Jonathan F
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- Nov 29, 2010
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Croft: July 6th/7th 2013 (Rounds 7 and 8 of BARC’s VTEC Challenge)
For rounds 7 and 8 of the VTEC Challenge, the series trekked north and to a favourite circuit of the series “Croft”.
With blistering temperatures in abundance, getting heat into the tyres would not be an issue, quite the opposite in fact and with an aggressive track surface to contend with, it would be a hard fought couple of races.
Entrants:
14 – Matthew Le – Production – Integra (DC2)
24 – Rich Voaden – Super Tuner – Integra (DC2)
33 – Phil Wright – Production – Accord Type R
39 – Rob Burkinshaw – Tuner – Integra (DC5)
64 - Richard Chilton – Production - Integra (DC2)
73 - Stuart King – Production – Integra (DC2)
98 – Mark Chese - Production - Civic Type R (EP3)
With everyone on site, the car preparation got underway in readiness for scrutineering and the subsequent qualifying session.
As everyone headed off to get their car’s signed off before the race, Matt Le and his team encountered a troublesome electrical issue that stopped the car from starting. This was eventually tracked down to a rotor arm which had come loose and demolished itself inside the distributor cap.
Frantic calls were made to local auto parts outlets, but unsurprisingly no one held the necessary part. At that point it looked like Matt’s trip from Northamptonshire was all in vain, however fellow Integra driver Richard Voaden stepped in with a rotor arm from a H22. On paper it shouldn’t have worked as it’s a different engine with different part numbers, but low and behold the thing fitted!
However, in smashing itself to pieces, the rotor arm had also wreaked havoc on the inside of the cap and no amount of persuasion was going to get the H22 cap to fit.
In one final act of desperation the old cap was screwed back on and all the leads were put back in place.
With everyone holding their breath, Matt turned the key and the B-Series barked into life!
A last minute dash to scrutineering with minutes to spare and Matt had the necessary signature to allow him to race.
By this time qualifying had gotten underway, so with a quick change into his overalls, Matt was out on track.
Qualifying:
With the heat climbing, everyone headed out on track to try and find the quickest way around the circuit, not a task to relish when strapped into your fireproof overalls and sitting inside a sweltering tin box on wheels!
With Matt now on track, all drivers proceeded to pound the tarmac and search for that perfect lap.
The session counted down and thankfully without incident to the chequered flag which signalled the end of qualifying.
All of the drivers returned to the paddock, already feeling the effects of the heat in their session behind the wheel.
With the times announced, it was Richard Voaden who had taken his maiden pole position of 2013, breaking the stronghold of Rob Burkinshaw.
Fastest “Production” class car was the EP3 Civic of Mark Chese who took the 3rd place slot for the start of race 1.
Pole: Richard Voaden
2nd: Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: Mark Chese
Race 1:
With a parade lap, followed by a green flag lap, all drivers lined up in their grid position.
With lights out the charge to “Clervaux” was underway. Capitalising from pole, Voaden hooked up in the DC2 Integra with Burkinshaw in the later model DC5 running alongside until a missed gear change dropped him back down the order allowing Voaden a clean getaway (albeit with the “Production” class front runner Mark Chese) hot on his heels with Wright and Chilton in close contention.
With 2nd gear now firmly in place, Burkinshaw resumed his charge and took off to claw back those lost places and was into 3rd before the end of lap 1 following a drag race out of the hairpin with Phil Wright.
Matt Le in his JDM DC2 climbed a place over Stu King, but was unable to make the move stick and the company director from Cheltenham was soon back ahead.
Already pulling out a lead on Chese, Voaden kept a close eye on his mirrors for any sign of a closing Burkinshaw. A couple of laps in and Rob had climbed back up to 2nd place and begun his charge to close up on Voaden.
Just after starting lap 4, Rich Chilton in his UK DC2 found himself without any drive which resulted in his first DNF in nearly 3 years of racing.
Although unable to keep on the same pace as the leaders, Mark Chese sat comfortably in 3rd place with Wright, King and Le holding station.
With Burkinshaw unable to close the gap fully on Voaden, the pair crossed the line 1.3 seconds apart with Burkinshaw setting the fastest lap.
