The second running of the Lotus 1000km
Introduction
After last year’s successful revival of the Brands Hatch 1000km Classic, now run to Elise Trophy and Lotus Cup rules, a repeat was always on the cards. With last year’s race won in part by a storming guest performance from Paul O’Neill, a number of guest drivers were added to the entry list. Last year’s Production class winner Ramon Pineiro was joined by Nick Tandy, Phil Glew, Martin Donnelly, Phill Bennett, Eugene O’Brien, Stuart Hall and Gavan Kershaw, the latter in an Evora. The latter pairing may be favourites for the race, but will need to look out for the others, plus a returning Chris Randall in his Europa.
Qualifying
Qualifying took place in dry conditions but on a damp track as the day’s rain finally subsided, leaving a green track. GWS immediately got down to business but the red flags were shown after just five minutes as ES Motorsport 3 entered the gravel at Paddock Hill.
Team ODRIC were second fastest at this point, but had been given a warning for exceeding track limits. However for now, Lotus Cup UK Champion Steve Quick, Eugene O’Briend and Andrew Wright led the Production class.
Stratton soon took over the second-fastest spot with the sole Evora, whilst Hofmann’s were climbing the leaderboard, from third then second behind the GWS car. Stratton, however, were disputing the place.
Cee Norm-HSL then posted the fastest time, before Europa Racing took over their slot at the top of the timesheets. Then Stratton went quicker by a tenth, before GWS and Europa resumed the fight. Europa seemed to have the battle won with a lap six tenths quicker, especially when Hofmann’s went second.
Meanwhile, ODRIC’s Production class lead was coming under attack from REEM, with ES Motorsport 3 not too far behind. Amongst them in the lower reaches of the top ten was the Fox Motorsport team, last year’s winners and some way off the pace.
With two-thirds of the session gone, another red flag was called for Combat Laser Games, stranded at the exit of Graham Hill bend.
As the session entered its final moments, GWS were back at the top by a couple of tenths from Europa Racing. They hit back with a time half a tenth quicker as the tension built up, before thrashing it by half a second. Hofmann’s then took second with a minute remaining and the gird was set – an all-Europa front row.
GWS and Cee Norm-HSL will start from row two, ahead of Stratton and the leading Production car of Team ODRIC. 1 Cover and Robert Levy Foundation complete row four, whilst Combat Laser Games and Track-Group round off the top ten.
Race
Hour One
The first casualty before the race even started was Fox Motorsport, their Exige not making it past qualifying with gearbox troubles.
Tandy made a great start for Europa Racing as GWS’s Jamie Stanley lined up Hofmann’s for a pass but within a lap Pull the Udder One were in the gravel at Paddock Hill and the safety car was out before a lap had been completed.
At the restart Stanley resumed progress and took second within a lap, the pair running nose-to-tail for much of it. Phil Glew in the Cee Norm-HSL car then took up position, with the Stratton Evora threatening from behind. All three of them were pulling away from the leading Elise Trophy car – Team ODRIC.
The Evora and Cee Norm-HSL teams were enjoying a great battle in the early laps, swapping positions as they went, whilst further back, the second and third-placed Elise Trophy cars of Perrys and Track-Group were fighting hard but Pineiro in the latter was a little too aggressive with his strategy, attracting the attention of the stewards with his track-cutting antics. A drive-through penalty was given, which in the context of a 1000km race, won’t cause him too many problems.
There was double-drama at the halfway point as the leading Europa Racing car pulled in with gear-linkage problems, whilst Elise Trophy frontrunners Team ODRIC’s Eugene O’Brien stuttered into the pitlane. Trouble for Dave Carr stuck one vehicle off their team’s list too.
Meanwhile Stanley was building up a lead for GWS, whilst Stratton moved up to second, with a clinical pass on Hofmann’s, Cee Norm-HSL were catching them, with 1-Cover fifth from Robert Levy Foundation. Perrys led the Elise Trophy class from Track-Group, with Combat Laser Games and Witham Cars Japan completing the top ten early on. As the hour finished, Pineiro spun and rejoined in his relentless pursuit of Perrys.
