Xero Competition At Silverstone
“The Fear Nothing Tour 2003” Takes On The Empire Trophy Race
“We’re In the Race”
Paul Slinger tells the story……

The Xero Competition Chevrolet Corvette C5-R had undergone some subtle but significant changes since Knockhill, but not quite as significant as had been hoped for: the race specification engine was still awaiting a few bits and pieces so the ‘taxi engine’ was all set to have a few hundred more practice and race miles added to it. Initially, there were concerns that the lower powered engine would rule the car out of contention on Silverstone’s long, GP circuit straights, when pitched against the highly developed Moslers and TVRs….

Fist of all though, another award for Peter Le Bas....an 'award' for his sterling efforts at Knockhill: the stub of gearlever the tough Irishman grappled with so successfully. They do enjoy their racing, this Xero team.

The changes comprised a new exhaust system, which now threads its way through the rear suspension, rather than flattening out and running underneath it. It certainly sounds the part too. The exhaust modifications also necessitated a re-map of the engine’s electronics and this seemed to give the car a few more ‘beans’. Any slight power gain is improved further with a corresponding reduction in weight – so the removal of the battery from the very back of the car with its “eight miles of very heavy cables” was a further boost.

Saturday practice and Ricky Cole took the car out first, into the drizzle. “It wasn’t too greasy, the rain was just coming straight off the circuit. It’s looking good – the Moslers didn’t look as though they could have gone too much faster, we had a little bit of understeer, but its all OK. We know we can run at the pace we are running at for the whole three hours, so although it looks like we’re three and a half seconds off the fastest time it could be a lot worse.”

Peter Le Bas took over and brought the time down to a very respectable 1:59.525 – in fact, that pace was good enough for fourth in the session.

In the build up to qualifying, it was time to ‘splash some cash’ and on went some new Dunlop tyres - which seemed to pay immediate dividends as Peter Le Bas rocketed out of the pitlane and straight down to business. He put in a stonking first flying lap of 1:57.934, then a 1:56.706. This was much, much faster than before. The other front-runners all improved as well, but the margin to the leaders had been brought down again. This was the most competitive Xero had looked so far this season, at less than three seconds down on such a long lap. Le Bas’ time was good enough for third for most of the session, until Shaun Balfe launched a late charge in his Mosler to take pole, displacing the Corvette to a still highly impressive fourth place.

Peter himself was obviously impressed with his time (!): “That was very good, the new tyres were fantastic and the car was handling right. I was just lining myself up for a faster one, but I got the call [from boss Dave Beecroft] that it was good enough, and I should look after the car.

"The good news now is that I get to start behind a Mosler rather than a TVR, so I’ve got a chance of getting away with them. It’s not so bad that we’ve still go the taxi engine in – we know its reliable, so everything happens for a reason I guess – it’s really cool. I’m up for this race, but it’s a long one!”

It should indeed have been a long one – at three hours it would be the longest the championship had seen. Alas, it was to be the first DNF for Xero, after a clash with the Mosler of Jamie Derbyshire – but this was after half an hour. But the significant news is that after 30 minutes of very close racing, the Corvette was scrapping for position with the very car that has won every previous round of the championship.

The start itself was a frantic affair – Peter having to fight with Piers Johnson in the Eclipse TVR, whilst fending off Peter Cook’s Porsche. An unwavering Le Bas kept right on it though and despite Cook spinning off, Johnson (the eventual winner) was duly passed and the Corvette was third.

Peter is becoming renowned for being able to sniff podiums from quite a distance, but three hours away was surely a little optimistic? He nevertheless set about getting second from the Balfe Mosler in the hands of Jamie Derbyshire. He had to defend as well though – and the lack of straight line speed made it difficult: Johnson pulled past, then Hyde was able to follow the blue Ultima through. As Peter dropped back into the 2:00.00s it seemed there may have been a problem, but perhaps the others were forgetting this was a true endurance race.

Sitting back and biding his time worked well, because Hyde pressured the Master Motorsport Ultima into a mistake in the stadium, both running wide and letting Peter slip back through to fourth. This really seemed to spur him on, and he wound the car right up – bearing back down on Derbyshire. Lap after lap he was over him like a rash into and out of the bends, but the Mosler was able to pull away on each straight, with its extra grunt. Peter was simultaneously under tremendous pressure from Steve Hyde in the CDL T400R, as the three car train pounded round and round.

“I was trying really, really hard to get by the Mosler, but he had the pace on the straight. I tried to get by at Luffield time after time and I figured if I could get past I could get away and he’d be holding the TVRs behind him up. I got an opportunity to get through and I wanted to go for that podium position – we had a few side by side moments but we got a bit close at Maggots and there wasn’t enough room. Unfortunately we banged sides and the back wheel caught and it pulled a driveshaft out. The guys have been working really, really hard to make this a competitive car and now we are really close – it’s just unfortunate that this day is over.. I feel sorry for Ricky and all the rest of the lads back at the garage but it was just one of those racing things!”

I approached Dave Beecroft with some trepidation – some managers take more kindly than others to a bent car coming back on a trailer, but it was immediately obvious that it takes more than this to faze the jolly Lancastrian. Given the pace of the car he was understandably delighted, sufficiently so to make a joke about the car now having rear wheel steering - as he kicked the loose rear wheel to angles Chevrolet had never envisaged. “Absolutely brilliant – it feels great, we are in the race now. I’m as happy as I can be, given the retirement – we’ve got some good publicity and shown what we can do – even against the Moslers. I’m really looking forward to the next one.”

Xero are certainly proving to be one to watch: there is every reason to believe they would have finished with a strong podium position, possibly on the top step. There are now three manufacturers realistically in with a shout at victory and thanks to Xero Competition, Chevrolet are one of them. Bring on the race engine.
Paul Slinger