1st: - Rich Voaden
2nd: - Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: - Mark Chese
Class wins were awarded to:
(P) – Mark Chese
(T) – Rob Burkinshaw
(ST) – Rich Voaden
Fastest lap: Rob Burkinshaw - 1.35.856 on lap 5 of 13
With the exhilaration of the race still running high, thoughts soon turned to the stricken Integra of Chilton.
A quick inspection soon identified that the cars clutch was at fault, a shock as this was replaced just prior to the weekend.
In a fantastic piece of good luck, fellow DC2 racer Stu King was able to provide a good used clutch from his spares and so the VTEC spirit kicked into overdrive.
In a matter of minutes, Rich’s Integra was being stripped in readiness for a clutch swap. Lead by Rich Voaden from “Performance Autoworks” with help from Carl Bennett, Jon Gist and James “Jim Bob” Tracey (sorry for those I’ve forgotten) the car was soon ready to receive the new clutch.
With the gearbox and clutch cover removed, it was a shocking sight as the centre of the paddle clutch had ripped clean out after just 20 minutes running.
Thankfully no other damage was done, so the team refitted everything and checked all was ok.
With a quick blast up the paddock, Rich was firmly back in the race.
Race 2:
With temperatures even hotter than the previous day, everyone was feeling the effects. Drivers tried their best to keep themselves and their cars cool in the searing heat ahead of the second race.
Suffering from tyre degradation in race 1, their preservation during race 2 would be crucial to a good finish and with track temperatures soaring it would be a fine line between pushing hard enough to remain competitive and killing the tyres too early.
The front two rows took on the same appearance as race 1, but with Rich Chilton starting from the back row of the grid alongside Ian Redgrave in his PTCC Astra VXR, the other drivers took up their new positions.
Again both front row Integra’s got away well, but massive wheel spin from Burkinshaw in 2nd and 3rd gear allowed those close enough to nip past to improve their position.
Chese was again chasing Voaden hard, who in turn had the Accord of Wright to contend with, but was unable to match the straight line speed of the “Performance Autoworks” Integra who built up a decent gap from where he could control the race.
Burkinshaw again quickly worked up through the grid to hunt down Voaden, but was unable to close the gap enough to mount an attack for the lead. With both Integra’s suffering from lack of grip in the intense conditions, it was down to Voaden to control the gap back to Burkinshaw as well as possible and not make any mistakes.
As Chese, Wright, King and Le continued their fight, it was hotting up between Chilton and Redgrave. Applying pressure all the way, Chilton was looking for a way past the hard defending Astra, and with a mistake between “Sunny In” and “Sunny Out” he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
With the Astra now behind, Chilton began to pull away and close down Matt Le, but was unable to take the place before the chequered flag came out which was a welcome sight to all of the drivers.
1st: - Rich Voaden
2nd: - Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: - Mark Chese
Class wins were awarded to:
(P) – Mark Chese
(T) – Rob Burkinshaw
(ST) – Rich Voaden
Fastest lap: Rob Burkinshaw - 1.36.162 on lap 5 of 13
The “Apex Trackdays” award could have gone to any number of drivers this weekend, but it was finally agreed that it would go to Stu King in recognition of his instrumental part in the fixing of Rich Chilton’s Integra.
Summary:
The sun shone hard for another weekend of VTC racing, with everyone enjoying the racing as well as the social activities.
Yet again the VTC leads the way in showing others what team spirit is about. When help was needed, it was there and no one was left sidelined.
It is with a real sense of VTC pride that I observed everyone working together with a common goal. From ringing round motor factors, offering up their own time and parts, or doing the beer run (Thanks Phil/Tony) everyone chipped in.
Thanks go out to the series sponsors: Dunlop Tyres, Performance Autoworks, Banzai, Honda Tuner, Apex Track Days and R-Motion for their continuing support and thanks to the drivers and their supporters who came out on the day.
The VTEC Challenge will head to Rockingham on the 10th & 11th of August for their “All Comers” event where we hope to welcome some overseas entries.
Hope to see you all there.