Hour Two
The battle at the front continued to rage as the Stratton Evora built up speed as the track dried, Hall taking seconds off Stanley’s lead. Hofmann’s continued to withstand the advances of Cee Norn-HSL, whilst 1 Cover and Robert Levy Foundation kept up the pace. Meanwhile, despite his spin, Pineiro overhauled the Perrys team for the Elise Trophy lead.
Cee Norm-HSL stopped after an hour of ten minutes of running for their first pitstop, rejoining in tenth place. Meanwhile Pineiro’s erratic run saw him brush the gravel at Clearways as fellow Elise Trophy runners Team ODRIC were called to the stewards, just as Quick spun at McLarens.
The lead battle intensified as the Evora caught GWS’s Exige. Just as it got within two seconds, Savage spun into the Paddock Hill gravel, under attack from Pineiro, and the two leaders were line-astern as the Safety Car tempered the drivers’ nerves.
Pineiro pitted a filthy-looking Track-Group car after its many excursions, but as the safety car came in, all eyes were on the leaders. Hall bided his time but soon attacked, however Stanley was not going to give the place up lightly. The pair nearly collided at Paddock Hill and Stanley drove a very wide Exige, taking advantage of its nimbler nature too, however it would always be a temporary measure and thre Evora was soon on its way.
Things weren’t quite so straightforward for Hofmann’s, as a flash fire in the pits distracted the attention momentarily. However Scott Fitzgerald jumped in and was off on his way, now in eight place. Cee Norm-HSL’s stop had worked well as they were in fifth, whilst 1 Cover and Robert Levy Foundaton lay between them and the leaders.
Stanley made his first stop after an hour-and-a-half of the race had run, handing over to Luigi Mazza and five minutes later it was the Evora’s turn. Kershaw had a lead just under a lap as he rejoined but the lap times were very similar with full tanks. Meanwhile with its endurance-spec fuel tank, Robert Levy Foundation carried on, now in third place.
As hour two drew to a close, Stratton held a useful lead over GWS, and lapping a couple of seconds faster, whilst Cee Norm-HSL retook third as Robert Levy pitted, with 1 Cover, LaHay, Witham Cars Japan, Track-Group, Combat Laser Games and W’happen ‘n’ Whippet completed the top ten.
Hour Three
ES Motorsport 2 spun at Paddock Hill early on into the hour and the safety car was called for a third time. The action resumed for a while and just as the race was beginning to settle down for the long haul, Pull the Udder One entered the gravel at Paddock Hill and, unable to rejoin, the safety car came out once more.
None of this caused too much trouble for the leading Evora, still a lap ahead of GWS. They were some way ahead of 1 Cover in third. The Elise Trophy class was being led by Witham Cars Japan, from Lotus Cup runner, Cee Norm-HSL, then LaHay Racing, REEM, Combat Laser games, Perrys and Robert Levy Foundation.
REEM currently had Mark Speller on board and his stint hauled the car into contention, now third in class but two laps adrift. With Track-Group and Perrys losing time earlier, the Elise Trophy class was very much open at this stage.
Hour Four
Contact between REEM and Team Intellekt at Paddock Hill provided drama early into the hour but both appeared to be fine.
Mazza handed the GWS car over to Sherwood, with Elise Trophy class leaders Witham Cars Japan also electing to pit. Out on track, Phillips spun at Surtees and immediately pitted for a driver change as the leading Evora completed 200 laps. It stopped on the next lap and the front tyres were changed, whilst a few adjustments were made around the rear of the car.
The next stop was for the Track-Group car, with Pineiro taking over from Marcus Jewell. Pinero complained of handling issues earlier, explaining his wild moments and he hoped for better performance, however Jewell was concerned by a vibration and lack of ABS.
A second flash fire for the Hofmann’s Europa gave further cause for concern and they remained in the pits for some time, the rear bodywork off the car. Meanwhile, Savage’s car stuttered into the pits with severe engine troubles as he jumped into Roberts’ car, now required to complete the distance, which was a least nearing the halfway mark.
A spin for ES Motorsport 1 at Paddock at the end of the hour brought out the safety car once more. The order at this stage being Stratton, GWS, 1 Cover, Combat Laser Games, Cee Norm-HSL, LaHay Racing, Witham Cars Japan, Robert Levy Foundation, REEM and Track-Group as many cars pitted.
