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The Pennzoil Quaker-State G-Force team finished
in third and fourth, maintaining their second position in the Championship, 11
points behind Larbre Competition. For their first FIA GT experience, British
drivers Adam Simmons and Ian Gibbons finished seventh, just outside the points,
in the Cirtek Porsche 996 GT3-R they shared with German driver Jürgen Lorenz.
"I drove more in one stint here than in three races in the British GT
Championship," a delighted but exhausted Adam Simmons said.
Adam has decided to race at Zolder over the Croft weekend in a bid to gain more international experience. Simmons, whose car is prepared by Cirtek Motorsport, said 'the experience of racing with the best in the world at an international level is an opportunity that cannot be missed.... although I do not expect the car to be up at the front in qualifying I would hope that a good solid performance in the race should place the car in the top six.' The other drivers have not yet been confirmed, but Paul Philips, GT regular is expected to be one of the drivers to join Adam.
After extensive talks Harlow took ownership of the Cirtek run Porsche 996 GT3R at Donington this weekend. Simmons is expecting to push the development of the car through to the new year, he was quoted as saying '... the year so far has been a massive let down, now that we finally have a car with a stable driver pairing we would hope to push it on leaps and bounds. We are committed to making sure that the car is as competitive as any of the other front running GTO's in either the British or International GT racing circuit.... at the moment we have a list of things that we want to develop on the car, but it is a matter of arranging finance to support everything that we want to do and prioritising the development in a suitable manner.'
Adam Simmons missed this weekends racing at Silverstone due to a 'political' upset from within the camp between the car owner and the race team. Adam commented "..in order for me to move on with my career in GT racing we really need to be in possession of our own car. At the moment we're looking very hard into purchasing a car for the rest of the 2000 season. Obviously if there are no cars available then we'll look to make sure that everything is in place for the 2001 season and put this year down to a learning experience."
Adam Simmons has moved teams for the next round at Oulton Park. Rob Schirle's Cirtek Motorsport will be running Adam this coming weekend after his split with PK Sport last week. Adam feels that the change will enable him to progress quicker in his development to becoming a front running GT driver, as yet his co-driver has not been confirmed but expect some interesting development on this front....
Former Porsche Cup racer Adam Simmons will join sportscar veteran Geoff Lister in one of PK Sport's two 911 GT3-R's this year.
Simmons had been lined-up for the teams' 911 GT2, but has moved to the GT3 with former G-Force racer Lister after an impressive showing with the team at the Daytona 24 Hours.
Team Boss Mike Pickup said: "We think Adam and Geoff would be a good bet for the GT3 title."
I always new that PK
Sport where running a car at Daytona, but I had consoled myself with the
fact that is was way to much money to be putting into one race so early on in my
career - I had however decided to go out and be a spectator and hopefully pick
up a few pointers for 2001. As the saying goes about all best laid plans,
this one was certainly no exception when I received a phone call from Mike
Pickup mid January. "You're doing Daytona aren't you?" he asked,
"Yeah, I'm going out on Monday 31st, I'm going to do the tourist things for
a few days then I'll be around just watching what's going on.". I
thought he knew that already, so I was somewhat confused, but then he adds;
"You're doing Daytona! Aren't you!" - this was one of them
'don't argue with me' tones and once we had negotiated the cost in the right
direction the deal was done.
I arrived on the Monday evening to a wet, cloudy Florida, the same weather I had left behind in London - I thought Florida was supposed to be sunny! The team arrived Tuesday evening and a meal in Hooters seemed the thing to do to get us in the right frame of mind for the next day! Wednesday was spent unpacking the container in which the GT3r had traveled in, getting the garage set up for any work that may need to be done and applying the finishing touches to the car such as the sponsors decals.
Motor racing consists of standing around for 90% of the time and actually driving for only 10%, of the time and Thursday was no exception. We had an one hour practice session in the morning with Pete Chambers taking the first drive in the car. I was second out in the car and when after 20 minutes the session was red flagged, Pete was pulled in and I was sent out. Well I say sent out, because I just rolled forward about 100 feet and sat in the queue waiting for the track to be opened, then to my horror and confusion, I could see steam pouring out of the back of the car. It had boiled over, but without any warning from the 'stack' system -so we dragged it back to the garage and set about rectifying the problem and checking that all the parameters where set correctly on the 'stack'. The next session was later on in the afternoon, 15 minutes for the first round of qualifying for GTU's - it had been decided that Pete would qualify and set-up the car as he was the only driver with previous Daytona experience. This session didn't go without any problems, a bolt through the radiator halted Pete's attempt. So due to the lack of time the car had spent on the track a time could not be posted. It turned out that the first time that I was going to drive Daytona was under the cover of darkness in the 6pm to 8pm night practice. Imagine this; new car, new circuit, first time on banking and in the dark! Needless to say I just tip-toed around, the oval was very well flood lit, but the infield had completely dark spots that where usually where the apex of the corner was. Yes, we had headlights but unfortunately not the type that bent around the corner and lit-it-up! So after a long day I managed to get a total of 10 minutes lapping in the car - what did I say about there being a lot of standing around!
