Friday 21st June 2024

PH Competes: EnduroKa Anglesey Coastal 24hrs

This time, it's serious

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As the engines fall silent and the dust settles on another unforgettable Le Mans 24-hour race, I always return to the UK with an irresistible urge to compete in it at least once. Unfortunately, time is speeding up, and the competition is getting more professional, making this dream seem more distant than ever - but still, hopefully not impossible. 

In the meantime, competing in any 24-hour race is a significant achievement for any racing enthusiast. Many readers will have already ticked off that milestone, whether successfully or not, but I have yet to do so. Until now, that is, as the opportunity has presented itself this year with EnduroKa and its upcoming Ynys Mon 24 round at Anglesey. 

You’ll likely recall that Team PH has covered the EnduroKa race series since its inception. Despite our best efforts over three years of very enjoyable racing, we never quite reached the top step. But we did learn an awful lot about endurance racing and successfully built two cars on our very own driveways. Ask any team member, and they'll tell you how much they miss the camaraderie and excitement of competing in the hugely popular series. 

This year, things are a little different: we've teamed up with the Sukaru Racing 555 entry, alongside support from Autotech Motorsport. They offer one of the many 'arrive and drive' options available to anyone who’d like to have a go, providing trackside support for the entire 24 hours. To make it truly feel like Le Mans, we're opting for the regulation minimum of three drivers instead of the maximum of six allowed.

As ever, preparation is key—learning how to feed, sleep, and hydrate ourselves during the race is essential. At Le Mans, I sought advice from the professionals. Radio Le Mans expert Johnny Mowlem explained that he fuels up on pasta and bananas during a race weekend, and Sebastien Buemi reckoned it was important to take naps whenever necessary. These are strategies we need to refine.

Driver changes are another critical aspect. While Le Mans allows four-hour stints, giving drivers a decent rest, EnduroKa is less generous. The maximum driver stint is two hours and 20 minutes, including the pit stop. Realistically then, with three drivers, rest periods are only about four hours between stints. So if you have any strategies of your own, we’d welcome your suggestions in the comments! 

Obviously getting the car to the finish is the ultimate goal. Earlier this year, we participated in a shakedown event at Silverstone to prepare for the upcoming 24-hour challenge. It tested both the car and the team. While the day didn’t go exactly as planned—we were stuck in 3rd gear—we did demonstrate our resilience and determination by changing the gearbox and clutch in just 35 minutes. As you might expect, this experience again underscored the unpredictable nature of racing and the relentless need for thorough preparation.

If the thrill of Le Mans has ignited your racing spirit, there's still time to enter the EnduroKa 24-hour race at Anglesey. For anyone without a car or new to the series, the Arrive and Drive packages provide a ready-to-race Ford Ka and full support, allowing you to jump straight into the action without the hassle of car preparation. Alternatively, if you already have a car, entries are still open.

None of which means I’ve given up on Le Mans, of course - but I am very much looking forward to a slower-paced version in Wales and seeing if 24-hour racing really is as hard as it looks. Bring it on.

 

Photo Credits: Hazel Ford Photography, Tristan Judge, Chris Hilson

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• 8 things we learned racing in EnduroKA
• How to build (your second) EnduroKA | PH Competes

[FaustF]

I really enjoyed following this before and no doubt shall do the same again!

Following with interest and fingers crossed for the team!

[Turbobanana]

It would probably have been helpful to put the date of the event in the article: 13 & 14 July, in case you're interested.

From the EnduroKa website

[RacingPete]

Turbobanana said:

It would probably have been helpful to put the date of the event in the article: 13 & 14 July, in case you're interested.

From the EnduroKa website

Though we don't want too much competition

[nismo48]

Good luck with your endeavours!!

[Debaser]

Hope it all goes well for you!

[Mr Tidy]

I really enjoyed reading about the previous Ka exploits.

Good luck with this one.

[Sandpit Steve]

This series has always been great fun to follow, proper grass roots motorsport at its best. Good luck Pete and friends!

Love the livery of that Ka as well!

