performance Group. From manager of customer service to the marketing division and sales sides of Ford, Goddu has been helping to make Ford Motor Company what it is today.

With the introduction of the Coyote V8 and the popularity of Ford Racing in many different motorsports, his job is more important than ever. Goddu sat down with powerTV to talk about the future of Ford’s racing and aftermarket divisions, their goals, new plans and ideas. From the new crate 5.0-liter Mustang engines to their new outlook on the Focus and Fiesta markets, Ford’s flare is burning brighter than ever.

StangTV: George, how did you get into motorsports at such as young age? I read your bio and it said you always wanted to work for Ford Motorsports.

George Goddu: I’ve been involved around motors since I was very, very young. I am the youngest of seven boys in my family. My older brothers had cars and there was always something going on. If it had wheels on it, I wanted to ride it, bounce on it and see how fast I could get it to go down the street. It has always been a passion of mine, but I didn’t have too many opportunities while growing up to actually race.

I got involved in flying and was in Army Aviation for three years, where I was the crew chief on Apache helicopters. But that wasn’t going to go where I really wanted it to. So when I got out, I ended up at a college now known as CSU – Colorado State University – in Pueblo. They had a program called Automotive Industry Management, which was a business degree in the automotive field. I tried to find other ways to be involved with cars and the program while I was there.

When a professor asked where I wanted to be if I were to get my dream position, it came down to the value of Ford Motor company and how they treat their employees.  I took interviews from others, but when I got the offer from Ford, that was really all I considered and that was over 20  years ago.

As far as actually racing, I got the opportunity when I was at Ford.  I starting racing karts –  first with four cycle karts here in Michigan and then I had an overseas assignment where I had an opportunity to race water-cooled, two-cycle karts and really enjoyed it! I loved being behind the wheel of anything.

STV: What’s your overall mission at Ford Racing? What do you have going on currently and what’s in the near future? What are you trying to do in the distant future?

Goddu: We are unique compared to a lot of other performance companies out there. We have a dual purpose. We have an ongoing concern to offer high quality products and be profitable at it, but we want to enhance the cars that we put out there today – to make the factory cars better.

Take this for an example: The new 5.0-liter is just a phenomenal engine architecture, designed with the performance enthusiasts in mind and the fact in mind that people are going to want to take it further. The mainstream guys did great with that. That makes my job easier and more exciting, because we know there are so many opportunities there.

With the 5.0, we are working on seeing what’s the best product and combination of products we can bring to that motor to make it the best overall. I see a crate motor that is a standard five liter, with a control pack with a reasonable cost that someone can put in it in a hot rod – really, a pretty turn-key deal. We also see an opportunity to offer a crate motor, built with all forged internals for someone who knows they are going to put a blower or other power adder on. That that will be a great platform for someone else.

The Mustang is our bread and butter. It’s a part of the brand, but there are exciting new elements in the Focus and Fiesta markets, too. If you look at the young kids coming into cars today, they are into different areas of motorsports: Drifting, gymkana, motorcross. It’s the place I started in, and frankly we haven’t been there, not really. That market primarily resides in Europe and with this whole idea with One Ford, the same leadership is now going to help us drive the Ford products and race series around the world. Now we can keep the platform the same between the two countries. The same pedigree you saw in Europe will be here now – the same, but just on a different continent.

STV: Mustang is a large part of your business, but with the Focus and Fiesta, how are you getting out there and letting people know that Ford will be a source of parts for those vehicles?

Goddu: Part of it is social media. We have some enthusiasts that are in the Fiesta movement and we want to keep them involved – people like Ken Block, Tanner Foust, etc. It is new for us, but an opportunity to reach out to these potential new car owners. I also don’t want to discount the Mustang V6 of today. It is different than the V6 of yesterday. It’s a pretty affordable performance car — and definitely is a performance car!

STV: If you look at the broad spectrum of sport compact, to be a presence in that market, what do you guys have in mind to get involved?

Goddu: Driving schools… like the Fiesta Rally School. We teamed up with Team O’Neil and gave him 43 cars and that is just a great platform for someone who wants to get involved in motorsports.

STV: Do you see a consumer version or a special edition of, let’s say, Ken Block’s car? Something that everyone sees and wants, but available from Ford?