Words: Jonathan Fletcher
Pictures: Lindsey Fletcher & Jonathan Fletcher
For rounds 7 and 8 of the VTEC Challenge, the series trekked north and to a favourite circuit of the series “Croft”.
With blistering temperatures in abundance, getting heat into the tyres would not be an issue, quite the opposite in fact and with an aggressive track surface to contend with, it would be a hard fought couple of races.
Entrants:
14 – Matthew Le – Production – Integra (DC2)
24 – Rich Voaden – Super Tuner – Integra (DC2)
33 – Phil Wright – Production – Accord Type R
39 – Rob Burkinshaw – Tuner – Integra (DC5)
64 - Richard Chilton – Production - Integra (DC2)
73 - Stuart King – Production – Integra (DC2)
98 – Mark Chese - Production - Civic Type R (EP3)
With everyone on site, the car preparation got underway in readiness for scrutineering and the subsequent qualifying session.
As everyone headed off to get their car’s signed off before the race, Matt Le and his team encountered a troublesome electrical issue that stopped the car from starting. This was eventually tracked down to a rotor arm which had come loose and demolished itself inside the distributor cap.
Frantic calls were made to local auto parts outlets, but unsurprisingly no one held the necessary part. At that point it looked like Matt’s trip from Northamptonshire was all in vain, however fellow Integra driver Richard Voaden stepped in with a rotor arm from a H22. On paper it shouldn’t have worked as it’s a different engine with different part numbers, but low and behold the thing fitted!
However, in smashing itself to pieces, the rotor arm had also wreaked havoc on the inside of the cap and no amount of persuasion was going to get the H22 cap to fit.
In one final act of desperation the old cap was screwed back on and all the leads were put back in place.
With everyone holding their breath, Matt turned the key and the B-Series barked into life!
A last minute dash to scrutineering with minutes to spare and Matt had the necessary signature to allow him to race.
By this time qualifying had gotten underway, so with a quick change into his overalls, Matt was out on track.
Qualifying:
With the heat climbing, everyone headed out on track to try and find the quickest way around the circuit, not a task to relish when strapped into your fireproof overalls and sitting inside a sweltering tin box on wheels!
With Matt now on track, all drivers proceeded to pound the tarmac and search for that perfect lap.
The session counted down and thankfully without incident to the chequered flag which signalled the end of qualifying.
All of the drivers returned to the paddock, already feeling the effects of the heat in their session behind the wheel.
With the times announced, it was Richard Voaden who had taken his maiden pole position of 2013, breaking the stronghold of Rob Burkinshaw.
Fastest “Production” class car was the EP3 Civic of Mark Chese who took the 3rd place slot for the start of race 1.
Pole: Richard Voaden
2nd: Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: Mark Chese
Race 1:
With a parade lap, followed by a green flag lap, all drivers lined up in their grid position.
With lights out the charge to “Clervaux” was underway. Capitalising from pole, Voaden hooked up in the DC2 Integra with Burkinshaw in the later model DC5 running alongside until a missed gear change dropped him back down the order allowing Voaden a clean getaway (albeit with the “Production” class front runner Mark Chese) hot on his heels with Wright and Chilton in close contention.
With 2nd gear now firmly in place, Burkinshaw resumed his charge and took off to claw back those lost places and was into 3rd before the end of lap 1 following a drag race out of the hairpin with Phil Wright.
Matt Le in his JDM DC2 climbed a place over Stu King, but was unable to make the move stick and the company director from Cheltenham was soon back ahead.
Already pulling out a lead on Chese, Voaden kept a close eye on his mirrors for any sign of a closing Burkinshaw. A couple of laps in and Rob had climbed back up to 2nd place and begun his charge to close up on Voaden.
Just after starting lap 4, Rich Chilton in his UK DC2 found himself without any drive which resulted in his first DNF in nearly 3 years of racing.
Although unable to keep on the same pace as the leaders, Mark Chese sat comfortably in 3rd place with Wright, King and Le holding station.
With Burkinshaw unable to close the gap fully on Voaden, the pair crossed the line 1.3 seconds apart with Burkinshaw setting the fastest lap.
