The team were feeling confident by the time Free Practice started but there were other posting quick times especially James Rossiter in the Lola, we new we had a quick car so we worked on giving Shinji appropriate time in the car for him to get up to speed with everything as well as tyre life evaluations. In qualifying it was going to come down to the usual Sarrazin, Martin battle but the Lola with Formula 1 driver Antonio Luzzi was also going to be a threat, John did another great lap and missed the pole by fractions of a second from Sarrazin.

The race strategy was simple as the race distance made it a clear seven stint race, John started as the qualifying driver and although he over took Sarrazin at the start, Luzzi went round the outside of both of them at turn 1. John applied maximum pressure over the early laps and is wasn’t long until the pressure told and Luzzi made a mistake into turn 2 which John pounced upon taking the lead. With a clear track John was able to maintain the lead over Sarrazin who had also taken Luzzi and in the first round of pit stops the car was handed over to Shinji to maintain the lead, with a number of other drivers putting in their amateur driver Shinji pulled out a commanding lead and putting in a very strong consisted pace that was impressive considering is very limited running in the car. A double stint from Shinji before handing over to Tor, we had monitored the other amateur driver lap times so new what Tor’s target laptime was but not content with that he put on another impressive display to maintain the lead at the end of his double stint but the gap was down to almost nothing as John took back over for a head to head battle with Sarrazin in the HPD, John pulled out an advantage in the first stint of his second outing but we had concerns that if we took tyres for the final stint and the HPD did not then all our lead would be gone. Equally we know John is a match for any driver so we should give him everything to push for the win, new tyres went on and as the HPD pitted it looked like they would not change, but a last minute call they changed the left front and exited the pits directly behind John, but there was no way the Australian was going to give this one up and he cruised to victory with a margin of over 30 seconds at the end of the race.

All Smiles on Top of the Podium

Saturday was race day and it was hot, the race was starting at the hotest time of the day but the end of the race would be in much cooler conditions after the sun had gone down so it meant the balance of the car was going to change during the race. The race started well with John slotting into second behind Sarrazin and starting to chase him down when from nowhere the front left wheel came off, John was able to get the car back to the pits but we had already lost a lot of time to our competitors. The team needed to check the car over for safety reasons before fitting a new tyre and sending John back out on track. A podium position was lost but we kept pushing on to the end of the race and finished 5th which still keeps us in Championship contention.

Race day looked like it should stay dry so the team was confident we could  win. The race started and there was drama at the first corner as the JRM car spun, John misses the incident but Starworks take the class lead in the confusion, John chases down Sarrazin for the remainder of the stint and after the first round of pit stops is ahead. Tor takes over for the third stint and after a few laps finds a really good rhythm lapping the best he has done all weekend, he completes and brilliant double stint handing over to Jan with a clear lead. The pit crew having been doing a good job on the stops and if all goes well we should be able to take the victory, we take left side tyres only as a precaution on the final stop and Jan strokes home to our first outright victory.

P1 at Home

John Martin going P1

With Pole position secure we focused on tyre endurance in preparation for the race, it is not all about qualifying but it means another point in the championship and keeps you out of trouble at the start of the race.

Friday is a preparation day with the car people completely stripped and parts swapped ready for the race, the big concern is the rain which is falling and could be around for the start of the race. Saturday is race start and we have an early start for warm up (which means a 24Hr race is actually more like a 36Hr body endurance) and it is raining hard, warm up is in terrible conditions and as Jan Charouz negotiates the puddles the traction control gets stuck at the minimum setting and send him spinning into the gravel. The guys work hard to get the car back in top shape ready for the race, it has stopped raining and the track is drying ready for race start. John starts the race and leads for the first hour but in the stop the car stalls and struggles to fire again dropping us down the order, John battles back through but it has all the signs of being a long hard race. All the drivers are racing well and we have climbed back to a top three position but then we have a problem when part of the bodywork comes loose, we have to pit for rectification, we are now well into the night and as the sun rises we have the same bodywork problem on the other side loosing more time in the pits. Gone are the days when you can afford to have a problem, this is a flat out race and any time lost is a real struggle to gain back, we have settled into a top six position which we hold to the end of the race. It’s a case of what might have been but we will take our experiences and be stronger next time.

