The first rule of endurance racing is obvious: don't damage the car. Not only is there the potential for undoing what previous drivers have achieved, you might also ruin the weekend of the others lined up to drive the car. And who've been waiting hours for their go. There's just so much more riding on an incident when racing around the clock as part of a team. It's annoying when it happens in a solo sprint; it's little short of mortifying when it occurs as part of an enduro effort. Guess how I know...
But we should start at the beginning. The first EnduroKa round of 2020 took place with social distancing measures in place, including restrictions on where team members could be to try and minimise any chance of getting too close. A minimum pit stop time of four minutes was introduced to ensure the cars could be sanitised between drivers, and an independent Motorsport UK inspection would ensure everything was being adhered to.
All as it should be, of course. Although, to be honest, it was the dramatic difference in the look and feel of the the 2020 EnduroKa grid which was playing on Team PH's mind. The motorhomes were grander, the tea urns larger, the race suits better fitting - even on Saturday morning it felt a more professional series than the 2019 campaign. There was talk of WTCR drivers on the grid, there were Kas that looked like Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport had prepared them and vicious rumours circulated of dyno sessions liberating another couple of horsepower. We were concerned about where the kettle might go, because Olly had chucked his table out. Already hopes of repeating last year's podium finish looked slim.
Racing Pete did his usual excellent qualifying performance, but the pace had moved on demonstrably. Last year a 1:45.0 qualified us second; this year a 1:44.9 was only good enough for eighth. Pole was a blistering 1:43.5, and the fastest lap of the race an almost unbelievable 1:42.7. That's an average of basically 70mph, in a Ka. And, spoiler alert: PistonHeads did not set that time.
But endurance success is not about how fast you can lap. At least, not entirely. It's about maintaining a consistently good pace, and keeping the car going. To finish first, first you have to finish and all that. Pete did an excellent job of doing that in the opening stint, avoiding any first lap drama and settling into a good pace as part of the top 10. An unscheduled pit stop for loose bodywork dropped him back, but then he could jump those cars as they came in. Racing Pete says he was leading for four laps, and as he knows British club motorsport better than TSL timing, we're going to have to believe him.
Then it was time for our Front-End Engineering Lead developer Matt Dell to take his sanitised seat in the Ka. In his first race ever. Having driven the car for a total of about 20 minutes in qualifying. And after just receiving whatever a National B is now called. Which must have been as daunting a prospect as they come. But he did a laudable job, taking huge chunks off his qualifying times, staying out of trouble and filling us with confidence for his future drives. Sadly his time was plagued by safety cars - an encouraging debut, nonetheless.
PH ringer Charles Rainford - otherwise known as one Pete's racing driver friends - was in the car after Matt, but his session began with a problem. A problem on the straight which closed the pitlane exit (yes, you really can have too many tiny Kas on one bit of track, it turns out). But it had only been closed after Charles was in the car, dropping us back another lap. By hour four we were in 21st place, five laps off the lead. He did a superb job in the car, though, dropping our best lap to a 1:44.2 and bringing us back into the top 10 by the time five hours had passed. To think it was all looking so good.
There were chunks of my time in the Ka that went well. Having struggled in qualifying, I found a few decent laps in the 1:45s (how there are low 43s and high 42s in these Kas I've no idea) and passed a few cars as well, our little #98 feeling strong on the brakes despite old discs. There were some great dices, too, as cars tried to safely battle for space and position but with nobody willing to cede any precious momentum. It really makes you think about how to approach overtakes, racing a Ka, because there isn't the power to bail you out of any mistakes. Speaking of which...
I thought the overtake was on. I'd been right up the exhaust pipe of the #33 Al-Most Racers car for a while and looking for a place to pass. The run into Murrays looked good as it had for a couple of similar moves, and I put the PH Ka there under brakes. I thought it was far enough ahead to claim the place - the driver of #33 thought otherwise, though, and turned in. The initial impact wasn't too bad, but there was the follow-up whack in full BTCC fashion that did the damage, smashing the headlight, tearing off the wing and damaging the bumper. I carried on, but soon pitted so the team could investigate. Tape was applied, suspension whacked into place and loose bodywork removed as I sat in the car completely harrowed. Damaging a race car that you and your friends have put so much time and effort into is like overturning a cement mixer on a freshly laid lawn. There is no five-second fix. It's miserable.
As such, the remaining hour of my stint was a lesson in frustration, the car still capable of decent pace but its driver reluctant to attempt anything but the most obvious of overtakes for fear of causing more damage. When the cars are this evenly matched it becomes torturous, knowing there's a couple of tenths here or there without the confidence required to exploit it. Which is why the good guys are seconds quicker, and breeze past the opposition like they're racing SportKas...
Having got in the car with us 13th, I handed it to Olly with us languishing in 21st. For what it's worth no penalty was applied, making me feel a little better about my judgement, though patently no better for squandering our team's chances of a top 10 finish. (I'm sorry, lads; rest assured the hunt for Panther Black spare parts continues.) Despite another delay for a loose fuel cap, Olly did a sterling job of atoning for my mistakes. His two hours passed without incident and, even with the extra pit stop, we were at least 18th. Soon enough it was approaching dusk, and time for Pete to finish the race as he'd started it - by driving really fast.
Aided by problems with other competitors (he's not getting all the credit), Matt Dell's line manager had us up to 13th by the time 11 hours and 343 laps had passed. We were nine laps off the lead, but still in contention for a top 10. Moreover, it felt like a reset had been performed at about 8pm, turning the 12 Hours into a desperate 60-minute sprint for the flag. There was another safety car, spins on the start straight and desperate overtaking attempts as the field battled for best possible position.
With a wise, wily old head on his shoulders, Pete coaxed some competitive laps out of a Ka that was no longer at its best. (Some new discs are on the shopping list before Oulton, alongside body parts.) It was a fine effort, and the car was brought home 11th - with the galling knowledge that the pace was in the team for a top 10 finish, just another lap down the road.
It didn't detract from the 12 Heures du Norfolk being a huge amount of fun for a good chunk of the weekend, even with a much-improved grid that may well stand between PH and any more podiums in 2020. Contributing to a team made up of your mates in something as exhilarating as motorsport is a thrill like nothing else - whether you get the pleasure of fake champagne at the end of it or not. Of course, it's also a disappointment like no other when you let the team down, but that's all part and parcel. I wouldn't miss the next round at Oulton Park for all the bumpers on eBay. After all, we only need one...
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