1st: - Rich Voaden
2nd: - Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: - Mark Chese
Class wins were awarded to:
(P) – Mark Chese
(T) – Rob Burkinshaw
(ST) – Rich Voaden
Fastest lap: Rob Burkinshaw - 1.35.856 on lap 5 of 13
With the exhilaration of the race still running high, thoughts soon turned to the stricken Integra of Chilton.
A quick inspection soon identified that the cars clutch was at fault, a shock as this was replaced just prior to the weekend.
In a fantastic piece of good luck, fellow DC2 racer Stu King was able to provide a good used clutch from his spares and so the VTEC spirit kicked into overdrive.
In a matter of minutes, Rich’s Integra was being stripped in readiness for a clutch swap. Lead by Rich Voaden from “Performance Autoworks” with help from Carl Bennett, Jon Gist and James “Jim Bob” Tracey (sorry for those I’ve forgotten) the car was soon ready to receive the new clutch.
With the gearbox and clutch cover removed, it was a shocking sight as the centre of the paddle clutch had ripped clean out after just 20 minutes running.
Thankfully no other damage was done, so the team refitted everything and checked all was ok.
With a quick blast up the paddock, Rich was firmly back in the race.
Race 2:
With temperatures even hotter than the previous day, everyone was feeling the effects. Drivers tried their best to keep themselves and their cars cool in the searing heat ahead of the second race.
Suffering from tyre degradation in race 1, their preservation during race 2 would be crucial to a good finish and with track temperatures soaring it would be a fine line between pushing hard enough to remain competitive and killing the tyres too early.
The front two rows took on the same appearance as race 1, but with Rich Chilton starting from the back row of the grid alongside Ian Redgrave in his PTCC Astra VXR, the other drivers took up their new positions.
Again both front row Integra’s got away well, but massive wheel spin from Burkinshaw in 2nd and 3rd gear allowed those close enough to nip past to improve their position.
Chese was again chasing Voaden hard, who in turn had the Accord of Wright to contend with, but was unable to match the straight line speed of the “Performance Autoworks” Integra who built up a decent gap from where he could control the race.
Burkinshaw again quickly worked up through the grid to hunt down Voaden, but was unable to close the gap enough to mount an attack for the lead. With both Integra’s suffering from lack of grip in the intense conditions, it was down to Voaden to control the gap back to Burkinshaw as well as possible and not make any mistakes.
As Chese, Wright, King and Le continued their fight, it was hotting up between Chilton and Redgrave. Applying pressure all the way, Chilton was looking for a way past the hard defending Astra, and with a mistake between “Sunny In” and “Sunny Out” he grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
With the Astra now behind, Chilton began to pull away and close down Matt Le, but was unable to take the place before the chequered flag came out which was a welcome sight to all of the drivers.
1st: - Rich Voaden
2nd: - Rob Burkinshaw
3rd: - Mark Chese
Class wins were awarded to:
(P) – Mark Chese
(T) – Rob Burkinshaw
(ST) – Rich Voaden
Fastest lap: Rob Burkinshaw - 1.36.162 on lap 5 of 13
The “Apex Trackdays” award could have gone to any number of drivers this weekend, but it was finally agreed that it would go to Stu King in recognition of his instrumental part in the fixing of Rich Chilton’s Integra.
Summary:
The sun shone hard for another weekend of VTC racing, with everyone enjoying the racing as well as the social activities.
Yet again the VTC leads the way in showing others what team spirit is about. When help was needed, it was there and no one was left sidelined.
It is with a real sense of VTC pride that I observed everyone working together with a common goal. From ringing round motor factors, offering up their own time and parts, or doing the beer run (Thanks Phil/Tony) everyone chipped in.
Thanks go out to the series sponsors: Dunlop Tyres, Performance Autoworks, Banzai, Honda Tuner, Apex Track Days and R-Motion for their continuing support and thanks to the drivers and their supporters who came out on the day.
The VTEC Challenge will head to Rockingham on the 10th & 11th of August for their “All Comers” event where we hope to welcome some overseas entries.
Hope to see you all there.
Words: Jonathan Fletcher
Pictures: Lindsey Fletcher & Jonathan Fletcher
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