With 83 cars all fighting for a place on the 60 car entry list for the next DGFX Endurance Series, last weekends qualifying Prologue event turned out to be hugely important for all involved.
NOMAD sent two cars into the mix, one HPD in the P2 class driven by Tony Baird and Bart Daelman, and one Porsche 911 RSR in the GT AM class driven by Ryan Walker and Jason Dilworth. Each car was in a separate split, and at 17:00 BST the lights went green on a 2 hour race around a very tight feeling Laguna Seca. This is a track that doesn't feel particularly well set up for multiclass racing, and we wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly the point. This prologue wasn't just about finishing position – teams would be selected to be on the entry list based on their quality of racing overall as well as their pace.
The two cars started in fairly opposite positions, with Tony starting the P2 class in pole, and Ryan starting 26th - 2nd from the back - in the GT field. Both cars drove the cleanest race they could, with the P2 car maintaining the lead for the first half of the race and the GT car moving up through the field.
The P2 car dropped behind the PCDC HPD car around the halfway mark and fought hard to catch and pass them a few laps before the end to take the win in class.
The GT car had moved up to 17th in class by the first stops. Knowing it was a two stop race, the team decided to take a risk on double stinting tyres for the last stint and it paid off. Making the tyres last lifted the car to 9th in class by the end.
Then came the nail-biting wait for final confirmation from the DGFX team about the final entry list – both teams had made the cut. You can see the DGFX Endurance Series Entry List.
The next race is the 4 Hours of Silverstone on October 13th. You'll be able to catch all the action on our NOMAD Live, as well as live timing. See you there!