We went racing, this time for real! In 2022 we had a few conversations about giving the real thing a go, particularly in the popular and competitive EnduroKa series that features 5 to 12-hour races. One thing led to another, and we found ourselves at Round 1 at Silverstone, not only a first for the series but our first-ever race!
Soon after those conversations, we found a car being built by another team that was no longer going to race. The main bulk of the Ford Ka was already done. However, we did a precautionary strip of the car, refreshed all the serviceable items, installed the required spec and safety items, and finished the car ready for the 2023 season. To ensure an equal and fair playing field, the majority of the car has to remain stock and include half a dozen control parts that really transforms the way the Ford Ka handles on the track. This really showed as we saw the top 20 cars only separated by a second in qualifying!
After a few track days early in the year, we soon found ourselves at Silverstone on the Friday for testing, our first-ever session! It was raining, and all the drivers, Paul Pearce, Byron Crawford, and Gianluca (Johnny) Elia, had no experience in the wet. It was an eye-opener for guys, especially for Johnny and Byron, who both had spins. We set no representative lap times but gained a lot of experience with the car.
Saturday was spent setting up the garage and preparing the team. Haley, Liam and Geeno were on hand to help with the car and the race. Other than a few minor issues, the car was signed off by scrutineering. However, we found that our right rear wheel bearing needed replacing. The guys in the Burton garage were kind enough to supply us with a new one, and the car was ready. Before the end of the day, we practised a few pitstop runs and packed up, ready for qualifying and the race on Sunday.
Qualifying was the first session of the day. All three drivers must complete three laps to be able to compete in the race. Johnny was the first driver to bag his first three laps, followed by Byron and then Paul. Rather than staying out, we decided to rerun the same program, which allowed us to practise pitstops, as setting the fastest time was not our priority. Out of the 41 entries, we qualified 25th with Elia’s time of 1.20.854 (+1.154 from pole position). Apart from a new set of tyres and topping up the tank, one o’clock soon came around, the green flags waved, and the 5-hour race began!
Johnny did the first stint, being a little cautious on his first time out, he dropped down the order but soon started to settle in and regain places. Fifty minutes into his stint, the call was to box early to miss the traffic. Byron was next in the car and got up to pace straight away, just before the safety car came out. Most cars dived into the pits while we stayed out and jumped up the order. Byron pushed on and got the team up to 12th place. Crawford came in after an hour, and we carried our first-ever fuel stop, which ultimately cost us a two-lap penalty for making a few mistakes. Paul next in did a mega stint while still learning the car and, most importantly, keeping it clean, despite some ambitious drivers. Another fuel stop, this time with no penalties. Elia, with the nerves out of the way, started to push and beat his personal best after personal best, finishing the stint with our fastest lap of the race, a 1.19.951, the fourth fastest lap overall. A final driver change to Byron for the last hour. Despite having no grip left on the front tyres, Byron nursed the car home with very consistent lap times, finishing us 25th over the line!
With the whole weekend going smoothly, it was almost too good to be true! Unfortunately, after the race, we were disqualified for being just underweight. Classified or not, our performance overall, both on and off track, was impressive, and we couldn’t have asked for more for our first outing. We’ve learnt a lot, and the team are looking forward to getting stuck into the next race at Cadwell Park in June.