1969 Bridgehampton







1969 Lime Rock


1971










Watkins Glen


1972



 

David Bauer relayed me treasures out of Sam Colmans photobox. Sam was a member of the Dark Horse Racing Team back in 71/72, working on the engine heads.
We are just trying to compile the whole history together with

• Steve Francis, who worked on several T/A cars including Smokey Yunicks semi T/A car
• Peter Marcovicci, then race team chief of the Dark Horse Racing Team
• Randy Gillis of JE Pistons, just (March 2002) working on the restoration of #073
• Scott Couchman (author of the June 2000 Mustang Monthly article)
• and hopefully Ed Ludtke from the Mustang Racing registry and SAAC itself enter the wide open door (!) to join the T/A party.
  
  Before we start here allow me a short (very short) introduction to the rare breed of T/A Mustangs:
  These are the Factory Trans Am Boss 302 Mustangs that were prepared by Kar Kraft. Only 3 of them got full treatment, while others were finished in the hands of the individual race teams plus not to forget those Bodies in White, that were transformed into T/A racers at a later date. (Hey that was short)
  
  Now Dave Bauer speaks up:
  "My friend Sam Colman worked in the Dark Horse Racing Team, that raced the first Shelby Team car (9F02R112073) during the 71/72 season. John Gimbel was the driver then. The Shelby team car was originally painted for the 1969 season dark blue and carried #2 on the door. In 1971 it carried #57 and in 1972 #3.
  
  History of 9F02R112073 - (First ever factory Boss 302 racer and main Team Shelby car in 1969).
  The story is still subject to final checking with Ed Ludtke and Steve Francis, Randy Gillis (JE Pistons, just restoring the car) and Peter Marcovicchi right now as well as SAAC, if they jump in.
  
  9F02R112073 - (First ever factory Boss 302 racer and main Team Shelby car in 1969). It was one of the dark corporate blue cars. Peter Revson & Horst Kwech were the regular drivers. The 9F02R112073 car was first run at Bryar, July 20, 1969. It was driven by Horst Kwech as #2. It was run at the next race on August 3, 1969 at St. Jovite and wrecked (also driven by Horst Kwech as #2).
  The 9F02R112073 car was one of the three Factory Ford cars wrecked at the 1969 St. Jovite race when George Follmer broke a valve spring while leading the race, causing the valve to hole the piston. Oil poured onto the track causing him to spin in his own oil. He hit nothing and parked the car on the side of the track. He jumped the wall in time for the blue #1, Peter Revson (9F02M148629), Shelby Team Mustang and the blue #2, Horst Kwech (9F02R112073), Shelby team Mustang to come around the turn, hit the oil and slam the #16 car (9F02R112074). As George Follmer tells the story, the corner worker only put out a yellow flag for the car on the side of the track and did not flag for the oil.
  
  Dan Gurney did drive the blue 1969 Team Shelby Boss' for three races. He drove 9F02R112073 once in 1969 at Sears Point, September, 21 1969.
  After the 1969 season, Ford gave Bud Moore the corporate blue Team Shelby Mustangs. New 1970 sheet metal was installed.
  
  It seems however that 9F02R112073 had been left to sit at Bud Moore's for the 1970 season (may have been a backup car) before it was updated with 1970 sheet metal and sold to John Gimbel and Dark Horse Racing who raced it for the 1971 season as #57. It was painted black with blue stripes and a white tail light panel. In the 1972 season, it was raced as #3 and was painted black with red stripes and a white tail light panel.
  
  The crew chief for the 1971 & 1972 seasons was Peter Marcovicci of MARCOVICCI-WENZ vintage racing engines fame. It was sold to Daher Racing in Mexico, then bought by Danny Moore and after 1974 Danny Moore raced it as the orange #57, 1970 Boss 302. He drove it to the Boss 302 national championship later.
  Ed Recknagle bought it after that, (a friend of Jerry Crew and Danny Moore). Richard Morrow, the ex-chief mechanic was re-hired and it was restored in Oklahoma, then raced and repaired very often.
  
  The car was wrecked again in 1972 when oil on the track caused driver John Gimbel to spin and back into the woods at Sanair International Raceway. The car was repaired on Long Island, N.Y. and returned to racing at the next race. The car has early features not found on some of the other cars and has a unique roll cage.
  
  Randy Gillis of JE Pistons is currently working on the 073 car and says that it is being brought back to 1969 specs. He is trying to locate that double Holley dominator intake setup for the car. He is also looking for pictures of the interior. It seems that others, along the way, added to the roll cage. He also picked up something from the pictures that I had not and having the car there also helps. The passenger's side door has a lock cylinder and did back in the Dark Horse days too. If you look at the rest of the cars (except for one of George Follmer's cars in 1969), all have no lock cylinders. In all the vintage pictures I have seen, only the one #16 car and Horst Kweck's #2 have passenger door lock cylinders. I believe (looking at the pictures) this is a result of the St. Jovite crash. Randy says the car has one "Light weight" sheet metal door and one stock Ford door. Hope to have more on the car soon.