GT Racing - GT1, GT3, Blancpain Endurance Series & National GT SeriesSports Cars 

Sam Neary will be driving for Madpanda Motorsports at the Spa 24h this year:



Last year Sam was driving a Huracan GT3 for Grasser Team Racing, but his car was retired after about 8h. Madpanda are fielding an AMG GT3, and Sam already drives an AMG GT3 in British GT with his father Richard - they came second overall in the last round (the Silverstone 500), a fantastic result for a small team.

I met Richard in the bar at Spa last year and have followed their progress ever since. I'm not a bit gutted, however, that I chose not to go back to Spa this year, opting instead for the Nurburgring 24h (in 3 weeks time!), however I will be following the Spa 24h with interest!

Incidentally, the bottom right photo of the madpanda car arriving in the town of Spa above, I may well be in that picture on the extreme left hand side :P
 
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British GT is at Donington for a 3 hr race this afternoon, starting at 1300 BST and live on YouTube.


It's some day for motorsport today, with the Monaco GP on this afternoon, BTCC at Snetterton, GT Open at Spa and the Indy 500 tonight.

I am planning to watch British GT live, and catch a bit of BTCC as well. Will watch the Monaco GP highlights on C4 later.
 
Ooft... very heavy rain at Turn 1 at Donington and it has caused absolutely carnage - and it was very close to being disastrous.

At least 7 cars aquaplaned and went off at Turn 1, some of them at quite some speed. At least one car hit another on the way through the gravel, but fortunately most of them were able to avoid the other cars somehow. One car even went off behind the safety car and narrowly avoided the tractor that had already been deployed to pick up some of the cars out of the gravel.

Red flag now :redflag:
 
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Touring Mars
Ooft... very heavy rain at Turn 1 at Donington and it has caused absolutely carnage - and it was very close to being disastrous.

At least 7 cars aquaplaned and went off at Turn 1, some of them at quite some speed. At least one car hit another on the way through the gravel, but fortunately most of them were able to avoid the other cars somehow. One car even went off behind the safety car and narrowly avoided the tractor that had already been deployed to pick up some of the cars out of the gravel.

Red flag now :redflag:
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Have we learned nothing?

Race cars should NEVER be able to meet tractors or other such heavy recovery vehicles.
 
Pete05
Have we learned nothing?

Race cars should NEVER be able to meet tractors or other such heavy recovery vehicles.
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This is how close it was...

britgt-don1.jpg


OK, so it's not an F1 car, but the McLaren was spinning and completely out of control by the time it hit the gravel trap. It did hit a couple of cars, and a marshall who had been attending to one of the cars was fortunately not still in the same place he had been just 60 seconds earlier...




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In the end it was an exciting race, though it was heavily disrputed by the weather and multiple safety cars.

I didn't see exactly what happened to Team Abba Racing, however their bonnet was damaged (presumably after some contact between them and Tse) and they had to tape it up. It was looking good, however, strategy-wise for them, as they came in for slicks before anyone else, and in theory they were set to complete the race without stopping again. Unfortunately, though, they had to pit a again for some reason, but presumably it was because the tape-job on their bonnet hadn't worked. Almost immediately after this double-stop, the safety car came out and gave the entire field a free stop at the worst possible time for Team Abba Racing, and so they ended up finishing a lap down... tough luck, as otherwise they might have scored a second podium in a row.
 
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Touring Mars
This is how close it was...

View attachment 1358954

OK, so it's not an F1 car, but the McLaren was spinning and completely out of control by the time it hit the gravel trap. It did hit a couple of cars, and a marshall who had been attending to one of the cars was fortunately not still in the same place he had been just 60 seconds earlier...




-

In the end it was an exciting race, though it was heavily disrputed by the weather and multiple safety cars.

I didn't see exactly what happened to Team Abba Racing, however their bonnet was damaged (presumably after some contact between them and Tse) and they had to tape it up. It was looking good, however, strategy-wise for them, as they came in for slicks before anyone else, and in theory they were set to complete the race without stopping again. Unfortunately, though, they had to pit a again for some reason, but presumably it was because the tape-job on their bonnet hadn't worked. Almost immediately after this double-stop, the safety car came out and gave the entire field a free stop at the worst possible time for Team Abba Racing, and so they ended up finishing a lap down... tough luck, as otherwise they might have scored a second podium in a row.
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Yes, shame for Abba, they always have the worst luck!
Didn't have the worst tactics though, what were Ram even doing?? 😂
Good race though. Was hoping 2 Seas could hang on for the win, but just too much pressure in the end.
Glad I was watching from home though! I was going to go but bailed because of the weather.
 
Touring Mars
This is how close it was...

View attachment 1358954

OK, so it's not an F1 car, but the McLaren was spinning and completely out of control by the time it hit the gravel trap. It did hit a couple of cars, and a marshall who had been attending to one of the cars was fortunately not still in the same place he had been just 60 seconds earlier...
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I was there and never saw any of that. I was getting soaked down at the Craner curves. I watched the first part of the race from the outside at Holywood and should just have stayed there.

Al Buncombe (driver of the #2 McLaren) was interviewed at the circuit and said something along the lines of that he was told to slow down but a racing driver's slow down is different from a normal person's slow down. Yes, he should have seen the carnage up ahead, but there was a distinct line across the track half way down the pit straight, the first half of which was dry and the latter half completely sodden. The torrential rain was very localised.

My photos.

