Blancpain sprint series Brands hatch
Discussion
Andy 308GTB said:
The car will race but they didn't have a spare front end and are currently bodging the bits together with cable ties - it is a proper mess...
Well I got that wrong... Steering failure apparently caused the accident and kept the car from racing today & possibly the next meeting according to the commentary.
Nearly all the Blancpain cars sounded great, the Ferrari and the Lambo were particularly vocal.
I cannot get excited about McLarens in GT racing, I'm sure they are great cars and amazing to drive but they just don't do it for me.
Well I'm standing in the queue to board the plane home at Stansted. Was working in support of Graham Davidson in the Noble (no 47) and it was a weekend of mixed results for us. The car suffered a driveshaft failure in the Sat race so 200miles were driven to bring back a replacement. In quali this morning he did his fastest lap yet and qualified 9th. The 935 mentioned above dropping out meant an 8th place start and some great battling got him up to 4th. It really was a stellar drive that saw him post his best lap yet. Sadly the other driveshaft failed and he retired with only 3 laps to go. His lap during the race meant he would have started 6th which is so impressive given the extremely privateer manner (I.e. No team support just his friends, trailers car himself and has tools, spares etc limited to what fits in his Audi tow car!) in which he competes. It was highly entertaining watching him mixing it with the 458's and passing a couple! He was just putting the hammer down to catch the next one for 3rd when the failure occurred.
So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
Andy 308GTB said:
Well I got that wrong...
Steering failure apparently caused the accident and kept the car from racing today & possibly the next meeting according to the commentary.
Nearly all the Blancpain cars sounded great, the Ferrari and the Lambo were particularly vocal.
I cannot get excited about McLarens in GT racing, I'm sure they are great cars and amazing to drive but they just don't do it for me.
Surprised you never mentioned the Z4 as a vocal one too. To my ear it was the sweetest. The noise echoing off the trees as it got to the foot of Paddock Hill was something else. Steering failure apparently caused the accident and kept the car from racing today & possibly the next meeting according to the commentary.
Nearly all the Blancpain cars sounded great, the Ferrari and the Lambo were particularly vocal.
I cannot get excited about McLarens in GT racing, I'm sure they are great cars and amazing to drive but they just don't do it for me.
James B said:
Well I'm standing in the queue to board the plane home at Stansted. Was working in support of Graham Davidson in the Noble (no 47) and it was a weekend of mixed results for us. The car suffered a driveshaft failure in the Sat race so 200miles were driven to bring back a replacement. In quali this morning he did his fastest lap yet and qualified 9th. The 935 mentioned above dropping out meant an 8th place start and some great battling got him up to 4th. It really was a stellar drive that saw him post his best lap yet. Sadly the other driveshaft failed and he retired with only 3 laps to go. His lap during the race meant he would have started 6th which is so impressive given the extremely privateer manner (I.e. No team support just his friends, trailers car himself and has tools, spares etc limited to what fits in his Audi tow car!) in which he competes. It was highly entertaining watching him mixing it with the 458's and passing a couple! He was just putting the hammer down to catch the next one for 3rd when the failure occurred.
So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
Magnificent effort. Working on the car in the open contrasted well with the teams with their motorhomes, physios and catering teams. So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
It reminds me of another guy on PHeads (itsallyellow) who was running a bright yellow TVR in the GT Cup a few years back:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...
He embarrassed these guys too but I think this came back to bite him (IIRC) as Bute knows where their bread is buttered...
But well done - the car look great.
Yes after the GT Cup 458 ...... no noise just a whoosh sound nice to hear cars again ....... greta to see the Audi win after beibg destroyed by Frijns in free practice , saw the pile of broken bits taken off the car including gearbox .... with driver looking sadly at the pile .
Sad for Richard as a real privateer ............
Sad for Richard as a real privateer ............
James B said:
Well I'm standing in the queue to board the plane home at Stansted. Was working in support of Graham Davidson in the Noble (no 47) and it was a weekend of mixed results for us. The car suffered a driveshaft failure in the Sat race so 200miles were driven to bring back a replacement. In quali this morning he did his fastest lap yet and qualified 9th. The 935 mentioned above dropping out meant an 8th place start and some great battling got him up to 4th. It really was a stellar drive that saw him post his best lap yet. Sadly the other driveshaft failed and he retired with only 3 laps to go. His lap during the race meant he would have started 6th which is so impressive given the extremely privateer manner (I.e. No team support just his friends, trailers car himself and has tools, spares etc limited to what fits in his Audi tow car!) in which he competes. It was highly entertaining watching him mixing it with the 458's and passing a couple! He was just putting the hammer down to catch the next one for 3rd when the failure occurred.
So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
I was very impressed with the way the Noble went and took a look at it in the Paddock; very well presented. I did notice like the 935 the lack of "pomp" around it a good honest trailer and bundles of enthusiasm! Best of luck we'll be cheering you on again next time at Brands.So, some car repairs and improvements to make but proof that this car and driver are a potential front running package.
Fantastic weekend overall. Really got me in the mood/mindset for my first ever race in July.
AMD87 said:
Not good to hear James he doesn't seem to be having much luck with it 
Obviously failing to finish was a disappointment but he was buoyed by the fact the car was clearly ahead of where it was last year. A lot of work and development has gone into it in the off season so it's rewarding to see that it is improved performance-wise. The cause of the repeated driveshaft issue seems reasonably clear so can be adjusted. Fingers crossed that's all that is needed and he can get some finishes at Rockingham.Andy 308GTB said:
Magnificent effort. Working on the car in the open contrasted well with the teams with their motorhomes, physios and catering teams.
It reminds me of another guy on PHeads (itsallyellow) who was running a bright yellow TVR in the GT Cup a few years back:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...
He embarrassed these guys too but I think this came back to bite him (IIRC) as Bute knows where their bread is buttered...
But well done - the car look great.
Thanks Andy.It reminds me of another guy on PHeads (itsallyellow) who was running a bright yellow TVR in the GT Cup a few years back:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/profile.asp?mem...
He embarrassed these guys too but I think this came back to bite him (IIRC) as Bute knows where their bread is buttered...
But well done - the car look great.
Well we did have a paddock tent that could have been erected to give us more presence but it was so windy and the proximity of the supercars to us had us leaving it in the bag for the weekend. No harm done, it was a lovely weekend to be outside.
The paddock at the GT Cup was also really friendly. There were so many well wishers passing and other teams loaning a couple of essential tools we were lacking.
The qualifying on the Sat was a little comical as it was the first time we had ventured into the pitlane. We realised we were in a slightly different league when we were walking up to the allocated pitbox with a breaker bar, the centrelock hub socket and AA digital tyre pressure gauge but every other team had a quad bike towing multiple trailers stacked with tyres etc. Graham has a fair way to go before he's got the level of support and equipment on hand for his race weekends. However, I think it adds to the character of the 'team'. It wouldn't look right if it were a Ferrari or an Aston he was racing but with the Noble it seems to work. It's an underdog car, cobbled together from some bits that other larger manufacturers had on the shelf. It really shouldn't work so well but in reality it goes very very well indeed.
So, if you're passing in the paddock feel free to pop past and say hi to Graham. He's an approachable chap with petrol running in his veins and knows every inch of his car as he's taken it apart himself and put it back together many times. Of course, he could use a hand sometimes so don't be afraid to offer to help!
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