Britcar Endurance/Sports & Touring Race Report – Spa 8th June
The second of two 2 hour races at Spa-Francorchamps has been claimed by the MARC Ford Focus V8 of Jake Camilleri, only for the #393 machine to be stripped of its win in the steward’s room. The Racer Industries run single round entry to the Britcar Endurance Championship initially set the pace and dominated the middle phase of the race. Unfortunately the Austrian didn’t meet the minimum pit stop duration during his second stop and failed to serve the imposed penalty.
Camilleri was excluded after the post-race celebrations.
The misfortune of the Ford was an added bonus for the Ferrari 458 Challenge of Darren Nelson and Nigel Greensall who inherited the overall victory. The #31 car had already begun hunting down the #393 even before the added help from the clerk of the course but after a battle with the #21 Audi R8 LMS of Simpson Motorsport, the BAMD entered 458 didn’t have enough time on the clock to close down and pass the flying Focus.
The move for what would eventually become the victory was an impressive feat of bravery and precision driving from Greensall. Having chased the #21 down, Greensall took to the outside line out of La Source, braving out the two abrest formation through the start of Eau Rouge until inching ahead of the Simpson machine at the apex.
Franck Pelle and Peter Cook in the Simpson Audi claimed third on the road and second in the standings ahead of the 458 Cup of FF Corse. The #26 machine maintained its full season driver pairing of Calum Lockie and David Mason who were promoted to the podium after Camilleri’s issues. Had this not happened, we still would have had an all class 2 podium, proving that the rules allow for even a class 2 runner to have its day.
In fact the class 2 cars locked out the top five places in the final classification with the disqualified Camillari’s team mates Peter Leemhuis and Keith Kassulke taking fifth on the road and the #24 Porsche 997 Cup racer of Guillaume Gruchet in sixth.
Class 3 went to Britcar semi-regular Cor Euser and his now familiar Lotus Evora racer. This favourite of the Britcar 24 Hours built a full lap of an advantage over the nearest class rival to take the victory, with Anna Walewska and Ian Donaldson a distant but worthy second in the BMW E92 M3 V8 run by Intersport Racing. The final podium spot for the class went to the Adam Hayes and Mark Radcliffe driven E46 M3, also from the Intersport stable, who finished in fourteenth overall on the road and some six laps down on the class winner.
In the 4th class the victory was hard fought, a fact belied by the fifteen second margin of victory after the two hours. The top spot went to Westlake Motorsport and the pairing of Chris Hayes and Andy Thompson. Their SEAT 2000 battled the SEAT Leon Supercopa of Track Torque’s David Webb and Andrew Gibbs for the top spot and despite the squabbles managed to build a two lap advantage over third place.
That position went to the #66 BMW Z3 M-Coupe of Emin Sadig and Wil Arif, who bounced back from their Saturday DNF to an in impressive podium ahead of the championship leaders.
Class 1 has been left to last for a reason, with class 2 topping the overall podium and strong performances for class 2 and class 3 runners, it was bound to be problems which hobbled the leading machines. Manuel Cintrano and Javier Morcillo took the class win but they crossed the line in a disappointing twelfth overall. The Neil Garner Motorsport run Mosler MT900 GT3 could take solace only from the DNFs which befell their series class rivals.
The Mosler itself was held for over 20 minutes as running repairs were administered mid race. Mechanical woes would also afflict the Rapier SR2 of Mike Millard and the desperately unlucky Marcos Mantis of Team Tiger. Both ground to a halt, surprisingly both on the same lap, five after the drop of the green.
Still the performance from the three full season Britcar runners far outstrips that of the sole Class 1 additional entry. The Porsche 997 GT3 RSR of the Delahaye Racing Team failed even to make the start, joined in pit lane captivity by the second of the Track Torque Racing cars, the Chevron GR8 which should have raced in class 3.
The series now returns to the UK after saying farewell to our continental friends. Saturdy 5th July will see the Britcar Endurance Championship and Britcar Sports and Touring Car Championship on track at Cheshire’s Oulton Park. Tickets are available now at OultonPark.co.uk.
Author Nick Smith
