Engine misfire denies inception racing’s chance to shineThere were highs, and there were lows for inception racing this weekend (July 31 to August 1) at the TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Spa, the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Ultimately the eighth position in the Pro-Am class, and 28th overall was not the result that the Optimum Motorsport run team had desired, nor feel they deserved. But after 537 laps, an engine misfire issue, the survival of atrocious weather conditions within sight of the chequered flag, everyone was more than content and happy with the team performance – if not the outcome - of this very demanding, world-famous GT3 event. Brendan Iribe and Ollie Millroy were joined for the event by Kevin Madsen and Jordan Pepper. Only the latter had raced in the event before and therefore, once the mechanical issue had been overcome, the team were more than happy to continue the event in order to provide the opportunity of gaining experience for the remaining three drivers. Having worked through the practice and qualifying session to start sixth in class, 44th overall, the determining factor to the outcome of the event overall came three hours into the race when Ollie reported a stutter power-wise shifting through the gears on the main straights. The issue got progressively worse after he handed over to Brendan, and duly the American pitted to have the issue rectified. An engine misfire is not an easy diagnosis or fix and it took just over 20 minutes for the team to find the issue and replace the coil pack and associated spark plug. It was unfortunate that something so relatively simple effectively ended any real challenge for a meaningful result. From that early point on, the team could either continue to race having lost eight laps to the field ahead, or park the #70 McLaren and retire from the event. They opted to continue, mainly because as a group of four racers, they wanted to be out there in the event, learning, experiencing and fundamentally enjoying their race craft in a super-quick car. Both Brendan and Kevin enjoyed plenty of both night and daytime running, while Ollie and Jordan completed the bulk of the running through the various cycles. Just when it seems that the race result was assured, Brendan jumped in for the final stint, only for the clouds to burst and the circuit became saturated. He boxed to be sure of the result, with Jordan back behind the wheel to finish eighth in class on a day that could have been. The significance of finishing the event should not be lost, especially with three of the four racers new to the challenge and it is the team’s first finish at the Spa 24 as well, bringing us a step closer to the ultimate objective. The team now continue preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with testing at Paul Ricard, followed by the official test day at Circuit de la Sarthe. |