Westfield Team Takes Second Place
A team of Westfields took second place in the Birkett six hour relay race, which took place at Silverstone last weekend. The Northampton Motorsport team with four drivers; Didier Prongue and Simon Pryke plus Seamus Harding and Troy Robinson took second place, completing two hundred and ninety eight laps, which included eighteen handicap laps and was only sixteen behind the fastest team.
Run by the 750 Motor Club, the relay race, which is the only one of its kind in the world, was first run in 1949 and was the brainchild of the Club’s chairman Holly Birkett. Fifty teams, each with up to six cars and drivers pushed their cars to the limit with non stop action. Because of the significant difference in speed and cornering abilities, the organisers give all the teams a handicap based on their previous best lap around the Silverstone circuit or, an average based on the other team members times.
As one team car exited the circuit the next car took up the baton so to speak. With fifty cars on the track at any one time a driver is always either overtaking or being overtaken which makes the event great fun for drivers and spectators alike. The event is unique because of the wide range of competing cars from saloon racers, pre and post war classics to modern sports cars running slicks and wings, which is where the handicap comes in.
Also entered was the “Westfield Racers” team, comprising father and son Nick and Matthew Flowers, Brian Small and Andy Mowbray who finished thirteenth. Nick Flowers was the 2006 Westfield Sports car champion and son Matthew scored two race wins in this year’s championship.
Westfield driver Troy Robinson said: “The strategy was to run the cars as close to their limit on fuel to minimise the time lost with car changes. Whilst the drivers were mindful of the need to get through the traffic, they also knew that they had to minimise off circuit excursions and avoid major damage at all costs. The cars were pushed as hard as possible with two cars cooking brake fluid and one finishing a stint with the front and rear pads worn to the metal backing.”
Robinson credited the win to the Westfield’s reliability and predictable handling. He said: “With an average lap time of around 1:07 the Westfield’s are fast, but lack the ultimate pace of the more powerful slick shod cars but their attributes gave drivers the confidence to go for the smallest gap when negotiating slower cars.”
All the cars were 1800 cc zetec engined cars running to the same specification in which they compete for the Westfield Sports Car Championship.
Robinson also praised the team mechanics, Chris Cooper, Matt Elworthy and Matt and Chris Robinson who “did a superb job of keeping all the cars running especially the shared car, which had to have all its brakes replaced between stints.”
