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Emotional promise but frustration at Brands.
Pace but no podium for Monaro.
The Emotional Engineering Vauxhall Monaro had a weekend of promise but frustration as it competed in its first EERC Britcar race meeting of the season at Brands Hatch with drivers Matt Griffin and Steve Hyde qualifying in sixth and taking fifth place on Saturday's race at the Kent circuit.

"It was a good solid result on Saturday," said 23 year-old Griffin. "We qualified slightly below where I thought we would but we were using different tyres from those we've used so far this year."

In the squad's third race meeting of the year it was a change from the Avon tyres they have used in the Avon Tyres British GT championship to rubber from Dunlop for the event where they competed against over twenty competitors in a diversity of machinery including Porsches, Ferraris, and Aston Martin and Marcos.

Steve Hyde drove the first stint in the hour long race and took the Monaro as high as third place when he brought it into the pits.

"I'm happy enough with my stint in the car on Saturday as it was my first time in the car on Dunlops and I got used to it pretty quickly and was working my way through the field to be in contention for a good podium finish."

The driver change pit stop went smoothly, but proved to be just a little too quick as the car was let out before the mandatory time stationary in the pits designated by the regulations had run. This meant that Griffin, now on driving duties, would have to make a second stop.

"It gave me some work to do but the Monaro was bang on the pace," said Griffin. "Steve had done a great job to bring the car in where it was so it was frustrating to lose the time but the rules caught us out – that's motor racing."

Exiting after the second stop in ninth place Griffin outlined the car's potential as he brought the Monaro back to fifth place at the chequered flag. Were it not for having to make the additional stop a podium finish was almost certainly on the cards.

"Even with the second stop if the race had been a couple of laps longer I would have taken fourth," said Griffin.

The Britcar race meeting featured a second race on Sunday, this time of two hours duration, but the squad's race ended before it had even begun due to the less than optimum location of a vital oil retaining device.

"We had changed the set-up to suit the tyres better and we were set for a very good result if the race had gone as planned," said Griffin. "The tyres have different grip levels and we learn a lot from how they'd reacted to our set-up on Saturday. It's a real pity we missed the race."

Due to start the race, Hyde was in the car when the oil warning lights showed and he had to return to the pits where the call was made to abandon the race in case the lack of oil proved terminal to the engine.

"I've had a diff break on the warm-up lap before so it wasn't the shortest race I've ever done," said Hyde. "But it wasn't far off. It was immensely frustrating."

Team manager Allen Orchard reflected on the weekend. "We have succeeded in some big challenges over the past 2 year with this project. Starting it, developing it to a competitive pace and making it reliable, now we need to complete the potentially wining picture by working on our personnel procedures and structure," he said.

"We have a great team on passionate and dedicated people and I now feel that we are on the home straight for success!"


~ends~



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For further information, images and interview requests please contact Andy Stobart: [e-mail]. [phone]. Emotional Engineering's Motorsport website can be seen at www.ee-sport.com/