Friday morning we had our final 15 minutes qualifying, it was
now crunch time! Over 120 entrants and only 70 positions available (plus
the 10 previous class winners who gain automatic entry) left it very tight
indeed. Once again Pete was out in the car and after 3 laps posted a time
that qualified us at the back end of the field, but did qualify us! You
could almost sense the relief in the team, the last thing anybody wanted was to
have traveled 3000 miles and not qualify. Friday afternoon we had one
final hour to get some time in the car and on the track, after only 10 minutes
of driving around in the dark, it was time I was very happy to be having.
Arriving at the circuit on Saturday morning I couldn't believe the amount of people entering the circuit, it was like Silverstone on Grand Prix weekend. The first point of call in the morning was the drivers briefing in Victory Lane, let me say it was like a breath of fresh air to be treated by the race officials as a competitor and as a grown adult, not as a pain in the neck and a child, like you are at most of the UK circuits. Briefing was simple; if you over shoot the first corner on to the infield then yes you can carry on round the banking and join the circuit at the end of the infield section, but your lap won't be counted or you can stop, turn around and rejoin at the correct place and get your lap counted. At the 'bus-stop' out on the back of the circuit, if you over shoot it then you must stop and wait for a Marshall to wave you back on. Obviously there was more to the briefing than this but in a nut shell it was use your common sense and remember that none of the Rolex 24's have been won at the first corner on the first lap!
At midday the cars where formed up on the grid and the pit lane open to the public for photo's, this was another aspect that was so totally different to the UK. The pit straight was also open to the public for this period and this allowed this spectators to actually stand on the banked part of the circuit and really appreciate what it was all about. Fifteen minutes before the race the grid was closed and all the spectators went back to there places in the grandstand as a minister said prays for the drivers and their cars! The driver order was decided on Saturday morning; Pete Chambers was to start the race, Paul Fuller, then me, Mike Yules and then finally Marcus Fothergill. The actual stints that we were to do was totally dependant on how long our tank of full lasted, obviously the more economical you could be the longer you could run for, but it was a fine line between being economical and quick, and being economical and slow.
I won't go through and give you and hour by hour race report but if you have a look at the hour by hour race report or the hour by hour by class report, you can see that we start to climb in the placing but then fall back again three times. The first time was Paul's progress being halted by a puncture, the second time Pete had a water pump fail and the third time, the final nail in the coffin, was in the 20th hour when the engine lost one of its cylinders whilst I was driving. At first I felt really guilty for letting the whole team down and then I starting thinking was it something I had done, perhaps I had over revved the engine, did I select a wrong gear, no, I was sure that I hadn't done anything wrong. The man from Porsche Motorsport came over and plugged his laptop in and confirmed that we had No3 cylinder down, he also confirmed that the engine hadn't been over revved. In the end Porsche couldn't understand why the engine expired and agreed to take it back to Germany to strip and rebuild at their own cost, with this news I certainly felt a lot better and I'm sure the team did to.
On a final note. It was the first time that PK Sport and most of the teams drivers had been to Daytona and I'm sure that the whole team would agree that we done one hell of a job out there and got so close to achieving a magnificent finish. Daytona is about endurance and consistency, and certainly with what I saw this year I shall certainly be returning to Daytona in 2001!!!
Early last year the Group was invited to attend the 21st Snetterton Charity Weekend, to be held on the weekend of November 20th and 21st.
The invitation came via David Steel, a group member. During the conversation he asked if I had ever been round the track, to which I replied "no". "That's interesting", he said.
The weekend arrived and despite the weather having been wet all the previous week it was kind to us for the two days, with it being sunny on the Saturday and overcast, but dry on the Sunday. Interest in the IAM was good and keeping us busy when David came along with a ticket - "That's your ride" he said "Enjoy the experience".
The aim of the weekend is to raise money for the British
Heart Foundation and the East Anglian's Children Hospices. All the
drivers give their time voluntarily, making no charge for the use of their
cars. A small donation is required to be able to be taken for a ride in
one of the cars, the amount of donation being dependent upon the type of vehicle
chosen.
The vehicle in which I was to be chauffeured turned out to be a Porsche GT3 club sport in metallic silver. The car, which is owned by Len Simmons of the Harlow Group and driven by his son Adam was in standard road trim with no modifications. As we sat in the pit lane waiting fro the stewards to give the "all clear" to enter the track it started to rain. "Ah", said Adam "this should make is interesting - we're running on slicks". With that comment giving me food for thought the green light came on and WHOOOSH we were away, out of the pits and heading towards the first corner, Riches, which we hit at about 60mph (no hanging about here). We then headed towards Sear corner at a leisurely 90mph with no easing up as we exit and clip the edge of the track heading onto Revett straight then a mere 140mph towards the Esses. As we approach the end of Revett straight the car started to shake (turns out that Len had been pushing the brakes beyond there limit earlier on in the day!) and Adam has to make tiny steering adjustments whilst changing down the gears very quickly.
