We did think that the last round of BMW 116 Trophy at Oulton Park beginning of October would be my last race of 2023. However an invitation to take part in the UKs largest race, the Birkett 6hr Relay came along. This longstanding end of season event first run in 1951 is a unique endurance race where up to 70 teams race on track at the same time and this would be its 72nd anniversary. The teams are made up of various classes of car with up to six drivers, resulting in a list of almost 300 different cars taking part. After each drivers stint the handover is made to the next car in team with the aim of completing as many laps as possible in the 6 hours. With so many different types and speed of racecar taking part there is also an interesting handicapping system in place based on various factors to even out the field, as well as separate awards for for full teams of a particular brand or class. The handicaps are modified and applied to adjust overall positions at half hour intervals during the race.
My BMW was considered a good addition to the team as although it may not be the fastest car out there, it can do a reasonable laptime and also last 90 mins plus on one tank of fuel. Our team, appropriately named Random Racers was made up of a Lotus Elise S2 driven by Ben Macauley, a BMW 325Ti driven by Ivor Mairs, another BMW E36 M3 driven by Edward Christie, and my trusty BMW116i. We also had our team manager and strategist James Winstanley, our own Aston and Ryan doing a great job on the pit board as well as all our respective mechanics.....Thanks Dad.
I was really excited to have the opportunity to race on the full combined Silverstone GP circuit. Having only driven the National and International layouts before I spent a bit of time leading up to this event on the sim, using Paul Offord (a fellow 116 competitors') car mod to practice as there aren't any BMW 116's in any simulator software yet. Although feeling confident on the drive down on Friday night I was still a little nervous about meeting the rest of the team. I also had to change my usual lucky number 19 to our team number 30, and each car in team also displayed a letter to keep track of drivers, as there were a total of 282 cars involved in this epic race.
There were 6 qualifying sessions on Saturday morning, and the garage was very busy, dad was up very early and had the car ready before breakfast...Thanks Dad. I went out on track at 10.20 in group D, bedded the new brake pads in,... then the rest of the session went fast and the 25 mins was soon over with such long laps, (the longest of any circuit I have driven so far). Ended qualifying happy with my pace of 2mins 52.72s which was similar to what I achieved on the sim, and confident I could go quicker but didn't want to take the risk with my teammates depending on me and two more sessions to go before race start. We had to wait until all the qualifying sessions were finished as the times are used collectively and our team handicapped accordingly.
We would go off around 2 thirds of the way down the 70 car grid, and on James' strategy & I was originally penciled in to take the start, however there was a threat of rain towards the end of the six hours and it was decided that I should take the third quarter of the race. Either way I was really pleased that the team had this level of confidence in me. With the BMW 325i of Ivor Mairs now starting the race and then handing over to Ben Macauley in the Lotus Elise, at quarter distance after 1 1/2 hours of racing we found ourselves in P6 over all, and P3 in class, and were still running a respectable P20 and P10 in class (after handicaps applied) at the halfway mark after Edward Christies' stint in his BMW M3 E36.
I was rostered to drive the third stint but as precaution I had already sat ready in my car for the Edwards' entire stint should we have any issue which would cause a change of plan, it was actually a good way to stay calm and get dialled in. As he passed our pit entrance I was released into the pit lane by the team and set out on my first lap of what would be a full fuel run, which would easily cover my minimum required laps of participation, I was good for a stint of 90 mins... or more if needed. It was an incredible experience to be driving the Silverstone full circuit layout with such a wide variety of cars around me. My aim was to keep my laptimes consistent, read the traffic and judge the closing speeds of the different cars well, make good decisions on where to pass and where to let faster cars past with least disruption to either of our laps, and obviously make places for the team. I enjoyed my stint and had good consistent pace with little difference between my fastest and slowest laps despite managing traffic,... the Radicals and Caterhams in particular were coming through fast. I also enjoyed trading places with a fellow 116Trophy car and sometimes using the traffic to my advantage. I finished my 32 laps with the team in 16th overall and P9 in class and pleased with a new PB of 2mins 50.3s ( 4th fastest 116i )
Ivor then went out again and we refuelled my car and got ready again to be prepared to cover the last stint as a precaution just in case Ed had any issues. During the last quarter of the race Ben had another run in the Lotus and we got up to P8 overall and fifth in class for a while. I sat in my car fully suited and strapped in again through the last 45mins and would have loved to get the chance to do a few more laps, especially in the rain. However Ed completed his run without issues and crossed the line for the team P11 overall and seventh in class, the highest ever finish for a Random Racers team.
Was an amazing experience to drive in this iconic multiclass race, big thanks to my friendly teammates Ivor Mairs, Ben Macauley, and Edward Christie, and their respective mechanics, team manager James Winstanley for the invitation, strategy, and all the advice, our own Aston for an amazing and much appreciated job on the pit board/wall, and Ryan for fixing my comms after I broke them on Friday night, Darren DT Motorsport who although having a rare weekend off was only a call away for the awesome setup advice. And I am also extremely grateful to Adam Kluj Transport, Nurburgring Tours, Teamkarting/Xkart, and Arthur Morgan without whom I wouldn't have been able to take advantage of this opportunity..
An incredible way to end the race year and glad I got the opportunity to tick this one off the list, a race which has seen some well known names in years gone by including Graham Hill. Already looking forward to 2024 as this could be my last race in my 116??. Always working hard to make that next step with some exciting plans, starting with some new additions to my online shop, please click on the links below for the wardrobe essential classic Plain Tees and S19 Casual Sweatshirts available in various colours, and the One Nine bobble hats getting you ready for the winter weather. Great if you are looking for some stocking fillers, plus you would be helping me to raise funds towards my racing too. I am also working hard on my printshop Graph X Studio, supplying printed stickers, graphics, banners, and teamwear, all raising funds towards my next goal.
More news coming soon,
Thank you for your support,
Sandro#19
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