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Daryl Coon Interview:

Interview conducted Aug/Sept 2000 by Doug Bevan.

If you have never heard of Daryl Coon before, that is probably because this is his first year in the GTP class - but oh - what a year! Daryl has managed to take what was left after Sam Newman crashed and bashed his way through GTP (it is a wonder the car survived at all), and win 9 out of 12 rounds this year for his class. That’s right – Daryl ran over the Toyota Chicken (repeatedly) and even managed to strangle the Holden Lion showing the true colours of the Falcon, even to the point of beating V8 Commodores. So if you still don’t know Daryl Coon – you should.

Daryl Coon:

Age/weight/height:

30 y.o, married to a 27 y.o. “Big Ears” - alias Trudy (said Daryl upon the phone call that gave us most of this interview). Weight & height? Oh, 1597 kg and about 1.4 m high, (the car), I'm 6 foot and 85 kg.

What car do you drive personally when not at the race track? - EL XR6, although predominantly my wife’s road car (Yeah - sure it is - Doug).

Manual gearbox - T5 5 speed.(the way they should be built - Doug).
Tickford 16 inch wheels.
Colour. - Lemans Red. There was only about 6 EL XR6's made in Lemans when the EL was launched. I think there was a delay in introducing the Hot Chilli Red and so they used Lemans red for a few cars.
Trip computer (very few XR's have this feature).

Any modifications you would like to do to it?

“The car is about to be lowered with new springs and new shocks, I would like to put on a body kit as well. But financially – well, you know how it is.”

What is your dream car – personal / to race?

Personal – AU XR6 HP (as per the race car).

Race – XR8 V8 Supercar.

Have you driven the AU XR6 VCT?

“Yeah – my Dad’s just bought one (AU1) but he won’t let me put stickers all over it! Realistically, the extra 8 kW of the VCT just isn’t enough to make up for the extra 70kg of the independent rear suspension – especially out on the race track.

What is your favourite Falcon & why?

“XC Cobra coupe - they look tough and the race car looked the same as road car.

What is your favourite AU & why?

I love the XR utes, they are so much better than the competition its not funny. I think our red XR8 ute with chrome roll bar really looks the part.

Where next for your racing career?

“V8 Supercar hopefully (like everybody else in Australia). But we’ll need to prove to our sponsors that we can win consistently – unlike with the NASCAR. Winning is not only being able to drive the best or having the best team – it is in having the right package capable of being able to delivering the goods. Our NASCAR (Pontiac rebodied to VS Commodore specs to increase local interest) just couldn’t deliver – it’s aerodynamics were woeful.

“GTP is just one step in our dream to enter the V8’s, as it presents to us many of the challenges associated with the higher dollar category. For example – what we do with our suspension in playing with spring rates / ride heights / shockers & weightings are very similar to what the V8 teams have to do. We learnt a lot of this stuff with NASCAR so it too was a valuable learning experience. However we found we knew how to go flat out in a straight line – for the V8’s we would need to learn to go around corners / change gears etc. GTP presented a great way to do this."

What about the interim?

We are looking for next season to go AU2 for the better brakes primarily – but haven’t decided whether we’ll convert the existing car or get an all new car. But considering race cars wear at a much higher rate than the street versions, the new car is looking very attractive. Besides that, there are some new things I would like to try with a new car too. But then again I’d love to enter a car in the GTP open category too – so you never know.

How do you think you’ll get used to the V8 Supercars Parity ruling?

I mean, GTP presents much more of an opportunity to use the original vehicle’s qualities to your advantage doesn’t it?

“Well, GTP also includes it’s own version of Parity racing so we’re part way there. For example we have had 40 kg added ourselves to try and stop the AU XR6’s rampant domination of the GTP field. In fact, we have been so competitive they have just seen fit to add another 40 kg as well – meaning we now race at a greater weight than the production cars! But of course you can use that to your advantage as well if you know how – moving it around to effect handling depending on the circuit you’re on.”

How did you get to your current racing status – where did you start?

“NASCAR – we consistently finished in the top 10. But no race car driver has ever been able to cement a career running at only one track – and NASCAR racing is not a cheap sport! GTP represents our next step in the transition to eventually running a V8 Supercar.”

To what do you attribute this year’s phenomenal success?