Goddu: Working on the idea of a global platform of racing, if we have a Focus, someone could buy the One car and upgrade it for the purposes of what they need. It gives us consistent exposure, a consistent approach across the globe, assured reliability and so on. We are looking for a global presence for the Focus coming out. There’s Grand-Am, Touring, and Rally possibilities. We have not settled on one approach with one driver in one series to get out there to with what the entry level is using today. The person who is tuning their car on the street is getting more from the Internet than TV. My goal is to use this technical side of things from Europe to be able to provide performance parts and abilities to reach the Internet-conscious before they really hit here.

One of my favorite cars here at Ford Motorsports is the European Focus RS. There are many reasons why it’s not in the US yet. The RS is a forerunner of what will come out with the SVT team. That is great tool for us to say we can offer something that comes in a package with great performance in something like the Focus.

STV: With the new material in the 5.0-liter block, what are the capabilities? What is Ford Racing going to offer for the block in the aftermarket and racing environment?

The mainstream has done a lot with the block (like the six bolt main). At Ford Racing, they haven’t done a lot to the block. Re-engineering the block is something we should not focus on, but instead take that structure and go above and beyond to its fullest potential.

We look at things in a package; we don’t build a 1,000 horespower engine that will only last a week. We add things that improve the performance of the car without major compromises to integrity or durability — we need this to work as a package. There are others out there that aren’t doing that. That’s what makes us stand out and where I can do something. We know the engines and look at things as a package, doing performance that polishes the Oval. We don’t look at one pull; we look at 450 pulls, as well as building the same power in a number of different circumstances.

STV: We have seen testing on the new Ford blower for the 5.0L. When are we going to see them on the street?

Goddu: Ford Racing will have a completed blower pack out very shortly. And it will come with a blower and calibration. We’re waiting on EO, so that it is emissions compliant, which might affect the final outcome. I can tell you that it will give you 100 horsepower over the base. That is all day long, in any circumstance, not a one-time peak in power. Torque is supposed to increase to 430 ft lbs, a 100+ horsepower and that’s on 93 octane.

STV: The 2011 Cobra Jet – have you got any information on what’s going to be done on it differently?

Goddu: We are going to have one in 2011 or 2012 production year. I think the Boss 5.0 would be a great engine to offer, but we want to make the drag racer happy, so we are talking to them about what they want in the car. They have been involved in every way so far and it’s been great. Our biggest approach is to get the best products possible out there, so that when we win, we get more people and we win even more.

STV: As you are making more and more products not just for the new Fords but old as well, how are you guys expanding the market and making it bigger and better?

Goddu: We need to be very clear on what we are the best at and to focus on that. We cannot and should not be the manufacturer of every part on the Mustangs, as an example. What we can be, and should be, are the folks who know the best on how to use the current and past technologies and use them as systems. We are not about having all of the bolts, but having the best integration of the systems.

STV: How will you handle the new fuel economy regulations and the emerging ‘Going Green’ emphasis that is building in the automotive community?

Goddu: There are people out there wanting to Go Green and fast, so there is an opportunity there. One of the things I’ve heard around here is talk of using an electric motor for low end with a gas motor on top end. I’m not worried about the 35 MPG on the racing side of things as a company or for Motorsports in general. The idea of performance being all about horsepower and torque and no consideration of the carbon footprint is quickly evaporating.

We are conscious of that, but that’s not a weight that I have to bear at this time, but if we can be ahead on that, it would be great. I take it more as a fun place to go and it’s an advantage that we have over aftermarket guys, because we have an array of engineers and technicians already working on that.

The years since the first release of the S197 Mustang have seen a significant growth in the roles that Ford Racing presents to the public. Part of that comes from the much improved potential of the contemporary Mustang, but also from new leadership direction. Goddu’s predecessors have called the shots on significant projects like the 5.0-liter Cammer engine,  the Grand Am race car, the current generation of Cobra Jet dragsters and an ever expanding line of  bolt-on performance products.

As the performance market evolves, Ford Racing Performance Group is adapting with it, says its current manager, bringing emphasis to what newer enthusiasts are looking for while not abandoning the existing business. The challenges of the future may be novel, but competition – in all its forms – serves well to present new opportunities for those willing to take them on. The future at Ford Racing Performance Group certainly looks bright with opportunity.