Simon qualifies 2nd in AM, 12th overall with a time of 1:17.207, 0.547 slower than overall pole
This race would be all about tyre management having only 3 sets of tyres available to complete the full 4 hours (including the set that the car starts the race with).
There were also restrictions in place for each driver's time allowed behind the wheel due to driver classification, and therefore Tony Baird would only be able to drive for a maximum of 1 hour 40 mins, which meant Simon would have to steer the car for the majority of the race.
Simon had an excellent start to the race making a couple of places initially due to others falling off the track with cold tyres and becoming AM leaders by lap 2, a position we would hold for a further 20 laps into the race at which point other LMP2 AM class cars caught up and overtook. However, lap 28, we decided to pit with a couple of laps left in the tank and take on some fuel but not tyres.
2 Laps later and a SCP (Safety Car Period) was thrown due to another incident on track which allowed others to pit and the pack to bunch up and once the race got going again, we had made back up some of the positions lost previously to the point where on lap 42, we found ourselves in 7th overall, 2nd in class.
Lap 46, car #156 decides to send it up the inside of turn one and pushes Simon out on the grass, cutting the circuit and getting a black flag in the process. Luckily that was cleared as no positions were gained.
Lap 57, the technical gremlins made an appearance once again for NOMAD and whilst under a SCP, Simons Oculus VR decided to turn off for a minute which resulted in the car veering off to the left and parking itself intro the tyre wall. At this point whilst trying to fix the problem, the car was towed back to the pits and consequently we dropped 15 positions and sat at the back of the AM class table.
As the set of tyres we were on were coming to the end of their life and it was time to fight back and forget the tyre management side of the race and go back out guns blazing and over a number of laps we managed to get back up to 6th in class. Now was the time to pit again and change tyres and for Simon to complete his last full stint before Tony took over.
Then the next mistake 16 laps into his last stint, Simon getting the rear end on the grass around the last bend sending the car veering off onto the grass, but bringing the car back onto the track at the apex, colliding with a GTE BMW. This caused some slight damage to the car and it was agreed that now was the time that Tony should take over and finish the rest of the race as there was less that an hour and forty minutes remaining.
Tony then proceeded on lap 95 to put in the times and from 11th in class started to bring the car back up the field.
Another SCP, we took the decision to pit for the last set of tyres so that the 15 secs penalty wouldn't be had whilst under race pace. So the car, sitting in 14th, 6th in AM class proceded to come into the pits only to be hit from a GTE exiting their pitbox, giving Tony a 4x Incident and some damage. As there had been a high amount of SCP up to this point, pit strategies were all different across the whole field and by the time Tony came back out the car ended up 19th overall, 9th in class.
Lap 129, another SCP and there was the opportunity to take on the last bit of fuel required to get to the end of the race. The car was pitted and rejoined the Safety Car line. Green lights and the race was go go go only for a BMW GTE to spin at the start of the finish straight right in front of our car, and with 21 minutes of the race to go the front was taken off and the steering completely damaged to the point of only being able to drive in a straight line. And that was it, the race was over for the NOMAD LMP2 car.
Overall it was another great showing of performance, qualifying up the grid and gaining many positions throughout the race when required, another demonstration that as a team we have the ability to do well, we just need to be able to complete a full race and rid of the gremlins.
Overall AM results, 11th place and 7th in the LMP2 AM Championship. Lets hope the 2.75 hours Barber Motorsport Park Endurance Race for Round 3 on the 13th December brings more luck for NOMAD than the last two races. Remember to tune in.
Thanks to the following for the images:-
Benjamin Fischer - Car #385
Calum Wright