“Having the correct team – who are used to each other & know their way around a race car. i.e – they know what it needs to make it go fast. Knowing how to drive also helps. Of course having the right package also helps – where the AU XR6 really delivers. Driving on Dunlop tyres also has a lot to do with it – the data logger we carry has consistently showed we are pulling up to 2 G's on the corners. Now that’s a lot for any production car!”

What’s your best race memory?

My best memory is winning the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide this year. We had our backs to the wall and we won without a driver change. It was great to win and it made a lot of people take notice of us. Since that race the race we have won 9 of our 11 starts.

What's your worst race moment?

Motor racing is full of ups and downs. I always prefer to focus on the ups as the downs get to depressing. I guess the worst moment was Bathurst last year when the co driver tried to break everything in the car and was 5 seconds a lap slower than I was. The car had a good chance that day but the car went out of the race early. The lesson we learnt that day was if we cannot get a good co driver I will not do a race with a compulsory driver change because the cost is to high (both financially, emotionally and for your sponsors).

To what extent have Ford/Tickford been involved?

i.e - is there any chance for feedback on the performance of individual components - improvements that will eventually make it onto the production car? I give feedback on the car to the relevant engineers at Ford. Mainly on endurance type issues. Anything that brakes on our car is passed onto the engineers at Ford because in a way we are doing endurance testing for them. This also gives us to opportunity to get feedback from the engineers to look for problems areas on the car. I believe some of the feed back we have given has been included in the work shop manual of the AU2. Because we race a production car everything on the car is production, so we are not in a position to develop new parts.

How many people do you have in your team & what are their positions?

On the back windscreen of the car the crews nicknames are listed. I have taken an oath never to reveal which nick name is who.

Ray Cowin - Crew Chief
Nick Howden - Tyre Technician
Peter Ashby - Signwriter
Michael Chetcuti - Presentation
Terry McKenzie - Panel Beater
Paul Chetcuti - Gofer
Trudy Coon - Timekeeper

Any comments you would like to make regarding your sponsors:

Sponsors are my life line, without them I would not be able to go racing. I would like to especially thank Ford, Dunlop, MDC Building Concepts, Skilled Engineering, Discount Signs, Autoliv, Race Brakes and Diamond Valley Bumper Bars.

Your Car:

What specifications does your car race with?

Engine: Standard HP (164kw Tickford) 4.0 OHC inline six.
Gearbox: Five speed manual – standard.
Rear Suspension: Live rear axil, standard but with free suspension modifications (classified).

How exactly did you get hold of this particular XR?

I have heard there is quite an interesting story relating to this! “Yeah – I think Ford were kind of sick of the car not finishing or ending up against some wall somewhere. Of course the finish of it all was when Sam put it into the wall at Bathurst. Anyway Gordon Tafe got into it and repaired it again which is when I got the car.”

“We received the car almost one year ago exactly – and had to race virtually as it was with less than a week to practice and repair it. You see most of us hold down regular jobs as well and don’t have time for much mid week stuff. What we didn’t realise is that most of the suspension was also damaged – which we found out too late for Ford to get the new parts to us. Still, we managed a 2 ^nd and 3^rd on our first outing with bent panhard rods and at least one crook shock absorber!”

Did Ford just give you the car?

“It took us quite some time really. To start with I approached Ford and Greg Harbid (then Ford Motorsport manager). Then Sam’s deal with Ford fell through, at which point we had already had months of talks with Ford. Then Greg was replaced with Howard Marsden and we had to start all over again! Anyway finally we received the car - I think they (Ford) were just happy to see it out there circulating again.”

I have heard this car is the original used on the “Performance Technology ahead of itself” adverts introduced at the launch of the AU Falcon – can you confirm / deny this?

“Yes – I believe this was the back up (previously red) car and not the one actually filmed. I don’t know what happened to that car. I know that although silver was not available as a colour at the time, the advertising execs decided that being as the film was to be in black and white, silver would give the best contrast against the road.

I believe that after that the car was sent to Queensland along with at least one other AU, where it was converted for racing at Neil Low’s. I think he also helped produce the first V8 Supercars too. When I picked up the car it still had “V8 Supercar” on the key tag – maybe a hint to it’s former life?”

Was there any evidence of the car’s previous colour (red) when you got it?

