Overview of Round 5 at Croft, Dunlop Endurance Championship, 23rd July 2016

Last weekend at Croft really proved just what this little team is capable of. Having overcome some niggly problems through the first half of the season this weekend seemed to unfold in a more measured way. The team had a solid test day on Friday which provided some much needed track time as the Z4 had not visited the circuit before. It also gave Ian some extra time in the car which proved so valuable in the race. The team was also pleased to welcome the "new boy" Carlos, a Masters Graduate from Oxford Brookes University, he has a font of knowledge to help in the data analysis and his ongoing input is greatly anticipated.

It was a very warm and sunny day on Saturday with temperatures in the low 20s. The morning’s free practice session confirmed to us the challenge we had ahead with Tockwith Motorsport’s Audi R8 LMS. In qualifying, TMS put themselves on pole ahead of the FF Corse Ferrari which was a couple of tenths up on the Z4 in P3.

The 3 hour downtime between qualifying and race allowed a small oil issue to be rectified whilst final strategy detail was discussed. The team enjoyed the hospitality put on by Claire and the Britcar team whilst friends and family enjoyed the summer sun on the grassy banks at Complex.

Lights out at 3pm put the grid into a tight pack coming towards Clervaux. Kevin kept close to the Audi and Ferrari in 3rd but by the time the first lap was complete it was clear that this was going to be flat out from the start, with the top 4 cars lapping at virtually qualifying times! The worry that this would be a procession quickly faded. Some respite in the pace arrived on the 36 min mark when the broken Mosler at Barcroft brought out the safety car. The leading Audi and the Ferrari both pitted then for a splash and dash which gave Kevin the lead. Unfortunately they were both able to join the back of the safety car tail and it wasn’t long until the Audi managed to unlap itself into the lead. The closely following Ferrari also tried to follow suit but in a very brutal way which resulted in both the Z and the Ferrari suffering unnecessary damage. However Kevin put in a solid 75 minute performance until taking the first mandatory pit stop where new tyres fuel and Ian took over for the middle stint. Undoubtedly this was one of Ian’s finest drives of the season so far. The Z delivering fastest laps for nearly an hour to get back to the front of the field, despite the some steering and aero malfunctions. Kevin took over at the last fuel stop for another blast to the flag which quickly dispatched the Ferrari from 2nd but the R8 proved just too much. So 2nd it was, and much deserved.

We would like to thank everyone for their input this weekend – without it we wouldn’t have finished where we did. The familiar faces of family and friends helped maintain high spirits throughout the day. Our "INGSport press photographer" Jack Storey captured some fantastic moments from the day which can be seen in the gallery below.

Presently, the team are still unsure of their attendance at the next round at Silverstone. The damage to the car at the weekend will take some time to fix but we will post an update in the coming days.