The Backdraft is a very nice car, and with it's longer wheelbase and wider track than a standard Cobra it should be a very good handling car. MM is right to be proud of it, but it sounds like he didn't realize that not everyone on the track was 'racing'. Jeff Cooper, the writer and firearms guru tells the story about his first amateur racing experience. He took to the track (pre-race) and soon found himself flying past the other cars. He thought at the time that he must be some sort of driving prodigy, only to soon learn that what the other's were doing was simply familiarizing themselves with the track.
The fact that I often pass Corvettes on the road in my shop beater Escort wagon doesn't mean that on that day or any other my Escort is faster or handles better, only that at that point in time I chose to drive at a higher rate of speed.