“Absolutely – and there still is. Underneath the bonnet, in behind the doors etc the red still makes it’s presence known. That is of course on the doors we haven’t replaced due to racing damage which are silver behind them. The car was painted ½ silver, ½ black when we got it – we just added the silver streaks blending into the black area.”

Why don’t you choose to run 17” wheels?

“They are not allowed as they are an option. The same goes for the body kit – as an option it is not allowed.”

Are there any plans to upgrade to AU2 spec?

“Probably next year. We haven’t decided yet whether we will be getting a new car or converting our present one. A new car has lots of advantages – including allowing us to try some stuff we’ve been wanting to try out for a while. You see a racing car wears out a whole heap quicker than any road car ever will.”

What weight must your XR run at & is this checked prior to each race?

“I think the Ford specified weight is 1510kg but with all of the parity handicaps I have to run at near enough to 1600kg – more than the weight of the production version!”

Are the GTP racers on a control tyre? If so, which one? Which tyre is your choice?

GTP racing does not specify a control tyre but we use Dunlops, as the Dunlop tyre suits the big Falcon. Its construction, the flatness of the contact patch, the sidewall strength, the compound of rubber and the overall durability. We did a lot of work initially deciding on which tyres to use and the Dunlop ended up being the obvious choice. So all of our development has been with Dunlop and this is a big factor in our success.

What exhaust freedoms/restrictions are there?

The exhaust is free from the standard manifold back. The only rule is that the cars must be less than 95 DBa. This is something the stewards constantly remind us of. My car is louder than other cars, and so it should - after all it is a racecar!

What brakes are you allowed to run & what do you find best (pads/discs/callipers)?

Brake pads are the only freedoms in this department – I run non commercially available brake pads that really don’t work cold. You need them like this especially with the tendency of the Falcon brakes to run hot (600 deg C) and no brake ducting allowed under GTP rules.

GTP racing never seems to get the same coverage as the V8 Supercars – what is your opinion on this?

All of the big name drivers are in V8 Supercar and its the names that people want to watch, which leads to more sponsorship which leads to a better spectacle and leads to more people watching it. However, I find GTP fans are more interested in the actual racing, and am surprised how many people do follow the production car racing. Many times fans are able to quote statistics and results that I can't remember. GTP racing is watched by over one million people per round on Trackside (Channel Ten most Sunday afternoons) and GTP has a dedicated magazine - "GTP Motor Racer".

What measures are undertaken to ensure each car complies to class rules?

After each race 5 to 10 cars are impounded and given a thorough going over. This means pulling the suspension apart and measuring to see that everything is as it is supposed to be, and may also extend to components as large as the engine. Indeed quite a few of my competitors were disappointed when they pulled the engine apart to my XR6 and found all was in order – they seemed so sure something had been done to it!

What level of modification is allowed to the car's bodywork and interior?

Almost none, only changes are the removal of sections of the interior for the fitment of the roll cage. The speakers can be removed, but not the speaker grills and the radio does not have to be functional - but must look like the standard unit.

How do you find racing amongst vehicles of such diverse power outputs/handling capabilities?

Interesting. - Because of the assortment of cars with different weights, sizes, power, braking, turbo, non turbo, all wheel drive, front wheel drive and rear wheel drive the racing is exciting. I was surprised when I started racing a production car, how even the cars are in lap times - but there is a big difference in speed at different sections of the track. When you are racing closely, it is these differences that require you to leave extra room or a braking buffer - or it starts to get expensive when you rub panels. But because of the variation some cars perform better at some tracks than others, and some cars start off quick and others finish quickly. - Which makes the championship exciting and less of a procession.

What other vehicles are there in your class?

Magna, Camry, Mazda 626, AU falcon and EL Falcon are the main contestants. The VT Commodore is homologated but is so slow no one in a Commodore is prepared to try to take us on.

Any comments on the opposition: (i.e. other drivers / vehicle makes in your class)?

I think it's great that people are keen to race in our class. If it was not for them we would not be racing because one car does not make a race. We are racing against some very good established teams. This gives our team a real feeling of accomplishment when our best is better than their best.

Well, that's it for this time from our home grown hero - but for more, check out Daryl's website for race reports and photos as he gets them - which will be going online soon! Watch this space...

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