Silverstone 6 Hours – World Endurance Championship

I arrived at Silverstone in a state of considerable elation – simply because I had arrived. When the WEC last visited in September 2012, my old Lotus pulled its favourite trick and broke down on the M1. I decided it might be worth relying on German motivation in order to get to Northamptonshire this time around.

FIA F3 European Championship

The track was still pretty wet as the young pretenders headed out aboard slick-shod Dallaras for the second round of the new FIA F3 European Championship. The British F3 Championship’s loss is its European cousin’s gain as a sizeable field went to battle around Silverstone’s Grand Prix layout.

Saturday’s races had produced wins for Harry Ticknall and Felix Rosenqvist, but early championship leader Raffaele Marciello had staked his claim with a second in race 2. From the start of Sunday’s race he had looked like a man on a mission. From pole, Alex Lynn dropped to second as Rosenqvist hit the lead, while Marciello dropped to third. An early safety car bunched up the field and Marciello was soon harrying Lynn, though, and snatched second place.

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From there it was up to the young Ferrari protégé to just keep pumping in the laps to catch Rosenqvist. This he did, but the Swede was robust in defence and despite a couple of wheel to wheel moments through Luffield, it wasn’t until Stowe on the penultimate lap when the Italian made his move – and in dramatic style. He held on for an emphatic victory which served only to further widen his championship lead.

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Marciello continues the strong run of form which began with victories in Pau last year. He looked particularly accomplished in the opening races of 2013 at Monza and Silverstone; who’d bet against him following in fellow Ferrari Academy racer Jules Bianchi’s footprints all the way to F1?

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Meanwhile, it’s impossible not to be impressed by young Jann Mardenborough. Only one year since his motor racing debut in British GT at Oulton Park and already he’s looking a very competitive prospect in F3. Generally competing against guys who’ve been around race paddocks since infancy, Mardenborough drove a mature race to eighth.

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The arrival of a pan-European F3 championship with FIA backing (replacing the old F3 Euro Series) has weakened the British domestic series. Despite this, the talent on the grid in the European Championship cannot be denied. As an open chassis and engine formula up against the hordes of single-make series, perhaps one strong F3 field is better than none at all. How British F3 fares in its four round format this year remains to be seen. As enthusiasts, we can only hope there’s room for both in the F3 landscape.

Silverstone 6 Hours

The British round of the World Endurance Championship is big news and the crowds along the pit straight are deeper than I can recall for a long-distance race in the UK for many years. Despite this, I retain a slight sense of foreboding whenever I consider the WEC’s future. Before the race, Status HVM, Gulf Middle East and reigning champs Starworks all pulled out of LMP2. Clearly putting together a budget for a pukka world championship is not a simple matter. The appearance of a brace of new Lotus T128s is cause for celebration in LMP2, however.

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I’m also concerned that LMP1 is chronically lacking in privateer entries; something I fear may not improve with the new US-based United Sports Car Championship snubbing LMP1 in favour of a Daytona Prototype/LMP2 top tier. Finally, this season the ALMS enjoys works Corvette, Viper and BMW squads squabbling in what amounts to a domestic series. That these major manufacturer entries are choosing an American championship over a global one suggests that something is not quite right with WEC.

However, cynicism aside, the pageantry as the grid gathers raises expectation. Here are some of the world’s fastest racing cars, driven by great drivers around a wonderful race track. As a spectacle, it lacks only in the number of entries.

The sound of the Audi R18s as they are fired up has to be heard to be believed. Like two giant silver gas turbines, the noise acts as a signal of intent: they really want to get their hands on the precious Tourist Trophy.

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The qualifying pace was set by the brace of Toyota TS030 Hybrids. Though running 2012-specifiation cars for Silverstone, the team emerged as the 2013 WEC favourite after a strong run over the second half of the previous season. The brace of blue and white prototypes headed the field during the early laps and it was a surprise to see the leading Rebellion holding fourth ahead of the No 1 Audi of Treluyer. The independent Swiss team couldn’t hold on and soon enough it was Audis one-two as McNish got his head down and charged. The Toyota challenge seemed to have vapourised within the opening half hour.

