Blog / Final race at Donington Park
26 OCTOBER 2023
The final race in the British Endurance Championship was held at Donington Park; Maurice demonstrated his sheer grit, determination, and staying power to finish 2nd in class in the British Endurance Championship.
Various changes made to the cars throughout the season have made Maurice’s success even more astounding. Even with a cohort of much faster cars, more suited to endurance racing, he qualified in 9th out of 23 cars and 2nd in class. Over the season the class saw others come and go but on the results of this final race, we gathered enough points to beat others to 2nd place in the overall championship on points.
The limited range of the fuel tank of what is essentially a sprint car, dictated the race strategy for a 2-hour race, with one driver to do half an hour, pit for tyres and fuel, the 2nd driver do an hour in the middle of the race and then at the 2nd tyre and fuel stop, the first driver gets back in to do the remaining half hour.
Maurice started the race in the wet and held onto his position. The track was drying in places but with his pace, his stint was extended a bit longer. The 2 championship leaders were just ahead of
Maurice and he was mixing it with them just before
his pit stop.
With Maurice’s extremely positive progress, he recommended his teammate kept the wet tyres for the next stint. Maurice could feel that there wasn't much heat being generated in the rear tyres, causing the car to move around a bit at the rear compared to the grip at the front. The way a front wheel drive car works the tyres is different to rear wheel drive and it is essential for Maurice to understand what is happening with the car. As the conditions continued to develop and a mid-stint change to slick tyres for Maurice’s team mate, this it didn’t work out and time was lost.
The conditions were suitable for slick tyres right at the end of Maurice's team mate's hour. Maurice was handed the car in 20th place, and quickly started to recover some of the lost time, before even getting any heat into the tyres. Maurice kept setting quicker and quicker lap times, even setting a faster lap time than the car which won the overall championship!
We hope to see Maurice continue to compete next season - with his undeniable natural talent, the potential for a truly successful season is absolutely within reach. We anticipate a new season will bring a fresh start for Maurice and allow him to demonstrate his individual strengths in a much more competitive setting.
It was a really good weekend overall, even with conditions of the weather leaving the track drenched at times. In qualifying, we came 9th and 2nd in class which we were pleased with considering the combined wet and dry condition of the track. These results made me confident going into the race, even as the rain became heavier. The rear tyres were still cold, and with front wheel drive it took much longer for all four tyres to reach the optimal temperature, but as the track began to dry up, it felt a much more comfortable race.
Its been good to get so many different experiences in this season, and TeamHARD have been really impressed by my personal performance in all of the races. Having the support of Graham and the Team at the integratedAIR Group has been amazing, and really motivates me to continue progressing and developing my skills in motorsport.
