All good things must come to an end ... as porky pig says, "Th-uh-th-uh-that's all folks!"

Great run to the finish ... unofficially, TCMotorsports took 10th in class (ES) and 45th overall. Amazing results given the cicumstances but that is enduro racing.

Kudos goes to all the crew, drivers, and support folks by keeping everyone happy and safe. Also, a special thank you goes to Jeff Feit from Ford Racing and BF Goodrich. -- Ronnie G.

Final pit to the end ...

With a brake pad change and a final splash of fuel all under three minutes ... again, what a crew ... Ricky Bobby Edwards was told to take the wheel for the last stint from Steve Miller. As you can see, "a deer in the headlights" look when told.

We are now in 47 place with a little under an hour left in the race. -- Ronnie G.

Gas clean up and business as usual

I was splashed with gas after the last pit stop and just got back to the track after showering for the second time today. I will have to remember to ask for more soap at the hotel. Breakfast was more french toast and bacon and most of the guys were hungry since they had been hanging around all night and working since 5am. We wandered over to the Ford tent after breakfast. Mo and I had to have a little taste of the stuff they had out on the table. Breakfast casserole, taco soup, and beef and barley soup. They had soups out for the crew.....hot and hearty stuff. I got back and lunch was set out here by Micci and Mo....leftovers from our other meals and the crew will graze for the rest of the day. Time for another pit stop and Rick Edwards will take over for Steve Miller. The sun is trying to burn off the fog and is starting to peak through. We hope this is the last stop and Rick will bring the car home.

gainin' some respect, dog ...

After losing close to four hours to a blown engine on lap 1, Jon A. (JBone) has given the green light to drive the TC ride like "it was stolen" to catch Frost Engineering ... with a 30 lap lead and two more hours left, we beez tryin' ... -- Ronnie G.

Making laps

Another pit stop for the books. A little after 12 pm, Jeff got out of the car and Steve stepped in. The crew fueled the car and changed all 4 tires during the pit stop. There's about 2.5 hours remaining in the race. The fog is starting to break up. Who knows...it may be sunny by the checkered flag! --Taryn

Racing in the daylight

The track went green at 5 am this morning. Although it was (and still is) foggy, there was enough visibility to race. When the fog got really soupy, they'd put the course under full yellow until the fog lifted a bit. Carlo drove the first stint. At 6:30 am, Rick got in the car. Ted got in the car next at about 8:30 am. Then, Jeff got in the car at about 10:35 am.

The car is performing well with its new engine. The crew has done some minor work on the car in the pit lane during routine stops. During the stop at 8:30 am, the crew replaced a power steering hose, the right front hub, adjusted one of the rear brake pads, fueled, and installed 4 new tires all in less than 10 minutes! We have the best crew!

We are 49th overall and 13th out of 20 in class. Since the race was stopped from 7 pm to 5 am, they've extended the race to 3 pm. So, we've got about 4 hours to go! Go, team, go! --Taryn

From dusk till dawn

Goooooodmorning the world wide web or as "W" likes to call it "The Internets"

It is 3:52 in the AM.  

While the smart ones have been sleeping I've stayed up all night editing images, drinking iced by the cold temperatures Starbucks chilled coffees and a 5hour energy drink, and talking to complete strangers outside in the thirty something degree weather and...cranking the tunes with headphones on of course! 

Since the race was red flagged for fog around 6pm last-night the fog has been rolling in and out all night, a real drag for everyone!  We had dinner with Boris Said, ok we didn't really have dinner with Boris we where sitting at the table next to him, but it was like he was sitting with us.

I've had a great time hanging out with the TC crew and shooting this race.   It has been a real treat to be here!  I'll try and get some more images posted on this blog and my site.  If you want to see what I've been shooting check out www.creagerimages.com, the gallery for this race is featured on the home page.  

If you've never seen a Daytona Prototype at speed it is unlike anything you've ever seen!

Well we just got call on the radio that we will go green at 5am!  

All the best!

Curtis 

The fog rolls in...

...and we are under a red flag. That means that they have stopped the race! All of the racecars are parked on the front straight, and all drivers were required to vacate their cars. The fog is so thick we can't even see the front straight from our paddock spot. There is a meeting at 7 pm where we'll probably hear more about the plan for the night. Carlo and Jon A went to the meeting to get the scoop. The rest of us are hanging out in the toterhome and in the paddock area. We'll send an update when Carlo and Jon A get back from the meeting. What an interesting race. --Taryn

Pit stop and darkness

Jeff VanLierop handed over driving duties to Steve Miller about an hour ago. The pit stop was smooth as silk...just fuel, a driver change, and the covers off the auxillary lights. After a beautiful sunset, it's now dark and getting very cold. Everyone is putting on their long johns, caps, and gloves.

