Intersport Racing At Le Mans The Race - June 17/18 Warm
Up 09.00 - 0945 "The parade last night was ballistic. Because I'm the only woman in the race, they only had me to get autographs from. But I loved it, it was awesome. I'm getting a little nervous already though - because I'm starting the race. Jon told me that earlier this season. We'll be doing single stints to start with. I'm going to have some pretty quick guys around me..." Liz headed off for some laser treatment and massage before the pre-race ceremonies: the laser treatment increases blood flow and increases cell activity, apparently. So after all the pre-race ceremonies, Liz finally took the start - and ran straight into a misfire. At the end of lap 1 she had dropped five places, and pitted on the next lap: engine cover off. "We had a mis(fire)," explained Clint Field. "We thought we could do it with the mapping, but we eventually had to change the wastegate." Between the mapping and the wastegate, the team changed coils and plugs too. Liz made four pit stops in total in the first hour, losing at least 18 minutes in total.
"We've got to hurry up now," said a frustrated Clint. Duncan Dayton was preparing to take over at approaching two hours into the race - the Lola six laps down, and in penultimate position in LMP2. The fightback has begun.
And that's the way it continued through the evening hours. "I'd like those five laps back," commented Duncan Dayton, as Liz Halliday circulated out on the track, with night time settling over the region.
At the head of the class, there had been a three car battle - one which the Intersport drivers would very like to have been a part of. The RML and Chamberlain-Synergy Lolas had been battling with the Rollcentre Radical - but this being Le Mans, two of these three entries would face hiccups before the race had run to a quarter of its elapsed time. The Chamberlain car only dropped a lap or so (with a plug change), while the other two raced almost neck and neck, almost to the six hour mark. At that point, the unique Radical pitted with a water leak - leaving one car out at the head of the class, the MG-Lola. So a quarter of the way through this marathon race, the Intersport Lola lay fifth in class, with Bill Binnie's Lola almost in Liz Halliday's sights. However, part-way through Duncan's double stint, shortly after midnight, there was a sudden shortage of gears. An end plate on the gearbox had cracked, and immediate repairs were needed. The crew threw themselves at the task, and 45 minutes later, the AER engine was fired up. "I'm going to do a triple stint," forecast Clint. There's 16 hours to go."
"We'll climb up the order again," suggested Liz. The Lola had dropped to 30th place. Clint actually completed a double stint, handing over to Liz for a double up to almost the half way point of the race.
"There was a huge amount of gravel at Arnage, and the tyre went down at Dunlop, and I nearly lost it there. The tyre sheared all the way round, but I got the car home, and Duncan is out there now. It's going very well." The Intersport Lola is 26th at 12 hours - despite making more pit stops than any other car in the race. In the LMP2 class, it lies sixth.
Clint took over
after a 'Duncan double' - and by 07.00, 14 hours into this marathon,
had moved back into the top 20, and lay fifth in LMP2. Fifth became fourth once the Radical ran into clutch bothers - although the Intersport car ran into another one of those annoying misfires. "They changed the plugs and coils and Clint carried on," explained Duncan. That was eight minutes lost.
Approaching 09.00 on a bright Sunday morning, there were still nine hours of this marathon left - with Liz tackling another double stint.
"During his previous double, Clint had enjoyed "a great dice with Andy Wallace, for about six laps. I set fast lap (fastest race lap in LMP2) right at the end, when the paddle shift was still working. I was chasing Andy and we came across the yellow Lola - and he must have braked when he saw us. Andy nearly hit him and I nearly hit Andy." Sudden activity in the Intersport pit at 09.50, nearly 17 hours into this event, signalled that the safety cars were out - which was Liz's cue to pit for attention to the gearshift. "The gear cut wasn't quite right and it was missing gears," explained Clint. "We're going to go back to the paddle shift and try and save the wear on the gearbox."
"But the same thing happened as much earlier in the race: the wastegate needed changing." Duncan had only completed three or four laps before the crew was called into action again - at 12.20. It was heading towards a half hour stop, and the Chamberlain-Synergy LMP1 Lola was homing in to take twentieth place. But the whole Intersport team had worked together and the #33 Lola still sat in fourth position - and who knew what was in store for the remaining four hours of the race? More mechanical issues, more work for the fabulous Intersport crew. Liz: "It was the wastegate again - plus some other things." It turned out to be more than that: the turbo had to be changed. Race engineer Brian Alder provided this (not necessarily inclusive) list: a gearbox problem, mapping, plugs, coils, wastegates, turbo - I think that's it." Every time the machinery protested, Brian's crew leapt into action, came up with a programme of work, and got the job done, with the absolute minimum loss of time. "The car is the best it's been all race," said Liz - as Clint attempted to bring her home, to fourth in class. But in almost the cruellest manner possible, Clint nearly didn't make it round that last lap. Something went horribly wrong between the two chicanes on the Mulsanne Straight, and Clint was seen on TV screens around the planet, clambering out disconsolately. But then he clambered back in and drove it home! The rules specify that everyone has to complete their last lap within a specified time: we're going to assume that Clint Field achieved that goal. WELL DONE INTERSPORT! It's been a pleasure (apart from the above) relating Intersport's stories this week. The Sebring winners may not have won this one, but boy did they play their part. Last word to Clint: "It was just a puncture - on the last lap. I couldn't believe it. I pulled over because I thought the smoke was gearbox oil - and I didn't want to lose it all, or cover the track in oil. So I took the engine cover off and checked everything - then drove it home. We finished! Fourth in class - and 42 pit stops.
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Liz
Halliday: "I only did an out and an in lap. Clint and Duncan
had four laps each, and the car was fine. The race engine felt great,
although compared to Thursday, the track felt a little cold.
The
rotation of Liz - Duncan - Clint had continued troublefree once
that misfire had been fixed. Duncan completed a single stint, followed
by Clint's double, then Liz on a double and then Duncan's first
double. The Intersport Lola was actually moving quickly through
the field. 45th after one hour (and two hours) suddenly became 35th
after three hours - then 31st after four.
"Yup,
that was my third double stint. I'm feeling a bit groggy now, and
my foot is very sore. I actually had a puncture on my in lap. 
Liz
stayed in the car for most of the morning, "and when I got
out of the car it was fine - although we were having to manage with
the manual shift.Contents Copyright © dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. |