The team was taking the opportunity to run new parts that we plan to start the race with, effectively running the parts in so we prove them out, these parts are then checked after the test and put to one side ready for the race so we start on parts that have low mileage on them. In terms of running, the car is very different in Le Mans spec, you run a different aero package with reduced downforce and drag for the high speed straights so there is plenty to learn by drivers and engineers. The drivers all run in the car in the morning just to acclimatize themselves but the early signs are that we have a reasonable platform to work from, in the afternoon we try some different set-ups with the car to make improvements and try and optimize the performance of the new construction Dunlop tyre. We end the day 6th in class which is a good baseline start for race week and most importantly we had no problems and no damage to the car.

The rain persists as we take to the grid for the start of the pre race proceedings but the forecast says it will dry out later in the race, this always leaves tricky decisions to be made on car set-up and the required brake and engine cooling blanking, get it wrong and you will lose time in the pits making a correction.

The race starts with John driving and although the rain has stopped the track is still very wet and the spray hangs in the trees that surround the Spa circuit, John makes a clean start but yields to the Oak of Pla on lap 1. After a few laps John finds his groove and starts closing back in on Pla, he pulls up to the back of the Oak and makes an opportune pass as they are both delayed by a slower car. John stretches out a good lead as the track starts to dry and other cars struggle to control tyre wear and temperatures, we manage to stretch the stint long enough for the track to have the beginnings of a dry line, we switch to a cut slick tyre which allows the tyre to generate heat quicker as it moves around. John maintains the lead and is setting the fastest lap times in class when the JRM LMP1 car hits him going into the bus stop chicane, the car is turned around and we lose around 15 seconds while John turns the car around. Looking out from the pit wall the damage seems minimal but at the next fuel stop it is clear that we have more to worry about, there is a large hole in the underfloor and sidepod, we have also lost the water radiator blanking so the car is running too cool, at this stage of the race there is nothing we can do other than keep going. At the next stop John hands to Tor who after just a few laps settles into an impressive pace keeping us at the head of the field but closely followed by the Jota car, then there is a safety car which comes out just ahead of Tor costing us around 10 seconds, then on the re-start Tor gets jumped by the Jota car demoting us to second place. After two stints Tor hands over to Robbie who is tasked with chasing down the lead car, he duly does this but we are uncertain of the stop strategy Jota are on. As the race draws on it is obvious it is going to be very close on fuel – since the early incident with the JRM car we have been suffering with cool engine temperatures and increased drag from the damaged bodywork dropping the fuel efficiency, with just a couple of laps to go we can pray for the safety car no longer and decide to relinquish the lead to ensure a second place finish but first of the WEC cars. Robbie rejoins the track and tries to catch the Jota car but the tyre performance has dropped away and we don’t have enough laps, when the flag drops we are just six seconds behind the leader, a great effort. We now lead the World Endurance Championship LMP2 class and head for the biggest race of the season the Le Mans 24 Hours.

FP3 starts and a busy run plan for the one hour session, each driver is getting a run and it is a chance to see if the overnight changes on setup have improved the car. Robbie is out first on old rubber and testing the different fuel maps, then its Tor he spends two laps cleaning up the used rubber that has been impregnated with the grit beads from the painted lines in the pit lane – this is a big problem in the pit lane for everybody. During Tor’s run we get the call on the safety radio that it is raining at Turn 15 so we pit Tor and put John in the car while we see what the weather does, it’s only a short shower but it gives us a chance to scrub a couple of sets of wet tyres.

The track is quickly back to fully dry so we can back on with the program of giving John a run on new tyres and low fuel in preparation for qualifying. A good lap puts the ADR-Delta Oreca Nissan to P4, John got blocked on the lap so feels there is another 8 tenths to come, not quite the one second we would need for P1, but it’s a good base point.

Qualifying is a 20 minute mid afternoon burst with just the LMP1 and LMP2 cars running it’s about finding space and hoping you don’t catch somebody on a slow down lap. John’s first hot lap is good enough for P2 just one tenth off pole position,  Chief Engineer David Leach gives the call to hold back on the next lap and push for one more lap, John gets the split times on the dash so he can see as he attacks the lap if he is up on his previous best. Sector 1 is fastest overall, Sector 2 is John’s best but not the best overall, it’s looking really tight but John knows from the dash he has had a good final sector, deep on the brakes into the final chicane with the car wriggling on entry John heads for the line and takes the provisional pole by just 0.04 of a second. Six minutes left of qualifying so John returns to the pit and we all watch the screens to see if anybody can beat the time……. its over, the team’s first pole position in sportscar racing.

