Geoff Fane running Muscle Milk Trans Am in the US

[Robert Ryan]

I got an email from Todd Benne in the US, asking me if I knew much about a Geoff Fane. I said I did not.
Here is his entry in the Drivers list for the US series(they have 8 races). Tend to average 14 cars at a race.I noticed someone was running a RX7 Rotary in one race!

The US website:
Muscle Milk website

Fane, Geoff
CLASS Trans Am 2
Team Affiliation: Ricky Sanders Racing
Hometown: Brisbane Australia
Marital Status: Married
Family: 3 Boys
Racing Biography:
• Flat track and Motocross racer
• Motorcycle Road racing
• Speedway AMCA , Latemodels , Sprint Cars and Dirtmodifieds
• Road Racing . Production Sedan
• 3 times QLD Production Sports Car Champion.
• Australian Trans am
• Historic Trans am
Racing Highlights:
• QLD 500cc Flat Track Champion
• Australian and QLD Outlaw Sedan Champion
• QLD AMCA Champion
• QRDC Sports Car Champion
• 3 Times QLD Sports car Champion
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[FAMOUS]

Thats me running at lakeside .

I will be running New Jersey , Watkins Glen , Road America and the double header at Road Atlanta . If time allows maybe Brainerd .

Hopefully in a new Camaro TA2 like this .

[Robert Ryan]

Have you got the Vette in the US or did you leave it here?. Geoff I also get posts to My Facebook site Australian Sports Sedans. Australian Sports Sedans Facebook site
Lee and Rob Lodgson of V8Stockar are also interested. They are fascinated by the history of Sports Sedans. To people who are not aware a V8Stockcar GT is basically a SCCA class that caters for Trans Am cars and Roadracing Stock Cars.
V8Stockcar series

[FAMOUS]

The vette is based in Australia now for good .

Im considering buying one of the GT1 one cars that run in the Trans am series and runnig it out of the Ricky Sanders Racing Team then bringing back to Australia Next Year for the Sports Sedans series .?

At the moment we are commited to the TA2 series . They are a lot of fun when you get your head around them and quite reliable and inexpensive to run . All the people in the states I have met are really nice polite and extremely respectful people which makes it a good thing to do .

[Robert Ryan]

I have noticed that some NZ cars in their GTNZ series, cannot race in Australia, which is pretty crazy. Some examples

[Phast Phil]

And the reason they cannot run in Australia is?

The 2 cars in your image look like transam cars and they are eligible, unless someone put an oversize engine in them.

Just so that it is crystal clear to all....we have a set of rules called group 3D sports sedan. The USA has a set of rules called SCCA pro racing trans-am TA1. If any car complies with ether one of these rules then they are eligible to race here. The cars also have to comply with CAMS general requirements for race cars, in particular the roll over protection rules.

So if a car does not comply that is not crazy from our point of view as the rules are the rules and have been this way for quite awhile. The only serious enquiry that I have had from NZ is Alan Ferguson who will be racing with us from round 3 in his new Corvette TA. The real reason is often not what is said, what is said is often an excuse. We would love more cars from NZ, but all cars need to comply with one of the above rule sets and to be honest for most cars that is quitre simple. It is not worth having 18 cars comply and 2 non complying as that makes a mockery of the rules. Try racing a non complying Formula Ford or V8 Supercar, you would not make it past initial inspection.

[Robert Ryan]

Phil in a interview on NZV8 TV. Bernie Gillon said the Brennan car above was "too advanced"? for the combined Sports Sedans/TA regulations we have here. What he did mean is a good point. As far as I know the Trans Am cars in GTNZ run 6 Litre engines, but their is allowance for 7 Litre units for sedans. I have sent emails to Bernie, hoping for a reply.

[Robert Ryan]

Here is the Episode I was referring too.Bernie Gillon his Jaguar As he says Brennans car is "too high tech"

[Nadz44]

How could there cars be too high tech??????, hes comparing a trans am chassis that has been around for years to cars like hossacks and most recently bailys aston, who both have the best you can have in a sports sedan....

[Robert Ryan]

I received this reply from Grant Brennan, who built the Brennan Corvette, interesting reading.:

Hi Robert

thanks for your interest

The car is built to show case the work that Brennan Racing does for other race companies around the world.

It is easy to say that a car is too high tech when it is faster. Which is what I think happened here with Bernie.

The car complies 100% with the rules here in NZ.

The difference in the way this car performs is mainly due to having a good understanding of what is required on the day.

Many of the guys that we compete against just drive their cars as they are - they don't develop or change too much.

We build a lot of these cars, most are for the overseas market but we carry a huge inventory of spare parts for them which are all manufactured in house - uprights,spindles, diffs,etc etc. If you look at our catalog on our website you will see more of what we do - this is only a small portion.

The in car footage that is on your site wasn't to demonstrate the performance of the car but just some of the driving abilities of some of the "weekended warriors"

The engine was only running on 7 cylinders that day with a malfunctioning coil on the start.

If you view this link on you tube http://youtu.be/I5oxiXYnkyw this will show you more on the car in its early days of development.

6 Cars went to Thailand to compete in their Super car Thailand Rd's 5 and 6 in late 2010 . We were lucky enough to be invited 2010 and won the overall round. see you tube link http://youtu.be/DFihB_YPGm8

A car similar and newer version to Bernie's built in the Sth Island and the new owner of Bernie's jag (Greenslade) ran at Thailand but was unable to produce any sort of result and was lapped in lap 9 of a 24 lap race.

Technical on the car:

Brennan Chassis CNC jigged - tig welded, chrome moly

Brennan SB2 Engine with ongoing development done in the cylinder heads with reduced valve spring technology

Brennan Kinsler Injection

Brennan 5 speed sequential Gearbox - low ground clearance - quick removal from car, disassembly, changing of ratios and reassembly are the features.

Brennan Ford 9 Inch - adjustable roll center - lightweight fabricated

Brennan Geared Torque sensing diff center designed specifically for these cars

Brennan Suspension - uprights - spindles

Ohlins Shocks - factory supported

Motec M880 and ADL2 Dash

Traction Control - Flat shift.

18" BBS Wheels

Tyres 18" x 340 width and 18" x 360 width

Brembo Brakes - 6pot front - 4 pot rear

5250 cubic inch

Operating RPM 7000-11,000

Stainless Fabricated exhaust system

BMRS hosing and fittings

Weight 1150kg with an additional 200 kg added for Thailand rounds

Carbon Fibre/Kevlar Corvette Body copied from a USA body but re dimensioned to make true

Carbon clutch

plus loads more

There are many carburetted V8 engines in the class but more going injected and more late model. But retaining the Transam style chassis with updated components.

One of our current chassis will out perform those still under construction in the USA.

There is a new class being formed to run under the new V8 Super Tourer class. This is exciting for all owners of these cars as it will provide a stable platform for like minded racers with the exposure required to afford to run.

Let me know if you want any more information for your readers.

Regards

Grant Brennan

Brennan Racing

www.brennanracing.com



On Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:32:55 -0700 (PDT), Robert Ryan <robert_ryan2@yahoo.com> wrote:

Grant,