WTCC 2007 - Round 2, Zandvoort
Digital Image Recorder
13/05/2008
RML MG Lola Sportscar Team earn three points the hard way
RML AD Group's Mike Newton and Thomas Erdos salvaged three valuable points from Round 3 of the 2008 Le Mans Series at Spa in Belgium, but they had to do it the hard way. A blown turbo, followed shortly afterwards by gear selection problems, cost the team nearly fifty minutes in repairs, but determined graft from the pit crew saw the MG Lola EX265 through to the chequered flag.
The two hours of the 1000 kilometre race had promised much better for the reigning LMP2 champions, with Thomas Erdos holding fifth in class at the start, and then working forwards into fourth, and then closing on third before the end of his second stint. A lengthy safety car period right at the beginning of Mike Newton's mid-race period came at just the wrong time for RML, and cost the MG the best part of a lap. This loss was compounded minutes after the restart when the car's turbo failed. Mike Newton was able to return the MG to the pits, where the engineers and mechanics carried out a remarkable repair in just over half an hour, but with a further 14 laps lost to the leaders, any chance of a meaningful result had evaporated.
Back in the race, Newton posted some of his best-ever laps of the Spa circuit as he strove to regain lost ground, but minutes after his mid-stint pitstop for fuel he was forced to return once again to the garage with gear selection problems. This time the repairs were completed in under twenty minutes and Mike was swiftly back into the race. With both the drivers' and the team titles to defend, every point counts.
Thomas Erdos returned to the cockpit for the last half hour, and took the chequered flag in a richly deserved sixth place. "That was really hard work!" he said. "We soldiered on, despite all the problems, and we collected some points for the team. As drivers, we just had to keep going, but it's been very tough on the lads. The fact we finished at all is all thanks to them."
"Once we'd lost the turbo, there was no way we could compensate for that, so there was no alternative but replace the unit," said Team Manager Phil Barker. "It was one of those days when things just didn't go right for us. The safety car periods both cost us dearly, and then we had the second issue with the gearbox. Some days you get the rub of the green, some days you don't. I guess we had some valuable pitstop practice ahead of Le Mans next month, and Mike did really well."
Rick Perry, chief race technician on the RML MG Lola had been largely responsible for refitting the turbo, and had suffered several burns to his hands from the damaged, but still red-hot unit. "That's what we do. Tommy drives, we fix!" he said, confirming that his injuries were largely confined to a few blisters and some cuts and grazes.
Adam Wiseberg, Motorsport Director for AD Group, was philosophical about the Spa result. "You have some good days, and you have some bad days, but as usual, the boys did their stuff," he said. "Now we have to look ahead and focus on the Le Mans 24 Hours next month. We have an excellent record at Le Mans, having won the class twice, in 2005 and 2006, and it's what we've been working towards all year."
The team will be heading across to France in three week's time for the official Le Mans test, which takes place over the weekend of May 31st and June 1st.
Notes to Editors:
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For further information please contact RML Group:
Chris Burke-Martin – Sales and Marketing Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1933 402440
Email: chrisbm@rmlmallock.co.uk
RML Group Background
RML was founded by Ray Mallock in 1984.
RML Group comprises six divisions; Motorsport, Automotive, Engines, Historic, Events and X-Pro.
Based in Northamptonshire, England, the company's 4,300 square metre facility includes full design, development, manufacturing and operational support for automotive engineering projects.
RML has achieved success throughout motorsport categories including GT/sportscars, touring cars, rally cars, single seaters and oval speedway cars. In 2008 RML is again competing in the FIA World Touring Car Championship, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and will defend their LMP2 Le Mans Series title. Last year RML produced the spectacular Mercedes Benz Mclaren SLR 722 GT.
RML work together with a number of specialist official suppliers and technical partners including Autoglym - www.autoglym.co.uk, Beissbarth UK - www.beissbarth.co.uk, DuPont Refinish - www.dupontrefinish.com and Chicago Pneumatic - www.cp.com.
More information on RML is available at www.rmlmallock.co.uk
AD Group Background
The AD Group is the principal sponsor to the RML Le Mans Series and Le Mans 24 Hour LMP2 team.
AD Group with its headquarters in Warrington, England, was established in 1997, its primary objective being to create and bring to market leading edge CCTV solutions. The pioneering nature of the Group's products, with the emphasis very much on R&D, has undoubtedly been a critical element in AD's success to date.
AD's growth has been remarkable, with turnover soaring from £930k in 1998 to £93 million in 2004, a fact recognised when the Group came out on top in the prestigious Deloitte Indy 100 award for the UK's fastest growing companies.
The principal shareholder of AD is Mike Newton who founded UK CCTV giant Dedicated Micros in 1982 which ranks No1 globally for multi channel digital video recorders. In 2001 Dedicated Micros became an integral part of AD Group. Since that time all AD companies have been able to take advantage of a shared technology base, offering the potential for flexible CCTV solutions on the ground, in the air and on the move. Members of AD Group include: AD Aerospace, AD Aviation, AD Network Video, ChipWrights, Dennard, Dedicated Micros, D-Tec, RemGuard, TSS and TES. More information on AD is available at www.ad-group.co.uk.