John Martin celebrates pole at Spa

A great job by the whole team in being the fastest LMP2 car in the 18 strong field, however tomorrow is another day so we will take nothing lightly and see what happens.

An amazing circuit steeped in history with over 100 meters elevation change over the 7km circuit.

Watching on the TV just does not get close to giving you an idea of what it is like.

Drivers across the world love the circuit and the ADR-Delta trio of Martin, Kerr and Graves are no different. All have raced here before in other formulae and were reminiscing of those times during our 2hr track walk.

The team has made some steps forward in understanding the Oreca chassis since the last event in Sebring, so Day 1 was always going to be about getting the drivers and car dialled in to the circuit. With 3 hours running split over two sessions the team set to work, John started in free practice 1 (FP1) and quickly reported back ‘the car is completely different to Sebring’. Not all good news as it meant we were starting afresh with the direction of the car.

John as always, quickly found his groove and posted some quick laps, with Tor up next, who was told to just break himself in gently as the team made changes to the chassis to get a good handling balance.

For FP2 it was Robbie’s turn to have a run, with more improvements to the chassis between sessions by Chief Engineer David Leach.

It did not take Robbie long to post the fastest time in class, before Tor had his time with a free reign to push.

Tor posted some impressive lap times, even on full fuel load, matching some of the pro drivers running on track at the same time. Robbie’s time fell 4 tenths off second place in the Oak Chassis. So with some more ‘tweaks’ he was sent out to complete the last 15 minutes of the session.

However, while making room for a clear lap at the final chicane he was attacked by a Porsche, turning him around. As he set back off the session was red flagged for a big accident at Eau Rouge.

Overall the team end Day 1 knowing that they have made good steps forward and have the potential for pole position tomorrow.

A long night ahead before an early start in preparation for FP3 the final run before qualifying – and who knows what the weather is going to be …

It was shaping up that new Oak chassis in the hands of experienced Sportscar ace Olivia Pla had the outright class pace with x-Peugeot works driver Stephane Sarrazin in the Honda close behind, with the limited time the ADR-Delta team had running the #25 Oreca the target was to be the best of the Oreca’s.  So with some good times in testing the team was hopeful of a top three qualifying position, John Martin qualified the car but got bulked by traffic on his hot lap putting him fifth and when the session was cut short with a red flag due to a Level 5 car off at Turn 1 John did not get a chance to better his time.

John Martin - ADR-Delta, Sebring Qualifying

Friday was a long night of pre race preparation for the team working through until the early hours to ensure the 25 car was at it’s best come race day – which is more than can be said for some of the team who were battling with serious ‘man flu’. Race day was probably the hottest day we had during the whole week so it was going to be a tough test to get through the 12 hour race for both man and machine. John started the race and was quickly into his stride setting fast lap times and ending up glued to the back of the Pecom Oreca  which he was clearly faster than, however the short straights and narrow track means over taking is hard and when John got closed out at Turn 7 he had no option than to take to the old circuit loosing track position and causing the front end bodywork to become dislodged making the handling of the car far from ideal over the rest of his stint. Next in the car was Tor who had proven during testing that he could run fast consistent laps and after a disturbed start with radio issues Tor settled into his first double stint, we were nearly four hours in by the time Robbie got into the car but he quickly got into his usual quick groove. The race progressed relatively trouble free with the team trying to make up the early time lost in an extended and additional pit stop, after moving into fourth position and closing down on the top three the crew noticed a deflating tyre while Robbie was in the car, he was quickly radioed into the pit for a tyre change but it slipped us back to fifth. Try as we did to move back up the order there always seemed to be something keeping us in this position, either a safety car or an extended stop required for service.

Overall coming away from Sebring with Championship points and encouraging pace should be applauded but the ADR-Delta team is used to winning so we will be pushing hard to get to the podium at the second round at the legendary Spa Francorchamps circuit in Belgium the first weekend in May.