It was double celebrations at Snetterton, as the Crisis @Tete Rouge quartet of Brian Heerey, Nick Roads, Ian Gibbon and Andrew Bull, not only tasted their first 24hr race success, Bull was crowned champion too.
Pete Sparrow led into Riches for 2CV Lion on the opening lap, with four abreast for second place. But by the end of the opening lap Heerey was in front, before it developed into a seven-car lead train.
30 minutes in and Pork Pie Racing’s Jon Harmer and Sparrow had gapped the rest, as they continued nose to tail, followed by Archer Lion’s Ethan Sparrow, Heerey and Super Schnecke’s Callum Grant.
Sean Sidley had been in the mix to for Figjam. “I spun at the first corner and lost loads of time, just ran wide after a really good start,” he admitted.
They continued in close formation to the completion of the first hour, with Harmer 0.296 secs up on Ethan Sparrow, then Pete, Heerey and Grant, with Sidley playing catch up still in sixth.
But no one had an answer to Sidley’s pace and four laps before the second hour was completed, he was in front with Harmer’s Pork Pie car the meat in the Sparrow sandwich.
The first stops soon followed, with Jennifer Hall, Sam Archer and Gary Adnitt preparing to take over the top three cars. “That was Ok, really good in fact once I had settled in,” said Harmer. But a broken fan and an alternator not charging made it a far longer stop than planned.
“I had to back off or lead for clear air, as it was getting warm and the oil temperature was going up,” said Ethan Sparrow. “Exhausting, the cars running fine, but a tad hot. I didn’t expect Ethan and Brian to drop off for a while though,” Uncle Pete replied.
Heerey was still in contention though, “we ran at the front but lost some time in traffic, so I ran with Ethan and did as I was told.” He said.
Super Schnecke had also lost time with an earlier stop, “we had change a fan, I got hit and heard a noise, but the tow had already broken and broke us up,” Grant explained.
With James Dartiailh and Nick Crispin following in the Figjam car, they continued to lead as they headed for the completion of the fifth hour. “I had to do an extra stop to fix front exhaust bracket chasing 2CV Lion, but broke a front a wheel around 10pm, Dartiailh explained.
With more dramas unfolding the midnight hour arrived, with Figjam back in front with a Crispin, with a lap in hand over Crisis @Tete Rouge’s Bull and Team Gadget’s James Northfield.
Heading for the completion of the ninth hour it was a change though, when Sidley’s Figjam lost another wheel, handing the lead to Crisis @ Tete Rouge, from Archer’s Lion, Team Gadget, Super Schnecke, ECAS Hansgrohe and ECAS.
Gibbon was still a lap clear for Crisis @Tete Rouge when we reached half distance, with Team Gadget’s Nicholas Home a lap up on Super Schnecke’s Grant and Archer Lion’s Archer too, with ECAS Hansgrohe and Figjam’s Sidley the rest of the top six.
From dawn breaking Crisis @ Tete Rouge had a fairly troublefree run to the flag. “We lost some time when the throttle cable broke just after 8am, but that was all,” said Heerey..
Team Gadget’s Tom Perry, Simon Clarke, Northfield and Home had battled with Super Schnecke for second. They were on the same lap after 18 hours, but Gadget then had to pit for an engine change and dropped them to fourth.
Bull went in for the final stint for Crisis @Tete Rouge and came in four laps clear of Super Schnecke’s Ian Pearson. “The longest 1 ½ hours of my life, I heard everything that could possibly go wrong and just tried to keep cool, “said race winner and newly crowned champion Bull. “20 years ago this car came last, now I have won my first race,” Roads added.
“Absolutely brilliant, what a race,” enthused Pearson taking the flag second for Super Schnecke, with Grant, Kris Tovey, Alex Cockhill and Stuart Ziemelis sharing.
ECAS Hansgrohe completed the podium, with Giles Owen, Eastwood and Max Wyer. “Brilliant but a bit surreal being waved into the podium parc ferme. I ache a lot though, squeezing my child bearing hips into Roy’s seat,” Owen added.
Team Archer’s Lion’s trio of Ethan Sparrow, Martin Riman and Archer were a further lap down in fourth, despite losing an engine on Sunday morning. “Pretty good apart from the engine and breaking a couple of wheels,” said Sparrow.
ECAS claimed fifth in the final hour, as 2CV Lion hit trouble. But Howard Wright had also lost a wheel late on in the ECAS car. “It had been good all night, apart a rear light issue which was fixed with fuse,” Glenn Oswin explained.
Still in sixth despite ending the race in the pits, Sunday wasn’t kind to multiple winners 2CV Lion. “I went to bed in the lead at 11pm and then David O’Keeffe had a headgasket fail but got back to the pits, then punctures,” said Adnitt. “We’ve got to see why we kept getting punctures,” Sparrow added.
Then with 12 minutes on the clock, Adnitt pitted and was sent out to try and limp home. He was back in a lap later, had an engine change but only made one lap before coasting down the pitlane where his race ended.
The Rosie Walford car was next home with Nick and Lauren Stoney, sharing with Steve and Julie Walford and Nick Clarke. “The throttle cable broke with me in it and Steve blew the engine, “said Storey. ”My first engine failure at the wheel in 15 years of the 24 hour race,” Steve admitted.
Figjam finally came in eighth. “With the wheel issues, dust in the carburettor and a throttle cable breaking there were extra stops, so thought we would try for the spirit of the event,” said Crispin.
Team Gadget and Pork Pie Racing rounded off the top 10, with Reggie-Mental, Blueberry Muffins, Rilii Racing, Blueberry Tarts, Hollis Motorsport and SL Racing all reaching the flag too, with Damax the only retirements on their 2CV debut.
There were five guesting C1, who battled for overall honours. WRC Developments David Drinkwater, Ross Boorman, Mike Devlin and Jake Johnson were dominant victors, easing clear when EMAX’s City Car Cup spec C1 had a leaking fuel tank. They still fought back to take second in the final hour, from EMAX’s C1 Challenge car.
