Quite a lot has happened since my last update! Typically the car I wished to beat, the Alistair McKinnon/Dean Lazante/Adrian Newey Lotus Exige has withdrawn. Shame. Also Calum Lockie has personnaly withdrawn from his team as he has broken his leg, and it won't mend in time. I hope it fully heals in due course.
Our car has now had its race engine and gearbox fitted and on 21st August we had our second of two shake down test days. We were also down a driver so we had two guys pitch up for evaluation and both have committed to the team. We are now back up to 5 drivers which really helps with the costs of this event and also with the energy required to drive the car over 24 hours. I am not worried about the length of time behind the wheel, it is doing so with a crap nights sleep in the middle of it all. I plan to fit out my enclosed trailer with all modern creature comforts starting with a proper bed!
Our two new drivers are David Smith and Paul White.
David has, I think, 6 previous 24 hour races under his belt albeit at the Nurburgring. However that is a good amount of endurance racing. He is quite a tall chap at 6 ft 4ins. This is a problem so a new seat is being prepared that will take the complete range of drivers from shrimps to giants! Weren't Jackie Ickx and Jackie Oliver paired because they were the same size? Clearly we do not follow that history lesson! If the name Daivd Smith rings any bells it is likley you are a cricket fan. He played for England 4 times in the mid eighties and also played and then coached for Sussex.
Paul White is also experienced in 24 hour events as he competed last year in this race in a BMW M3 E36. With Calum Lockie, Don Grice and Tony Brown they won their class! Most of Pauls experience seems to have been in BMWs but from what I saw yesterday, Paul should be a safe pair of hands with a Porsche too.
The aim of the session yeaterday was to get all the bugs out of the car NOW and not on the race day itself when there is zippo time to do anything about it. And we found some. Late in the day we had a misfire and the talk between the mechanics and John, team boss, covered all possibilities from valves not seating properly to cracked manifolds, to this and to that.... Personally I was superbly impressed that a misfire could be heard as it escaped me. I am very much not an engine man!!!! However Kieran ably demonstrated the misfire in the pit garage to me. One more thing learnt! So today the scheduled engine drop and gearbox strip down will also include an investigation to the causes of the misfire. John tells me there is time to send the engine back to Germany if there is a major issue or if small it can be sorted here. We have spare engine(s) that are known to be solid performers so this will not prevent us competing. I always worry I did something that caused a problem to eminate but we need to see what Keiran says when he investigates today and tomorrow.
The car handled very well although to me it has fractionally more push than I would like. But like my 40, application of the throttle does help turn in. I find it a very forgiving car to drive and like it enormously. Quite like my 40, but quicker and lighter on the controls.
Phil Brough, one of our other drivers, is also a professional race instructor. He sat beside me and is giving welcome instruction to improve me. I will always need to improve but at present he has picked on just one or two aspects that he wants addressed now, concentrating on items to make me more sympathetic to the car so it lasts 24 hours that much more easily. My biggest issue (that I know of) is the gear shift. It is a 6 speed box but not sequential. Anyone care to loan us a sequential box for the race? Couple of tickets in it for you? The box is easy enough to use and is light and precise. My issue is that it has quite a wide gate and this I am not yet used to. Phil is to work more on this apsect. I hope he can sort me out!
We were trying out a different radio system yesterday but the test was not conclusive enough to commit to it yet. We were experimenting between PTT (Push to talk) or VOX (voice activated with noise suppression) systems. If we don't have radios we will struggle as our designated pit is 11a, quite close to Copse corner. Doesn't give much time for drivers to look for a pit board, especially when it becomes dark!
There are now 58 confirmed teams entered. Some new ones in, some previoulsy entered teams withdrawn. I will post the final entry much closer to the day.
Last year some of you wanted to follow the race and this is possible again this year. Live tiiming is being provided by MST. The web link is
Events Diary - September 2007
and if you choose 6/9th September, Silverstone International, EERC part way down the page you will get the timing page. Clearly nothing there yet! I am not yet sure if there is to be a live web radio commentary broadcast but if I find out I will post here.
Next we carry on getting the car ready. Well I don't, but the guys who know what they are doing will! This will include putting the full race graphics on the car, different to last years design. Blue with orange blobs! Trust me, it looks good. Next and final test days are 5th and 6th September. Then on the 7th we have official practice and qualifying, both daylight and nightime where all drivers must do both sessions (min 3 laps per person) with the race commencing at 4:30pm on Saturday 8th September.