Team Endurance Racing

4 Hours of Bathurst

The four hours of Bathurst took place on Saturday 28th March (the second of five Team Endurance Races scheduled this year). Eight teams comprising of twenty seven drivers made it to the grid. These teams were split into three classes (Gold, Silver, Bronze). Three gold, three silver and two bronze teams lined up the start with each team consisting of either three or four drivers. 

During the six weeks leading up to the race, drivers attended one or more race practice sessions, where you get two hours of practice in an open pit lane session, allowing everyone to home their skills at Bathurst. A circuit that winds its way up and down Mount Panorama in New South Wales, Australia.  

Race practice is essential for learning the track, familiarising yourself with how to make a pitstop for fresh tyres and more fuel. Everyone who attends a race practice features on our leaderboard, making it easier for you to compare your own lap times with others. Many find team mates at race practice. The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming.

ON Saturday, teams arrived for the race at 5pm, Qualifying started at 5:30pm and the Race begun at 6:00pm.

Alex Pilbeam ‘Nearly on Pace’ qualified in pole position. Harrison Simpson ‘Kiss my Asphalt’ took second place, while Jamie Snelling ‘Team O’Glock’ took third. Our three gold teams not surprisingly, taking the top three spots. This was followed by our three silver teams ‘DBJ Racing’, ‘All Lane no Gain’ and ‘Big Muscly Women’. The grid was completed by our two bronze teams ‘Ruustty Racers’ and ‘Carbon Fibre’. 

While everyone wants to win outright, winning in class is far more realistic for the silver and bronze teams. The difference between a gold team and a silver team is around two seconds a lap, with bronze teams typically a further two seconds back. 

At the half way point, two hours into the race ‘Kiss my Asphalt’ the team of Harrison Simpson, Aaron Harris and Callum Puddicombe held a lead of just twenty seconds over ‘Nearly on Pace’  A team of four, Alex Pilbeam, Joe Clark, Josh Hilton and Josh Bacon. With these two teams on different pitstop strategies, everything was very close. ‘Team O Glock’,  Jamie Snelling, Alex Bourgeois and Bill Prout finished third overall. 

Dave Smith, Ben Horne and John Woolven ‘DBJ racing’ won the silver class coming home in fourth overall and first of the three silver teams. ‘All Lane no Gain’,  a team three consisting of brothers, Freddie and Brad Lane plus Taylor came second in class and BMW ‘Big Muscly Women’ Adam Riley, Jake Harris, James Maguire and Xavier Sanderson came six overall ahead of our two bronze teams. ‘Ruustty Racers’ Paul Micheli, Dave standing, Mark Chambers and John Parvin who won the bronze class, with ‘Carbon Fibre’ Tom Reid, Luke Jackson and a newcomer left to bring the field home not far behind Ruustty Racers.

The overall race was very clean and highly competitive making for a most enjoyable evening. As is now tradition here at VRROOM there was plenty of post race celebrations with Champagne sprayed liberally across our windows much to the displeasure of our window cleaner.

Race practice is now underway Wednesday and Thursday evenings for our next endurance race, the six hours of Le Mans which takes place on the Saturday 7th June. All teams (regardless of class) will compete in an LMP2 car around the iconic La Sarthe circuit. Drivers interested in taking part have almost two months in which to attend race practice, find team mates and ready themselves for the next epic adventure.

author : John Parvin

images : photos_by_bacon

Race Practice