Troy Dunstan. Image: Supplied
Dunstan passed away aged 64 following a battle with cancer.
The Gold Coaster was the nephew of leading Australian touring car driver Charlie O’Brien, through which he developed his own love of cars and racing.
Dunstan honed his talent behind the wheel in Formula Ford, taking the 1991 national title in the Speedtech team set up in partnership with Terry Morris.
Formula Ford success led to touring car opportunities with Advantage Racing, sharing the #05 Mobil Commodore with Brock in the 1992 Sandown 500.
Dunstan drove the team’s second car in that year’s Bathurst 1000 with Andrew Miedecke, finishing seventh in his first of four consecutive Great Race starts.
A 1993 endurance campaign aboard Advantage’s Quix-backed VP Commodore with Steve Harrington netted third at Sandown and fifth at Bathurst.
Despite those results, a full-time touring car chance never came and Dunstan’s remaining Bathurst starts occured in privateer Holdens alongside Bob Jones and Paul Romano.
Sadly, Dunstan lost his wife Wendy to cancer earlier this year.
“I think he was totally underrated as a driver,” O’Brien told Speedcafe.
“He had an incredible toughness and it was good to see him get a couple of breaks after his success in Formula Ford, but he probably deserved more.
“He was also an outstanding mechanic and just had a solid idea of how things worked.
“It was a sad year after losing Wendy and then Troy having his own battle with the same cancer.
“I guess Troy’s passing is just another example as to why we need to live every day to the fullest.”
Paul Morris was teammates with Dunstan at Speedtech in the early 1990s, including during the latter’s title-winning season.
Troy Dunstan with Paul Morris. Image: Supplied
“Troy is the only bloke I knew that could drink 20 rum and cokes, wake up the next morning, eat a pie, have a smoke and then go out and win a motor race!” said Morris.
“He was my first real teammate and I learned a lot from him. We also had a lot of great times.
“He was a brilliant mechanic, engineer and a terrific driver. There are not many that could do it all.”
Paul’s father Terry also paid tribute to Dunstan’s talent as both a driver and mechanic.
“Paul was a bit of a fan of Troy’s and we met him through the Queensland Gemini Series,” explained Terry.
“We then got an introduction to Formula Ford and bought one and Troy had a bit of success.
“So we bought a second car and then created Speedtech in partnership with Troy and he built quite a successful business.
“He was a terrific driver, but I always just marvelled at his hands when he was working on the car and engine, especially when there were some time restraints to get things done.”
Owner of BAM Media and founder of Speedcafe.com, Brett ‘Crusher’ Murray had Dunstan as one of this first driver/team clients in the sport and travelled to England with him.
Dunstan contested the prestigious British Formula Ford Festival at Brand Hatch following his Australian Formula Ford title, which was then dubbed the Driver to Europe Series.
“Speedtech was my first client for BAM Media and my start in motorsport media and public relations,” said Murray.
“I was on an extremely steep learning curve as a young bloke, but the job was a little easier when you had a couple of decent racers in Troy and Paul. A couple of blokes who also like to have a good time.
“None of us will forget the night after he won his first ever four-wheel race in the Formula Ford at Eastern Creek in Sydney – that party was a cracker.
“When Troy won the Formula Ford title I was fortunate enough to go to the British Formula Ford Festival with him at Brand Hatch.
“I stayed in a motorhome on track with his mechanics, Brett and Col, and he was terrifically fast before an angry European drove him off the track on the main straight!
“He was a ripping bloke, who was a serious racer.”
Speedcafe.com extends its condolences to Dunstan’s family and friends.