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Thu Sep 19
This is the frame of Duntov's new Trans Am 2 car in the paint booth 9 days before what was scheduled to be its first ever run as a Camaro. The car was a three year old Mustang when it was purchased by Colby Hillman. Colby had the Duntov team strip away all that was Ford and all that was old and bring it back to life as a proper 2019 Camaro.
Wed Oct 2
Mark Hilderbrand came by the shop and pitched in to help on the TA car. The TA build team led by Jake Mellits and Luke Wojtescek was down to the wire working past midnight every night, under enormous pressure. Mark helped out as long as he could and then left for COTA to save the Duntov team a spot for our two trailers.
Clair and Alan just made the 1800 deadline at registration and stopped by to visit with Mark, who had roped off a place for both trailers. Edward and Tony were on their way bringing Clair's car, while Luke and Jake would be bringing the black trailer with Jim's car and the TA2 car when it was finally finished.
Thu Oct 3
We got to the track while it was still dark and caught the sun rising behind the tower. Edward had parked in the spot saved by Mark Hilderbrand and was already getting ready for Test Day. We got Clair's car out at 0820 but it was not to his liking. We had installed new brakes in Clair's car, and they were needing a left foot pump going down the straightaway, so that needed attention. We put on the spare set of calipers and barely got Clair out for the second of only three sessions scheduled today. Clair came in very happy and said the car was perfect. Alan took the car out in the last session and agreed. The sun was setting by the time we finished at the track and got the guys back to their place.
Fri Oct 4
There were two sessions today for Clair and two for the TA2 car which finely arrived an hour before the first TA2 practice session . Jake and Luke were up until 0200 and then drove down. We threw on the numbers and Edward took it out for the first time ever. The number on the hood was so new it peeled off in the wind!
The car was terrible, but at least it ran, and it didn't leak anything. Edward made some setup changes while Alan slapped on the required TA2 stickers and then he took it out for a slightly less hectic second session. Unfortunately, the setup change went too far and the car was still awful, but different awful.
Clair's practices were unremarkable, other than he got pulled by Mike Donohue and John Cloud down the straights, so he was not looking good for a Group 6 helmet. Clair's car carries over 600 lbs of ballast, and we never took any ballast off the car the whole weekend. The #63 Jag was here as well, and he is always fast.
It is funny how the straightaway speeds vary with our competitors during a race weekend where getting weighed is likely. They seem to be significantly slower later in the weekend than in early practice.
The last TA2 session of the day was Qualifying 1, and Edward was getting closer on the setup. He ended up fifth! We were pumped!
Edward didn't take Jim's car out at all until its first qualifying session. He put three laps on it in Qualifying 1 and put it on the pole over Jody by 1.4 seconds. Clair was ninth OA, and second in BP to Mike.
Sat Oct 5
The plan of the day was at 0800 Qual 2 for Group 6, and Edward didn't even take Jim's car out. It didn't matter, as he had the field covered. Clair's situation was unchanged.
The afternoon saw the Group 6 Qualifying race. Edward started from the pole but was swarmed at the start and was fourth on lap one. He set the fastest lap of the race next, but stopped on the back straight with oil and water temperatures off the chart. We found out later that we were running super lean because the exhaust probes were giving us false readings and we were way too lean. Fortunately the engine wasn't hurt.
Clair finished seventh overall and third in BP, behind Mike and Scott Holley in the #63 Jag.
Next up was Qual 2 for TA2, and Edward had improved the car again, and it showed. He was only off the pole by .1 seconds!
Now we were really on the map! The TA technical team impounded the top three cars and kept them for over an hour; fuel samples, measurements of everything, the whole nine yards. We were clean.
The top four cars were separated by .178 seconds! It was going to be a hell of a race tomorrow at 1100 (and a hell of a first turn!).
Sun Oct 6
The enduro started at 0800, so we got to the track at what seemed like the middle of the night. Clair started from the pole and had a surprising time getting away from a pesky Group 8 Porsche, but he did. Unfortunately, his stint came to an early end when he came in on lap 4 because of smoke coming in from under the hood. He seemed resigned to our race being over, but we spotted a leaky power steering fitting peeing on the driver's side exhaust header, and tightened it up. It was certainly not time for a driver's change, but we needed this stop to count for our mandatory 5 minute pit stop, so Clair got out and Alan got in.
While this was going on, Edward was driving Pat Sessions Mustang out of the Cobra Automotive pits. Typically this is not one of the faster Cobra Automotive Mustangs, and Edward had started at the very back of the Group 6 cars on the grid. In short order he passed all the other Group 6 cars on the track and Clair and Alan's #37 Corvette during their pit stop. However, when Edward stopped he only had a 5 minute lead on the Corvette, so a 5 minute pit stop would put his leading Mustang even with the Corvette and Edward was no longer driving it!
Unfortunately, an oil line fitting on the Corvette came apart in Turn 15 causing a full course yellow. By the time the Corvette was picked up and the oil slick cleaned up, the checker fell and the race was over. Once it went yellow it stayed yellow, meaning Edward won another gold helmet, this time with co-driver Pat Sessions.
Next up was the TA2 race. Edward started third and finished third, but it was one hell of a race.
Edward lost two places in Turn 1. As he explained later, his goal was just not to get punted off. He ran in fifth place for almost the entire race. There was a full course yellow when Curt Vogt totaled his Mustang, and on the restart Edward lost a place but quickly got it back. He stayed in fifth until the guy in fourth spun out the guy in third right in front of Edward. Edward had been closing on these two and he was now very close to the new third place runner. He was right beside him at the last turn of the last lap, but couldn't quite make the pass.
it didn't matter, as the stewards disqualified the third place finisher because of his earlier punt in Turn 15, and Edward was awarded third place.
 Shown above, Edward is in the kitty litter left over from Alan's blown oil line in the earlier enduro.
The third place car was disqualified because of the earlier punt in Turn 15, so it didn't matter that he didn't get the guy at the last corner; he was already in third at that time! That car and that race was one of Duntov's and Edward's finest achievements.
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