24H Series CoTA enduro resumes
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Having already raced for a very gruelling fourteen hours yesterday the 41 cars spread across the eight classes have just restarted their second, ten hour part of the race have just enjoyed a very polite and gentlemanly overnight break.
For a circuit that appears so vast with safety barriers set way off the racing limits, the preceding fourteen hours created for some extremely eventful racing with some competitors suffering some extreme damage to their cars in the process.
The three Aston Martin cars entered have all been included in that plethora of cars sustaining damage (self inflicted or not) leading to untimely delays in the garages.
Unfortunately, the #225 Speedworks AMR Vantage GT4 has suffered the most to date, sustaining front end damage in the opening minutes of the race yesterday, damage that has then gone on to continually hinder them throughout yesterday with intermittent electrical issues.
Despite all of this, the team are well versed to the complexities of running in the Creventic Series and have 'dug deep' into their pool of resolve and available spare parts to continue.
At the moment, team boss Chritian Dick is running P34 and fourth in class.
Next up in the Aston Martin Lagonda entered Vantage GT8 #232 of AML boss Andy Palmer, Peter Cate, Paul Hollywood and John Hindhaugh have led the SP3 class for many hours yesterday before firstly braking issues dropped them back down slightly before more sizeable contact damage and then suspension issues dropped them still further.
Presumably it was a difficult night sleep last night for AML VP and Special Operations Director David King having seen his one off pride and joy so distorted but then - who is going to argue with the boss?!!
Having to run to a defined delta lap time of no faster than 2:20:00 the #232 presently runs second in class but 14 laps down to the leading Brookspeed Porsche.
Finally, but no means least is the #20 De La Torre AMR V12 Vantage GT3 of Jorge De La Torre, Ross Gunn, Mark Kvamme and Korean Tack Sung Kim running in the A6-AM Class. Having been up at or about the top of the Am class lead for much of yesterday the young Mexican De La Torre finds himself circulating P9 overall and P4 in class having themselves struggled with earlier technical issues and damage.
With still more than nine hours of racing remaining anything can happen.........!!
Photo credits - AMR / Speedworks / 24H