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Thanks to the Prototype Development Group


stick947

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This is Chris Durbin, one of the drivers of the GTM-R for Richard. I want to start by thanking all of the people who have made this possible. Richard, Yvonne, you guys open up your house to me and treat me like one of the family. Jim, Ted, and Don working your butts off all year it was really great to finish that race for you guys. Ron, Ray, Will, Mike, Kevin, Trish, Justin, Alan, Darrel, Lori, and countless folks who I don't even know their names just jump in and help make this thing happen and everyone congratulates me but there is no way that it's possible without all the help. I can't clean my own windows and fuel and switch batteries and cook etc. It's a team and a family of which I can't put into words how lucky I am to be considered part of.

 

To the the other drivers, Keith, 'cool hand', David and Mikah, it was a pleasure to drive alongside you guys who all seemed to check egos at the door and get down to finishing the race. I am honored to be in your company. Also, to the other drivers in the 25, man what a bunch of class acts, less cautions than last year and even with heavy fog. Hats off.

 

To the sponsors, Hawk, Tel-tac, Hooked on Driving, Western States oil, Carquip, Hopper Paint, Kennedy Auto recyclers, Cherokee Truck parts, Factory Five and Richards personal efforts. Thank you all because it took every one of you guys to get us where we finished.

 

As for a run down of my experience, I will be wearing a smile for quite some time. Car was an absolute blast to drive and I was telling the crew, it brings a tear to me eye to see where we have come. I drove that first enduro at Buttonwillow and I know how many VOLUNTEER hours have gone into the development in just this year alone and we just keep picking off things that can hurt us in a long race and while we still have work to do, boy what a joy to see how far we've come.

 

Getting to the track and setting up the pit stall which was top notch with the lighting and the signage. We may have made the DP guys a little jealous and I know they didn't eat as good as we did. Practice on Friday was good as all of the drivers could easily get the car under 2 no problem and everyone settled in and David did a great job getting us in the top 5 to start the race. Keith led off and did a nice job of letting the knuckleheads who thought it was a 40 minute sprint wear out their equipment. Then to me and Keith made it easy on me cause all I had to do was keep it out of high risk passing situations and log laps. Mikah after me just kept the party going until he cut a tire and had to come in for an unscheduled but still kept up that momentum. David grabbed the wheel in the dark and took us to a MASTERFULLY called pit stop (Ted nice one man) to get us in and able to work on the car before the red came out. Left rear suspension was bending and bottoming out and the opportunity to fix that as well as address tires, brakes and a leaking cv joint was priceless. It was early in Davids run so we still had a pretty good fuel load to start the next morning when the fog lifted. I was sleeping still for some of Davids early riser but he was knocking down laps and staying out of trouble and by 7 am when Keith was running again we were in 2nd overrall and I hate to admit but I was teary eyed waiting for my turn to get in with a legit shot at taking this thing but coming back to earth had to realize that there was a lot of racing left before the checkers. Another nice call from the box (scaffolding really) by Ted got us in and fueled before fog forced a full course yellow when our competitors were near the end of their fuel runs. So when we went green it was a near full run which is almost double the competition. So then it was my turn again at the wheel again and we knocked off a full fuel stop and driver change in 2 mins flat, that's Daytona prototype territory fellas. AWESOME. Jim's fuel can design allows us to dump over 30 gallons of fuel before I can get in and belted so out I go and Keith had been telling us of a noise. Each lap the left front is getting worse and worse and I realize that its about to pop when I come through 14 but cant get onto pit road so I nurse it half way round before it goes down and manage to get it in before it kills the body work. They put on four doctor feelgoods and we're back in the hunt although losing a bit of ground for the unscheduled stop. About 90 mins later I start getting some misfiring so Ted brings me in to find that the alternator is dying and I am losing voltage, so the rest of the race we are forced to change batteries about every 90 minutes or so and even those stops got down to 50 seconds to change a battery which is awesome but we still lose a lap with every stop. Mikah keeps our GTM rolling and out of trouble and hands it to David around noon so three hours to go and we think we can make the end on one more stop. The battery starts giving up and David has to pee with about and hour 15 to go. If you let me finish on purpose David thanks for the honor. David has been saying that the right rear is laying down and its confirmed on the driver change that the suspension is bending again when I take over. I have to say that the final stretch was nerve racking for me trying to nurse the wounded car and make that car finish. I wasn't going to let those guys down. Got tears in my eyes in the airport as I write this. So much effort, and VOLUNTEER effort at that goes into this piece and I didn't want to let the team fail. Well we got her home and a late engine failure by the mustang put us in second in class and 11th overall and what a rush to finish that thing for the team and the last two laps with the crews against the hot pit wall man I felt like I could fly. That memory is mine to keep forever and that six foot trophy is Richard's birthday present from us. Happy Birthday buddy. I can't wait to get back out to my extended CA family to go on another adventure.

 

www.prototypedevelopmentgroup.com

 

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