After four days of racing the team finished on the podium in third place of the Classic Competition and first in class.
“The car went like a Swiss watch all event and considering the pace and the age of the car this was no mean feat, driver Bill Brentzell said. “The quick Porsches were nipping at the heels of the Mustang all event and we managed to concentrate on the job at hand and stay quick on the road. It’s not just about the driver and I can honestly say it was a 110% team effort with the navigator, service crew and support sponsors performing without fault. We are looking forward to the next opportunity to display the team’s abilities.”
The team started quickly on Day 1. The roads on day one are very challenging, culiminating in a very fast run on the “Corkscrew” stage run down the famous Gorge Road and then heading up the windy corkscrew road. After giving a Datsun 240Z a 30 second headstart off the line, the team caught them at the bottom of the Gorge Road and passed them to head into the Corkscrew – posting one of the fastest times on the stage. At the end of Day 1 the team were fourth in the Classic Competition behind Rick Bates – Porsche, Cameron Wearing – Capri Perana, and Len Catlin – Boss 302 Mustang.
Day 2 was a very fast run along the flowing stages south of Adelaide. The 1965 Mustang was regularly at maximum speed in top gear along the Carrickalinga and Myponga stages. Concentration was stretched at those speeds and again the car went well. Whilst holding their position the team were elevated to third place when leader Rick Bates went off the road on the final stage of the day.
Day 3 was a consolidation day with the team holding position. The fast and tight Basket Range stage was the highlight of the day with the team passing three Porsches on the stage to complete one of the fastest stage times.
On day 4 the pressure was on to stay in third place. The team knew it would be hard to make up 30 seconds to catch Len Catlin’s 302 Boss Mustang in second, so it was a matter of keeping Felkl in the Karmann Ghia, and Stack in the Porsche, at bay. Felkl had problems and Stack wasn’t able to match the speed of the Mustang.
The Paris Creek stage was 25km long and very fast. The Mustang’s dual side exhausts were bellowing throughout the countryside to post one of the fastest times on the stage. The last stage was Windy Point and the team knew a stable run down the hill was all that was required to seal third place. The crowds at the Windy Point hairpin were cheering as the Mustang’s V8 roar went past.
Overall it was a sensational event and a great result only made possible by the hard work of many people in the team. Brentzell would like to thank his whole team, including Management Effect and Ray Gowland from R&G Auto Repairs, Peter Stringfellow for calling the pacenotes at a frenetic pace, and JC kept the service crew in line.
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