Hour Five
The safety car pitted but was back out moments later as debris at Surtees needed to be cleared up. Europa Racing remained confident of a good finish, despite their earlier problems losing so many laps. For the other Europa the outlook appeared bleak, as it sat in the garage and tumbled down the order.
Meanwhile, Glenn Sherwood pitted the GWS car and Jamie Stanley took over. Whilst the 1 Cover 2-Eleven took second place during the sequence, Stanley wasn’t keen on it sitting above them on the timing screen and attempted to pass, the two nearly tangling.
Combat Laser Games were enjoying an untroubled run and were now up to fourth, whilst ahead of them, Witham Cars Japan held the Elise Trophy lead. LaHay and REEM sat behind, a few laps separating them, whilst Track-Group’s Pineiro was working on the cars ahead.
Pineiro then made his stop, as did the leader. Ominous smoking from the engine bay led to frantic work on the car, scenes all too familiar from last year’s race. Ironically the beneficiary were the GWS team, who had similar problems in 2010. As the hour finished, the car returned to action, three laps down, with 1 Cover still third, then Combat Laser Games, LaHay, Witham Cars Japan, REEM, Perrys, Robert Levy Foundation and Track-Group.
Hour Six
The Stratton team’s problem appeared to be a leaking catch tank, whilst Pineiro, after his stint, diagnosed a slow puncture on the Track-Group car. GWS maintained their lead as Kershaw got up to speed in the Evora.
There were further problems for Savage in the Perrys team’s sole remaining car but it appeared that he had run out of fuel and they completed their stop just as REEM returned to action. Combat Laser Games were also in, continuing to run solidly in the top five.
The Perrys car stopped at the entrance to Surtees, bringing out the safety car, and GWS took the opportunity to pit, Mazza taking the wheel. Just one lap was completed under caution and Kershaw in the Stratton Evora worked on reducing the deficit, whilst brake pads were being changed on the leading car, potentially extending their stop.
The Perrys car looked to be leaking fluid and the engine cover and access panels were open, suggesting perhaps coolant. Whatever, the car left the pitlane, shortly followed by the GWS car, having lost second place to 1 Cover.
Elsewhere in the race, the Elise Trophy class leaders were nose to tail, LaHay just holding off Witham Cars Japan. The battle between them was intense and for several laps Plant in the latter car stalked Hay, eventually finding a way past. As the hour finished, Stratton led 1-Cover, GWS, Combat Laser Games, Witham Cars Japan, LaHay, REEM, Team ODRIC, Track-Group and Robert Levy Foundation.
Hour Seven
Track-Group made another stop, however the pace of the car was seemingly not enough to push it further up the order. Meanwhile Pete Storey pitted the 1 Cover 2-Eleven, currently in second place, with differential problems.
More drama followed as Yuji Shinohara slowed to a halt at Surtees as several cars almost made contact with it. The safety car was immediately called as the pitlane became a flurry of activity, including the leading Evora. Further work was undertaken on the rear of the car – in particular the right rear toelink and Kershaw was confident that they could make the finish without stopping, although a quick splash and dash may be required.
This stop gave the GWS car a lead of 45 seconds and whilst it needed to stop again, the chances are it would have plenty of fuel, so the race was far from decided. What was definite, was that 1 Cover’s day was over, the car now abandoned.
With Combat Laser Games looking strong in third, LaHay led the Elise Trophy class from REEM and Witham Cars Japan. Team ODRIC were seventh, from Track-Group, Robert Levy Foundation and Perrys. GWS, now only leading by 28 seconds, were preparing for their final stop, with less than 100 laps to go.
Hour Eight
Mazza pitted at the start of the final full hour, handing over to Stanley. Meanwhile Strattons were working on fuel-saving strategies, giving hope to the challengers, and Combat Laser Games, whilst needing to stop once more, were hauling themselves into contention. Indeed, they took second as Stanley rolled down the pitlane.