With the Porsche traveling smoothly again, and with a bit of slipping, we came out of the Esses at a sedate 70mph heading towards the Bomb Hole. Having exited this and accelerating towards 100mph we spotted a Marshall waving a yellow flag. Adam reacted immediately by braking - good job too as we were faced with a Lotus Esprit which was heading backwards towards the grass, having spun through 180 degrees. Feeling sorry for the people in the Esprit we left Coram curve and headed towards Russell chicane, entering at 80mph and leaving at 45mph - heading then up Senna straight, we took a gentle 120mph jaunt along Senna.
On the second lap an Aston Martin DB7 had left the track at the same place as the Lotus (see what a wet surface and adverse camber can do!), finishing up on the grass about 20ft off the track and leaning at a very funny angle. It didn't look to healthy and being a snip at £250,000 I bet somebody wasn't very happy. All the cars were stopped under a red flag so that the Aston could be removed.
On the third, final lap we really got a move on, hitting all the corners at least 5mph faster than before, hitting 145mph along Revett straight. Leaving the Esses we came up behind a Jaguar D type that had won Le Mans, certainly a sight to be seen as we approached, then overtook with a flash of the headlights - an impression that will live forever.
When we entered the pits and came to a halt Adam told me that the car returned around 9mpg on the track, compared to around 22mpg on the road. The only changes from road going trim was the on-board computer which recorded all the details of the car's performance on each lap. This data is later downloaded and used to set up and improve the car's handling and performance.
Adam asked me if he would pass the IAM test! I could only tell him that his awareness, positioning and car control was way in excess of anything required and that he would have no problem at all.
I would like to say thank you to Adam for giving me the ride of a lifetime. It was a real experience to be driven by a master of the craft and at no time did I feel unsafe.
Last year's event raised more than £30,000 for the charities involved. I hope that when the event is run in 2000 you will remember this worthwhile cause and go along to make it an even bigger success.
The Porsche Cup is the premier Porsche Club Championship catering for the more modern Porsches. Eligible models are run in a very standard form with limited modifications and are divided into three classes, determined by power and weight. Where a car has a higher power output its potential performance is balanced by an increased minimum weight. This ensures close competition between cars of seemingly differing performance. Racing is always close, fast and action packed..
'Less happily, Adam Simmons, who had charged from ninth on the grid to fourth overall by the end of lap five, literally had the wheels 'chopped' off of his Renault when Rick Pearson's Renault arrived at the Hatchets Hairpin without brakes at the start of lap seven. The resulting 'car park from hell' inevitably saw the end of the first half of the weekend.'
'Adam Simmons. who had been racing Clio's from the very start of the one make series for this car was, unsurprisingly, the man to beat. Try as they might the new-comers to Clio's never quite made it past Adam on the track, although Philip Kavanagh did gain one win when Simmons failed to finish at Oulton Park in June.'
'The second race also had it's first corner drama as a result of which the
majority of the first three rows of the grid found themselves either half way down the
field or out of the race...
The first half drama had meant that Bunning and Campbell were unable to restart the second
part of the race but Simmons, who had originally qualified his Clio onto the front row was
able to re-start, albeit at the back on row eleven. From this position it was a very
commendable performance for him to finish a five lap dash in seventh place only 12.83
sec's. behind the leader. This performance promises much for the future, as the Super
Coupé series allows the Clio to shed it's recent 'Cinderella' Image.'
'...Adam Simmons had shown in the qualifying practice exactly how competitive a Clio can be when you have been driving it for a few years. His pole time was over half a second faster than the next car, the Honda of Dennis Bunning...'
'...Simmons had qualified in the highest position in class at ninth and by regular and determined progress finished in fifth (first in class) only 3.18 sec's, behind the winner and was the fastest car on the track!
'The early practices had a rain affected but drying track surface upon which to
set their qualifying times. Adam Simmons in the Renault Clio and Fergus Campbell in the
Rover 216 GTi were the only cars to risk practicing on dry weather, slick tyres and, in
the dying minutes of the session, it paid off as they took the two front row positions
using the late appearing drying line. Pain and Bunnings Honda filled the second row...
Simmons had a dream start and, although harried throughout by Pain's Honda he held first
place all through the race. It was very tight and competitive at the front of the field
and nobody could risk a mistake. At the end of the race the first five cars crossed the
line within seven seconds
'...at this meeting all five classes were to run in the same race which meant that we were to have a very crowded, maximum capacity, grid. Simmons demonstrated the possibilities of the Clio by placing it on second row only 0.2 sec's slower than the pole time...'
'...at the front of the Cadwell race, the first four cars crossed the line within 1.36 seconds - Adam Simmons being placed second overall amongst three very fast and competitive Honda CRXs. The competitive standard that can be achieved with the Clio was there for all to see and bodes well for 1999.'
It has been a while since I have competed in such a well organised and friendly championship and I would like to extend my thanks to Tony Lidall the championship coordinator for supporting me and all the other drivers so well through out the year.