Joe Gauci is ready to rumble at the Brisbane Jamboree in the toughest Pro Mod field ever assembled in Australia. It’s been just over 12 months since the Nitro Champs accident to rebuild the ’67 Mustang at Profab Motorsport Fabrications and final result is sleek and stunning.
The Jamboree team recently interviewed Gauci on his return at the event.
Q. It’s great to see you back after that big wreck in Sydney last year! Some would say it’s been a pretty quick turnaround – tell us a bit about the rebuild process and how big that was for you and the team?
A. I can’t wait to get back to what I love doing. I would have liked to have been ready a little earlier, but all good things take time and not everything could be done in house, so we patiently had to wait in line.
The rebuild from our end started almost immediately. The crew and I started a week after the accident and completely stripped the car back to a shell. We made an assessment and fitted the car onto a jig table and surprisingly enough, the damage to chassis was minimal. Basically everything in front of engine was bent but chassis was still 100%.
Work on the chassis began a few weeks later. We cut out all the damage and rebuilt all the bar work from the firewall forward, with some updates to front suspension and some added safety to inside the cabin. From there the car was off to Terry at IM composites for all the Carbon Body repairs. Terry did an amazing job on all the repairs and luckily enough we had a spare front clip which he was able to take a mould of as well.
From there car was back to us where we had some Titanium work to do, which was supplied by Jarrod Wood from WM titanium. When we were satisfied with it all the car was sent to Tony’s Prestige Smash where he re-coloured the car to how it was prior to accident, while it was there Adrian from Airbrush World worked his magic. When returned, Enzo from Regional Auto Electrics repaired and re-fitted all the wiring.
Meanwhile the boys at Dandy Engines checked over the Hemi and Fred from Protrans checked over the gearbox and converter. There are still some finishing touches to go but we are pushing ahead of a busy work schedule to have it ready for some testing in the upcoming weeks before Qld Jambo.
Q. Brisbane Jamboree is your first event back in the Mustang – what are you hoping to achieve with the car?
A. We love racing the Jamboree, it’s always a great atmosphere and well-run event. What I am hoping to achieve is A to B passes and getting back into my comfort zone, and chipping away at the ETs.
Q. Along the way who has helped you out during the rebuild?
All this could not be possible without the love and support from so many people, My wife, Family, and the team at Profab. Carl Cox Motorsport, Precision Turbo, Speed flow, Dandy engines, Fueltech, Protrans, VP Fuels, Regional Auto Electrical, Tonys Prestige Smash, PST Performance, Light Vehicle Solutions, NU Trend Homes, and Proline.
Also a big thank you to Catherine, Jonathon, Rachelle, Ariana, Jaxon, Alexia, Bane, Caitlin, Steve, Enzo, Michael, James, Paul, Jye, Jacob, Frank, Nathaniel, Nicholas, Patrick, Roger, Warren, and Tim.
Q. Is there anyone in particular you’re looking forward to lining up against at Jamboree?
We look forward to lining up against a great field of Promods. We will be doing some testing prior to the event and at the event. We would love to ease back into where we were and hopefully match if not improve on last year’s achievement at Sydney Jamboree. (except for the MPH).
Q. We have some big prize money up for grabs at the event, you have always been a contender, what would you say to the other Outlaw Pro Mod racers about your return?
A. The prize money up for grabs at this year’s Qld Jamboree is probably one of the biggest we have seen at any event and it’s going to be great from a spectator and racers point of view to be a part of it.
We can’t wait to see the Mustang back on track at the Brisbane Jamboree, you don’t want to miss it!
Brisbane Jambo lets loose on Aug 23-24 at Willowbank.
Photos by Hannah Ladic Photography.
