Millbrook,
automotive test and development centre, was the location for the
the fourth round of the GPR National Tarmacadam Championship on
May 31st 2004.
The Team had not competed at this venue before but didn’t
think it would cause any problems until they discovered the most
competitive car in their class had recently increased the power
and specification of their engine. They were going to be very
hard to catch over the twisty rollercoaster roads of the proving
ground.
The opening stage was a real surprise as the pace was extremely
fast but Richard and Barry quickly settled into their rhythm and
were third in class after the first few stages.
After just 30 competitive miles the abrasive surface of Millbrook
had ruined 4 new tyres! The ideal solution would have been to
change all 4 tyres, but unfortunately the Teams budget couldn’t
extend to £900 each event for two sets of dry tyres!
Richard and Barry swapped the rear tyres to the front in an attempt
to gain a little more grip and attacked the next stage as hard
as they could. The tyres continued to degrade and the Team knew
if the pair pushed even harder they would risk going off and advised
a more cautious approach for the remainder of the event.
Richard and Barrys final position was 7th in class and 52nd overall.
This was very disappointing for the crew as the time difference
between 4th and 7th place was only 23 seconds.
It was difficult for the Team to determine the type and compound
of tyre to use without prior knowledge of the events surface,
but next year ought to be different!
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