Will work for food.

We started this morning with grab and go croissant sandwiches for the crew as they got the car ready to go. They were filled with eggs, bacon, and cheese. Then, we started on the sandwiches for lunch. We lathered artisan ciabatta bread with pesto and layered it with proscuitto, mozzarella, and tomatoes. Then we put cases of soda and coolers on them for several hours. We used the leftover proscuitto and wrapped the canteloupe we had leftover from breakfast to make a special treat for the hospitality crew (ssshh, don't tell!)

We cut up the sandwiches and put them in the crew's hands as they were doing the engine swap. We took the rest to the Ford tent where we also enjoyed french dip, mac n' cheese, and pasta salads along with the sandwiches.

We're looking forward to dinner and we're glad the car is rollin'. Bye for now.....Bessie

Wow, what a crew!

The engine swap is done! The engine from our spare car is now powering the #8 Mustang. It took the crew about 3.5 hours. All I can say is what a great group of guys...our crew rocks! Jeff VanLierop is driving the car now and Steve Miller is on deck. Ted Anthony Jr, who made the first few laps of the race, will drive later tonight along with Rick Edwards and Carlo Sparacio. The car went out for one reconaissance lap and is now in the pits so the crew can check to make sure everything is functioning as it should. The car just left the pits so we are good to go! --Taryn

A bigger fix is needed

Well, the #8 Mustang is getting a new engine. We're taking the engine out of our spare FR500S Mustang and putting it into the #8 Mustang. Good thing we brought the spare car! Half of the crew is taking the engine out of the #8 car and the other half is taking the engine out of the spare car. The change should take about 3.5 to 4 hours. --Taryn

The race has started but the car is in the pits

The car made the first couple of laps, but then started to smoke. The car is in the pits right now and the crew is checking to see what needs to be fixed. Needless to say, this is not the way we wanted to start the race. --Taryn

Car Heading to Pre Grid

The crew arrived at 7 am this morning to get the car ready for the race! Drivers arrived at 9 am. Cars are heading to the grid, including the #8 TC Motorsports FR500S Mustang! It's gorgeous and sunny...a great day to be racing! I have to go...pre race festivities are starting. --Taryn

Qaulifying results and some expected work before bed ...

We qualified 13th in the ES class and 25th overall with a 2:05. Some team disappointment since in practice, lap times were in the 1:58 range but could never get a clean lap in qualifying. However with a 25 hour race, there will be plenty of time to move up in the pack.

Johnny A. and the rest of his crack crew just finished fixing a pestering lower oil leak from the front engine cover, and the car is ready to go the distance tomorrow. Should be a fun day and the team is heading back to the hotel.

Have a good evening and we will definitely keep everyone up to date throughout this exciting race. -- Ronnie G.

Good Eats ...

We got to the track last night and Mo had a dinner of chicken, macaroni salad, bread, and veggies waiting for us. We started this morning with enough french toast made before the power went out in the toter home and, yes, I had plenty of bacon! Lunch was shared at the Ford Mustang Hospitality tent. We had chili, bread, salad, and cookies. The chili was soon gone and the lasagna was not fully defrosted. I spent a bit of time shuttling lasagna from our microwave to the hospitality tent. We're making dinner for the crew now....burgers, hot dogs, chips, mac salad, and veggies. We're heading over to the Ford tent to watch a sneak preview showing of "Why We Race" because we'll all be passed out or traveling when it airs on Sunday night. They've lined the side of the Ford trailer with white shower curtains as a projection screen. They've got lots of snacks for us over there---it'll be just like our own movie theatre. But, there won't be any popcorn and it will be really cold. We're really looking forward to it, but, some of the crew will miss it because they have some work to do on the car. I better sign off and grab some food before it's gone.---Bessie

Welcome to the Blog and First Update

Welcome to TC Motorsports' blog documenting the 2008 25 Hours of Thunderhill! We are racing the #8 TC Motorsports FR500S Ford Mustang with support from Ford Racing. We hope you will check back often during the course of the race tomorrow and Sunday to see how we are doing. Today's first post was delayed because of a spotty internet connection, but we are up and running now. Feel free to post comments...we would love to hear from you!

Most of the team arrived last night along with the car. We were on track this morning at 9 am sharp to start our day of testing. During the course of the morning, the car developed a small oil leak. The crew pinpointed the problem, which we will fix tonight.

The car is currently on track for qualifying. It's dark here in Willows, so each of the drivers is driving the car to get a feel for the lights on the car and the track at night. The weather was pleasant today...sunny and 65. Now that the sun is down, it's getting COLD! We will have to work hard to stay warm throughout the night tomorrow night. -- Taryn