Denver, CO August 15, 2005 – It was quite a weekend for Tim Barber in Denver.  It started Friday morning in practice when, after completing almost the entire session and setting the quickest lap of the GTA class, another mechanical issue arose. 

At the last race in San Jose, the team struggled with a problem that saw the front brakes fail and the rears lock up with such great force that the rear axle was ripped from the chassis.  Well this time, the front brakes failed with spectacular results.  As Tim was braking for the very high-speed right hand first turn the right front brake caliper exploded.  There is no runoff room at this point on the track so Tim managed to get the car turned and hit the apex of the first turn.  From there he competed a power downshift to use the engine as a brake as the car slide sideways and soon was buried with the left side into the tire barrier.  It was estimated that the car impacted the tire wall at over 100 mph.  It was fortunate that the tire barrier was four rows deep as Tim’s car buried itself half of its width into them.  The bodywork was completely dislodged from the frame.  A tire actually broke though the left quarter panel window and was inside the car.  Fans, who where just on the other side of the tire walls and concrete banners when running when they saw that Tim was going to visit them, unexpectedly and uninvited.  After the car was removed from the wall it was discovered that two of the 5-ton concrete walls had been moved several inches by the impact.  Tim had some rib and ankle bruising but nothing broken.

After getting the car back to the paddock the crew surveyed the damage and determined that other than the right front brake caliper the damage was entirely cosmetic.  They repaired the brakes, and with three rolls of ‘racers’ tape completed the repairs in less than three hours to make the grid for qualifying!  They also found the root cause of the braking problem that had plagued them both here in Denver and earlier in San Jose.

While standing on the grid waiting for qualifying to begin officials began to console Tim, asking if he thought the car might be ready for the race on Saturday.  They were amazed and shocked when Tim told them he was going out for qualifying! 

Tim qualified on the poll for the GT America class only three hours after having what one race official described as the worst crash they have seen in years in the Trans-Am series.

In Saturdays race Tim was leading the GTA class when his transmission became stuck in first gear, forcing him to go to the pits relinquishing his first place in class position.  The gearbox problem suspected to be residual damage from the Friday crash.  The crew was able to free the gearbox and get Tim back into the hunt, albeit a lap down and a minute and thirty seconds behind the class leader.  Tim managed to unlap himself and make up over 1 minute on the class leader before the checkered flag in second place and with the fastest lap in the GTA class.

Although it was a very rough weekend for the team, Tim increased his points lead in the GT America Championship by 22, now with a commanding 43 point margin.

The next stop for the series is just next weekend, August 18-21, 2005 at Road America, Elkhard Lake, WI.  Tim and the crew will be there!