Ford.
That's the word that best describes Brian Carr. Talk to Brian about his exploits in GTP production car racing, his work and personal life, and Fords are mentioned in nearly every breath. In the Aussie Ford vs Holden V8 battle, the line is clearly drawn for Brian - and there's no guessing on which side of the fence he sits!
Away from the busy schedule of GTP racing, Brian runs a successful security business, AMASS Security. Keep an eye out for his company cars and you'll notice that they're all Fords. A veritable Tickford catalog on wheels, actually. Brian's family? - they have a grand total of 38 Fords. Brian buys all of his vehicles from friend Ian McAllister - of McAllister Motors - a man who happens to race in the BrUtes class. In an XR8 ute, of course!
So when he decided to enter GTP, what car did Brian choose to display his skill in? You guessed it, a Ford XR8.
Campaigning early on in the Ford AU I (before then moving onto the Ford AU II), Brian demonstrated his abilities well. He's competed consistently and proficiently, racing to a 3rd in Class C V8 Tourers - placed behind only the more powerful VX 5.7 litre Commodore and another XR8 - and to a 5th place in GT Production overall last year.
Brian competes in GTP with a dedicated team and attributes most of his success to a "great network of people - I have really got to know a great group of skilled people in the industry." But his podium finishes in every race last season but one (the exception was a DNF) speak volumes for his driving ability.
Brian started in production car racing about 10 years ago. From day one he was keen to do well - to make motor racing more than just an occasional event in his life. But it was the advent of motorsport promoter Procar about 6 years ago - and their introduction of GTP racing - when Brian saw his real opportunity. It was as cheap a way as you'll find in competing in a professional-level motorsport formula, running near showroom spec cars. And the car on his list was a brand spanker Tickford AU I Falcon, producing 185 flywheel kilowatts (or around 248 neddies). Brian picked it up for a slightly discounted price before the paint had even dried - he was always going to race it.
The Changes
Procar stipulate that the exhaust can only be modified after the first join, so Brian replaced the rest of the XR system with a free-flowing 2ΒΌ-inch exhaust. But unlike the Commodores, whose cat converter can be removed because of this rule, the XR's had to remain in place. Fairly free modifications can be made to springs, shock absorbers and suspension geometry, but within some limits. Ride height minimum is set at 327mm (measured from the wheel centre to the rolled edge of mudguard), tyre compound and width is fairly free - although with some restrictions - and the tyres must fit on a standard rims. Suspension geometry variations are also policed - for example, negative camber cannot exceed 4 degrees.
The interior must remain as close as possible to the way the general public would view the car in the showroom. So apart from some modifications to fit compulsory race seat, harnesses, safety devices, communication gear and a roll cage, peering through the glass on this sleek looking car should remind you of the showroom version!
The only engine mechanical work allowed is a balance and blueprint (not required for the XR8), and gearbox and differential ratios are fixed.
As the AU I began last season, only minimal changes were made to the factory computer (that's right, no aftermarket computer at that stage, although one was permitted). These included the removal of the pesky speed limiter (that would have been no fun at Philip Island!), the deletion of the factory imposed rev limiter, and some other minor changes to timing and fuelling designed to achieve more power. Wayne Park, of Prancing Horse Ferrari fame, dyno'd the car for Brian, and commented on how impressed he was by the factory engine management computer. Peak power was around 285 - 290hp (or around 215kW).
Not bad for a near-standard computer, and enough to make that Windsor get down and boogie on the straights.
Brakes
But it wasn't the power that was the Achilles heel of the AU I Falcon. It was the brakes. Not known for large and effective stoppers, the AU I suffered on the track. Because of the single piston caliper and small pad area, "the front pads would bend like a banana!" says Brian. Stopping was hampered, and on a number of occasions boiling brake fluid took the shine off the day's events. But according to Brian, the handling was "bloody brilliant", helped by the large number of adjustments that could be made to suspension geometry during testing.
The saving light came when Brian was able to up-spec the car to the newer AU II model, something which occurred mid-way through the 2001 season. This gave the car bigger twin-piston caliper front brakes, a revised camshaft profile, bigger injectors, new roller rockers, and among other things, a new MoTeC computer.
Thanks to the well-tuned MoTeC, the engine power jumped to 330hp, "a huge improvement, although it was never the straightline speed that caused problems anyway."
With the limit reached as far as power and straightline performance went, and parity penalties imposing a 5000-rpm rev limit and adding ballast to take the car up to 1667kg, Brian and his team had to work harder. Part of this intensive effort involved testing brake pads and compounds to improve stopping and feel, and trying different spring and shocker combinations to find the ideal set-up for each track. In fact Brian reckons he "spent the most time of any GTP team testing springs and shocks".
He was reluctant to tell us the specs of the suspension he finally settled for!
With the introduction of a better front disc set-up - including larger pads and those twin-piston calipers - braking was much improved. Part of that gain was the result of a (secret) pad compound, which worked very well. Tyres were another area under constant evaluation, with the team finally settling on Pirellis, as they provided the most consistent performance.
All of this testing and development on the car made a big difference. Brian sat high on the table in C class - V8 Touring Cars - for much of the 2001 season, with only the introduction of the 5.7 litre VX Commodore into his category and some bad luck hampering him from claiming 1st or 2nd place by season's end.
New Drive
With this outstanding result, Brian was offered a drive with the Prancing Horse race team - which campaign Ferraris and Mustangs - and drove a Mustang for John Bowe at Oran Park last year, the last round of the season. Jumping from his XR straight into the Mustang, Brian managed a 5th outright against some pretty capable vehicles, including Subaru STi's and Mitsubishi EVO Vs.
So this season keep an eye out for Brian in a Mustang - he is now a contracted driver with Prancing Horse. Brian also has plans for the Konica V8 series, so his year will sure be a busy one! And all this means his lovely, fully prepared, and very competitive AU II, with spares, is available for sale. Feel free to make him an offer.
Oh, if you're wondering why Brian isn't driving the Ferrari for the Prancing Horse team, "Well, I was offered it, but I am a Ford man, so I will work hard in the Mustang this season and the guys understand that!"
Contact:
Brian Carr
AMASS Security
+ 61 409819650
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