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From there I took to my feet to explore the race from around the circuit. There’s nowhere quite like Silverstone for articulately conveying the drama of a modern downforce-drenched racing car. The mix of ultra fast stuff and slower technical sections like Luffield and Club really allows the spectator to get a feel for how the cars are behaving.

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Despite the No 1 Audi losing a front driveshaft – and hence its hybrid drive – part-way through the race, both R18s were poetry in motion. Somehow it’s as if their diesel whisper only makes their otherworldly speed seem even more bizarre. I’m doubtless repeating myself but to stand at the bottom of the Hangar Straight and watch the fastest guys at work is the most tremendous privilege. The Audis were turning in, braking (between turn-in point and apex!) and then powering through Stowe in the blink of an eye. It’s heady stuff and they looked by far the most composed cars on the circuit.

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The Toyotas, by comparison, looked a real handful. Their tails were bobbing frantically as they approached Stowe, and again through the terrifying Maggotts/Becketts section. During hard cornering the diffusers looked to be dragging along the ground as if the rear was too soft and the front too stiff. It was porpoising on a scale I’ve never witnessed before and I imagine must be causing the engineers at Toyota some serious head scratching.

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A mid-race shower livened proceedings up. Perhaps Toyota had set their cars up for precipitous conditions and its rain dance finally paid off. Though short-lived, the shower caused erstwhile LMP2 leader John Martin to spin on the pit straight, bringing out the safety car. The No 51 Ferrari spun out of Stowe, as did Roald Goethe’s Aston Martin. It was a tense few minutes which could’ve changed the complexion of the race. As it was, the warm macadam soon dried and normal service was resumed. Though not before I’d felt overwhelming smugness as the decision to take an umbrella finally paid off. I hope it’s the last time I have to use it this season.

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Following the race on the WEC’s live timing app with a little help from the good folk at Radio Le Mans it became possible to keep a vague handle on the race. The Audis swapped positions mid-race as the Toyotas continued to drop further back. Meanwhile, the Rebellion Lolas circulated rapidly but without challenge in the LMP1 privateer battle after Strakka lost its HRD to an altercation with a Ferrari.

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Aston Martin never looked likely to be headed in either GTE categories. In GTE Pro, Bruno Senna made a successful GT racing debut; though he has form in sports cars having been part of ORECA’s LMP1 programme in 2009. He took the win, sharing with old Aston hands Darren Turner and Stefan Mucke. Behind him fellow F1 refugee Kamui Kobayashi took second in the ‘works’ Ferrari 458. The new Porsche 991 RSR raced for the first time, just missing out on the podium.

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They say in motor racing that it only takes two cars to make a race. Audi proved that in dramatic fashion. With the Toyotas trailing in their wake, McNish needed four new tyres after a spin avoiding a backmarker. This left him with a 30 second deficit to Treluyer to make up in the final hour. His charge was stirring – the gap visibly diminishing lap on lap. With five minutes to go, the ‘Scottish Terrier’ was hounding the young French pup. A move seemed inevitable – and it must have been to the relief of the whole Audi Sport Team Joest squad that it was a clean one – as McNish snatched the lead into Brooklands. He eventually crossed the line a scant three seconds to the good.

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It is to Audi’s eternal credit that they permit – nay, encourage – their drivers to race in this way. To see the greats of contemporary sports car racing unshackled by team orders and flat out for six hours solid is a treat indeed. By comparison, their F1 equivalents face tyre woes, fuel management and draconian team tactics. There’s an irony buried in there somewhere that long-distance racing is now a sprint and F1 is a 90 minute endurance slog.

My concerns over the WEC’s future remain – and for precedent see ITC, FIA GT and Group C. However, what cannot be denied is the spectacle of the machinery, professionalism of the teams and quality of the drivers. With Porsche back in 2014 and Nissan waiting in the wings, this championship ought to be in the ascendency. Let’s hope we see it fly over coming years.

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