Combat Laser Games then pitted for their final stop, Chris Setters in for the closing stint. Meanwhile, a rear toe-link failure stymied the Robert Levy Foundation team’s efforts as Martin Donnelly was about to go out but the bigger drama was an unscheduled stop for Stanley, with a damaged rear-right suspension bolt. Giving the leaders the chance of making that last stop, there was still the hope that a quick stop would leave the possibility of a close finish.
Stanley rejoined now nine laps down on the leaders and three behind Combat Laser Games, although the Stratton team duly reduced their pace accordingly, in the hope of managing their fuel load.
Further back, Track-Group gained a place when REEM’s car faltered, but the headline laptimes were coming from Nick Tandy in the Europa Racing car. The erstwhile leader was only sixteenth and several laps down on those ahead, but wasn’t giving up as darkness fell upon the track. A further stop halted progress briefly and he set off again.
Stanley, meanwhile, was battling Setters, trying to claw back the laps. The pair clashed at Clearways and the latter spun, gaining the GWS team even more advantage in their quest. However the incident was under investigation by the stewards.
Pineiro completed his final stint and handed over to Jones, the car in eighth place. However Witham Cars Japan were catching LaHay and a rematch was on the cards. Team ODRIC and REEM also lay between the leaders and Track-Club.
With the pit window about to close and the final 25 laps left to run, Stratton held a seemingly unassailable lead of seven laps over Combat Laser Games, who were under pressure from GWS Motorsport. LaHay led Witham Cars Japan for the Elise Trophy class, by barely ten seconds after eight hours of racing, with ODRIC, REEM, Track-Club, Perrys and Robert Levy completing the top ten. The hour closed with the Evora making a final stop for fuel.
Final Laps
Stratton returned to action four laps ahead but the focus was now on the battle for the Elise Trophy class as the pit window closed. Adam Bewsey chased Steve Williams down as the pair entered the final twenty laps just a second apart.
Bewsey tracked Williams for a few laps then started to make his moves. An attempt into Paddock was rebuffed by Williams but next time round Bewsey used the traffic to his advantage. However the pair continued to lap in close company.
The drama wasn’t just confined to the Elise Trophy class – the GWS car pitted with twelve laps to go and unsure of the problem, Stanley sat in the pits as the Elise Trophy battle looked to be one for the podium. The car went out for a lap but ended up being pushed back in – it did add a valuable lap to their tally, however, but they were about to lose the podium to Bewsey, who had won the battle for Elise Trophy honours.
As the Stratton car completed 515 laps, it was 5 clear of Combat Laser Games, and 15 ahead of Witham Cars Japan and LaHay, followed by GWS, ODRIC, REEM,Track-Group, Perrys and Robert Levy Foundation.
Conclusion
The race may have been missing last year’s winners after an issue that reared its head in qualifying and whilst they would certainly have featured in action, the Stratton Evora started as favourite and, apart from an issue midway through the race, was first to take the chequered flag. However that description would miss the superb efforts by the GWS team, who sadly missed out on the second place their pace warranted. The lead battle when the race was barely a couple of hours old provided great entertainment and they kept the winners honest, to the extent that they were having to temper their pace to save fuel.
Combat Laser Games put in a consistent effort and reaped the rewards of this with their second place, letting the race come to them, whilst the efforts of both front row cars cannot be missed. Tandy’s relentless pace in the first half hour was cruelly cut short and it would have been fascinating to see them in the battle for overall honours. Hofmann’s maladies denied everyone of a further challenger too.
Whilst the Lotus Cup win seemed clear cut with an hour to go, the Elise Trophy battle raged on until the end. Witham Cars Japan and LaHay fought many times on track as well as the timesheets and kept up the tension to finish just seven seconds apart – quite incredible after eight hours of racing! ODRIC and REEM were worthy competitors and plenty of entertainment was provided by Pineiro in the Track-Group entry, which may not have repeated their win from last year but were classified next to Perrys once again.
Sixteen teams were classified at the finish and of those that missed out, many still carried on until the chequered flag, making for a superb spectacle to add to last year’s inaugural race. With the LoTRDC season now officially completed, it’s barely two months until the Autosport show, where we will one again be exhibiting, before another great year of racing is launched. See you there!
Kevin Ritson Press Officer LoTRDC Ltd