Edited by Sandpit Steve on Saturday 22 June 15:38

[EvolutionChris]

As part of the reigning EnduroKa 24 Champions, I can say that preparation is part of it, a dose of good luck is another and great strategy is critical. We turned a 52 second deficit going into a safety car period into a 12 second lead coming out of it. Good luck and enjoy yourself, it’s a fantastic achievement to finish it

[Cambs_Stuart]

I also really enjoyed reading all about the Ka racing last time. Good luck and hoping you get a podium!

[martin12345]

I've done 10 24 hour kart races and I'd say sleep is over-rated.
The least I've got by on is - none. and the most is probably 3 or 4 hours

With 4 hour breaks between stints you are in a good place. An hour or so to "calm down" after a stint, get something to eat, drink and then an hour or two's sleep is pretty ideal. More and you start to struggle to wake up afterwards. Then wake 30 to 45 min before your next stint to get properly awake, prepared and also be ready to do a slightly early change in case a full course yellow comes out to give you a "cheap" change

My biggest concern with going with a team of 3 (which from a speed point of view is good) is that if anyone gets sick/injured either before the race or in it, you are down to 2 which could mean either disqualification or sub-optimal driver load. Personally I'd be trying to get a 4th driver even if you plan them to do minimal driving if all others stay fit

[anonymous-user]

I love original Ka and I'd love a stripped out slightly warm version as a toy. Absolutely glorious little things to drive, one of my favourites

[camel_landy]

FaustF said:

I really enjoyed following this before and no doubt shall do the same again!

Following with interest and fingers crossed for the team!

Ditto

M

[RacingPete]

martin12345 said:

I've done 10 24 hour kart races and I'd say sleep is over-rated.
The least I've got by on is - none. and the most is probably 3 or 4 hours

With 4 hour breaks between stints you are in a good place. An hour or so to "calm down" after a stint, get something to eat, drink and then an hour or two's sleep is pretty ideal. More and you start to struggle to wake up afterwards. Then wake 30 to 45 min before your next stint to get properly awake, prepared and also be ready to do a slightly early change in case a full course yellow comes out to give you a "cheap" change

My biggest concern with going with a team of 3 (which from a speed point of view is good) is that if anyone gets sick/injured either before the race or in it, you are down to 2 which could mean either disqualification or sub-optimal driver load. Personally I'd be trying to get a 4th driver even if you plan them to do minimal driving if all others stay fit

Thanks for the advice. I must admit I do have a habit of playing football pre race and busting something… so think I will have to cut down on that as we head closer. I did manage to break my leg the night before a 2 driver race at Oulton once.

[martin12345]

RacingPete said:

martin12345 said:

I've done 10 24 hour kart races and I'd say sleep is over-rated.
The least I've got by on is - none. and the most is probably 3 or 4 hours

With 4 hour breaks between stints you are in a good place. An hour or so to "calm down" after a stint, get something to eat, drink and then an hour or two's sleep is pretty ideal. More and you start to struggle to wake up afterwards. Then wake 30 to 45 min before your next stint to get properly awake, prepared and also be ready to do a slightly early change in case a full course yellow comes out to give you a "cheap" change

My biggest concern with going with a team of 3 (which from a speed point of view is good) is that if anyone gets sick/injured either before the race or in it, you are down to 2 which could mean either disqualification or sub-optimal driver load. Personally I'd be trying to get a 4th driver even if you plan them to do minimal driving if all others stay fit

Thanks for the advice. I must admit I do have a habit of playing football pre race and busting something… so think I will have to cut down on that as we head closer. I did manage to break my leg the night before a 2 driver race at Oulton once.

Sh&t happens, and often in 24 hr races. The more you can do to minimise risk the better. Winning a 24 hr (our record over the 10 has been 2 1st, 1 2nd & 3rd. 2 4th's, 1 5th & 6th in classes with 15 to 25 depending on the year). We were "no where" in our first year. We didn;t get much faster (as we'd all done years of short duration karting before) but we learnt how to manage the race and manage to stay out of trouble. Being fast is important but keeping the car on the track and out of the pits is even more important

Minimising the risk includes the preparation of car(kart) and drivers up to the start of the race. We end our practice early to have more time for final kart prep, part updates and checks.

Good luck !!