Round 2 - Pace Petroleum 6 Hours - Results

Well it was better than Round 1 at Monza, but not so good overall. I only made it just past the 3.5 hours mark and then the left front brake disc exploded. I could have tried to keep the car going, but I had spent most of the afternoon being lapped and I was tired of making way for the faster cars to pass.

The first hour heralded a flurry of blue flags. The pace difference to the fast guys was just too great and wave upon wave of them came up from behind me. I couldn't establish any rhythm at all as they caught up to me at different parts of the track. I was a bundle of nerves and I decided to pit early to try and calm down.

The second hour wasn't much of an improvement. I began feeling pain in my left shoulder and my right knee, so I scaled it back and cruised around, not pushing my body or the car. In my second pitstop I stepped out of the car and smoked a cigarette to relax. I was in my customary last place anyway.

By third hour there were a few retirements and the line had strung out, so there were brief sequences of 2-3 laps where I could hit the pace I had in practice. I was beginning to make up the time I lost for the previous long stop. I pitted again and did some stretching to prepare for the fight back up the order.

I regained my confidence and the feeling for the car and hit a string of good laps and that's when the brakes failed. Maybe I stressed the car too much in my eagerness. Maybe the mod needs some adjustment for endurance racing. I expect another patch before the next round. It is probably the biggest, most important and most dangerous race of the year; 44 laps of the Nordschleife, Nurburgring... The Green Hell.

(pics from HSO Website)

Pos	Driver	Car	Laps	Gap	Grid	+/-
1	Jon Maycock Rob Swindells	1.4* Lancia LC1 Spider	260	6h00:47.30	3	+2
2	Jan Kowalski Juha Bos Michael Drechsler	1.4* Lancia LC1 Spider	258	+ 2 laps	1	-1
3	James Knowles Raul Jereb Timo Vermeersch	2.7* Porsche 956	253	+ 7 laps	2	-1
4	Mick Chapman David Jaques David Jundt	4.0 Sauber SHS C6	250	+ 10 laps	9	+5
5	Alberto Ibanez Jason White	4.0 Ford C100	249	+ 11 laps	5	0
6	Pascal Mikula Pascal Kalide	3.0* Porsche-Kremer CK5	247	+ 13 laps	7	+1
7	Filippo Marazzi	3.0* Porsche 935 (G5)	220	+ 40 laps	15	+8
8	Matthias Weber Jacob Fredriksson	5.3 Nimrod NRA-C2B	174	DNF	11	+3
9	Yves Plaçais	1.4* Lancia Beta Turbo (G5)	146	DNF	12	+3
10	Claudio Augusto Philippe Henrique	4.0 Rondeau M382	138	DNF	14	+4
11	Andre Lagunzad	3.5 BMW M1 (G5)	118	DNF	16	+5
12	Martin Lacina Michal Janak	4.0 Ford C100	109	DNF	6	-6
13	Richard Wilks	5.3 Jaguar XJR-5	90	DNF	10	-3
14	Jason Whited Bruno Chacon	2.7* Porsche 956	88	DNF	4	-10
15	Raul Jereb	3.0* Porsche 935 (G5)	58	DNF	17	+2
16	Dana Schurer	1.4* Lancia Beta Turbo (G5)	52	DNF	13	-3
17	David Jundt	4.0 Sauber SHS C6	43	DNF	8	-9