The “6 Hours of Spa” meeting is one of the largest and most popular European Historic race meetings on the calendar. Competitors travel from all over the world to attempt the gruelling endurance race, in all kinds of race machines; everything from AC Cobra’s, GT40’s and E Type’s to Mini’s and MGB’s.
As well as the 6 hour race, there are also grids for F1 cars, World Sports Cars, GT’s and Vintage racing cars.
[UKPRwire, Wed Nov 04 2009] For 2009, the PromotaSPORT team were attempting to re-produce their succsess of 2008 with another class win in the six hour race with Grant Tromans’ Lotus Cortina, driven again by the same winning driver line up, PromotaSPORT regulars Grant Tromans, Neil Cawthorn and Michael Caine.
The second of Grant’s Lotus Cortina’s entered in the Top Hat All Comers race, to be driven by Grant and Neil, and the Abarth Osella PA1 was again set to compete against the exotic machinery in the World Sports Car Masters race.
The event began with testing on Thursday. As ever, the un-predictable weather conditions up in the Ardenne Mountains, which surround the world famous Spa Francorchamps circuit, had closed in and rain made the track conditions far from ideal for testing in the morning. Fortunately, the sun came out in the afternoon and the PromotaSPORT team managed to complete their test programme, dialing in set ups and calculating fuel consumption for the week end of racing ahead.
Friday qualifying began with a frustrating session for the Top Hat Cortina. An alternator failure resulted in very little track time for Grant and Neil and left them qualified in 66th place on the grid for the race the next day.
The World Sports Car Masters qualifying was next and the team were determined to re-produce their Silverstone Classic Pole position. The 40 min session was disrupted by red flags and the team were left only with enough time for just one more flying lap. Frustratingly, with Michael Caine (2009 Porsche Cup front runner) in the car, a problem developed in the gear box leaving Michael with no 4th gear. Despite this, he managed a 2:40.7 lap and placed the Ex Arturo Merzario, Abarth Osella PA1 11th on the grid of 59 cars and 1st in class.
The qualifying session for the 6 hour race was next up. The 110 cars entered had just 90 minutes for all of their drivers to post a lap time. The PromotaSPORT team kept their track time to a minimum and used the session to scrub in the spare race tyres and double check their fuel calculations, before running low fuel at the end of the 90 minutes and going for the lap time. The 1963 appendix K spec. mk1 Lotus Cortina ended the session with a fantastic time of 3:08.9 – fastest in its class and 57th overall for the race the following day.
Saturday began with the Top Hat All Comers Race. Grant and Neil had it all to do after the qualifying problems and knew they had to work their way up the field quickly. The race was 60 minutes long and Neil was to start. An aggressive stint from Neil, picking his way through the pack left Grant in with a chance of a respectable finish as the pit window opened. The driver change was smooth and Grant carried on where Neil left off, battling all the way to finish an excellent 33rd over all and 4th in class.
Next up was the 6 hour race. Starting at four in the afternoon and racing into the darkness. The team had their strategy carefully planned out. The key was going to be maximising the running time and using as much of the fuel capacity as possible. The plan was x4 stints with Michael doing the 1st and last stints, to take advantage of his Le Mans 24 hour experience of night time racing, Neil to go second and Grant to bring the car into the evening as the light faded.
The race began and ‘Cainey’ kept out of trouble, lapping consistently to bring the car to the 1st scheduled pit stop. The team ran through their well practised routine of checks and Neil was in the car and off to the fuel station. Another faultless stint followed and everything was going to plan. Neil was signalled to pit and the team had to perform a rapid front brake pad change at the stop, before Grant took over the driving as the daylight faded, now at the half way point of the race. Grant drove brilliantly in the darkness. The circuit conditions deteriorated as various cars spilled oil and coolant around the track. Tension was building; the team were engaged in a battle for the class win with an Alfa. The Alfa’s pace was slower but they had a much larger fuel tank and could now run the remainder of the race with out another fuel stop. This meant Grant had to keep lapping quickly and there was no room for error.
With just the last 90 minutes remaining, Grant pitted and Michael was back in the car to bring it to the flag. Shortly into his stint, he caught and re-passed the Alfa who had jumped the PromotaSPORT Cortina during the pit stop and the team were again P1 in class.
Time passed slowly but the Lotus Cortina kept pounding round as others fell by the way side. Finally, the 6 long hours were over and Michael crossed the line in a fantastic 38th over all and 1st in class! The team celebrated and headed down to the podium to welcome ‘Cainey’ in with a cold beer. It was only when Grant, Neil and Michael were called up to the podium that the team realised they had not only won the under 1600cc class but finished an incredible 3rd overall in the touring car class! Quite an achievement for an appendix K specification Lotus Cortina … Cheap Champagne had never tasted so good!
Sunday morning soon came round and it was now the turn of the Osella PA1 to race in the World Sports Car Masters. During the night, Grant had decided that an old wrist injury which was playing up meant that Michael was to complete the whole 60 minute race himself. Unfortunately, disaster struck as ‘Cainey’ drove the car round the out lap. The Osella wouldn’t stay in gear and the race was over for the PromotaSPORT team before it had begun. The elation of the previous evening now was a distant memory and the long journey home was set to be a miserable one …
ENDS
Written by Pete Johnston, managing director, PromotaSPORT