Donington GT-57 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-55 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-9 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-13 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-17 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-7 by David Anderson, on Flickr

flic.kr

British GT @ Donington 2024

Explore this photo album by David Anderson on Flickr!
flic.kr flic.kr
 
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daan
I was there and never saw any of that. I was getting soaked down at the Craner curves. I watched the first part of the race from the outside at Holywood and should just have stayed there.

Al Buncombe (driver of the #2 McLaren) was interviewed at the circuit and said something along the lines of that he was told to slow down but a racing driver's slow down is different from a normal person's slow down. Yes, he should have seen the carnage up ahead, but there was a distinct line across the track half way down the pit straight, the first half of which was dry and the latter half completely sodden. The torrential rain was very localised.

My photos.

Donington GT-57 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-55 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-9 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-13 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-17 by David Anderson, on Flickr

Donington GT-7 by David Anderson, on Flickr

flic.kr

British GT @ Donington 2024

Explore this photo album by David Anderson on Flickr!
flic.kr flic.kr
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The D2 AMG really gives off the retro livery feels from the 90s.

And that Aston Martin 🤤👌
 
Watching the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie Race 3 just now - funny to see the spectator areas at Hatzenbach so green and empty; I think I'd like to go to one of these races and see the cars on track without the crazy crowds, even though the crowds at the N24 were very much part of the spectacle/experience.

The race ends pretty much exactly at the same time as the British GT qualifying session starts at Spa Francorchamps. Looking forward to that race, and of course the Spa 24h next weekend. I've heard that Sam Neary has pulled out of the Madpanda team and will be racing the Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S next weekend.
 
Crazy month for sportscar racing, and let’s not forget the IMSA Watkins Glen 6-hour tomorrow as well.

To be just a week after Le Mans is pretty bizarre…and next year it’ll (IMSA) clash directly with the Spa 24hrs instead of being a week apart.
 
Touring Mars
Watching the Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie Race 3 just now - funny to see the spectator areas at Hatzenbach so green and empty; I think I'd like to go to one of these races and see the cars on track without the crazy crowds, even though the crowds at the N24 were very much part of the spectacle/experience.

The race ends pretty much exactly at the same time as the British GT qualifying session starts at Spa Francorchamps. Looking forward to that race, and of course the Spa 24h next weekend. I've heard that Sam Neary has pulled out of the Madpanda team and will be racing the Optimum Motorsport McLaren 720S next weekend.
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I've always loved the idea of going to see the N24 and/or Le Mans 24hr, but after what went down at this year's N24, it's dampened my enthusiasm a little.

To travel that far from Melbourne, AUS only to see hours of Safety Car procession would be hard to accept.
 
Pete05
I've always loved the idea of going to see the N24 and/or Le Mans 24hr, but after what went down at this year's N24, it's dampened my enthusiasm a little.

To travel that far from Melbourne, AUS only to see hours of Safety Car procession would be hard to accept.
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Yes, it's a gamble - but, even with just 7.5 hours of action, I still loved it. That said, the weather could totally wreck the race, but fortunately that didn't happen, at least until about 11.30pm anyway. Partying with the locals at Breidscheid until 2.30am was amazing fun, but watching the race through sunset until darkness was incredible.

There's also plenty of stuff to see in the build-up days, and visiting different parts of the track was amazing, even when the GT3s were not on track.

I would only travel that far for a 24h race for the sole reason that even a disrupted race will still deliver a memorable experience, but hopefully there won't be too many 7.5hr races in the future.

The Spa 24h (next weekend) is also a good shout, but obviously the weather there is as variable as the Nurb (considering how close they are, it's not surprising!).

Now I've been to all three classic European 24h races, I honestly don't have a favourite - they are all amazing for different reasons. A highlight of Spa was the car parade and driver meet-and-greet in the town of Spa on the Wednesday before the race. I thought there was also a similar thing in Adenau (where I stayed for the N24) but alas there wasn't this year.
 
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I'm watching the British GT race at Spa just now, and I'm supporting Richard and Sam Neary who I met there last year.

Sadly, they had the worst possible luck at the start, and got taken out by a BMW at La Source, and got crushed between the BMW and another car, and had to retire the car after only having made it about 200 yards :( It was a terrible outcome for what has been a frustrating weekend for them, but at least they (and all the other drivers) are OK after a very messy start to the race for multiple cars.

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Many cars are getting penalties for track limits, but the GT4 Mustangs in particular seem to be really struggling to stay on the track - as usual, Raidillon is causing issues, but I wonder if the Mustangs are not quite nimble enough to take Raidillon at racing speed legally?
 
Pete05
I've always loved the idea of going to see the N24 and/or Le Mans 24hr, but after what went down at this year's N24, it's dampened my enthusiasm a little.

To travel that far from Melbourne, AUS only to see hours of Safety Car procession would be hard to accept.
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I think it would only make sense if it was part of a bigger trip, rather than the sole intention being the event. It’s then less of a bitter pill to swallow if/when something disrupts it.

It also depends on the layout of the event. Usually, the longer the race, the more practice they have in advance, better/bigger support race package etc - so there’s plenty of track time to enjoy before the main race begins (as Touring Mars also pointed out).

I was at the Daytona 24hrs in 2019 and nearly the whole second half of the race was red flag/SC for rain, but honestly, I’d already had a solid 3+ full days at the track and was pretty content with it all. Plus, I’d had another few days doing other activities in Florida which made the trip more worthwhile.
 
Touring Mars
Yes, it's a gamble - but, even with just 7.5 hours of action, I still loved it. That said, the weather could totally wreck the race, but fortunately that didn't happen, at least until about 11.30pm anyway. Partying with the locals at Breidscheid until 2.30am was amazing fun, but watching the race through sunset until darkness was incredible.

There's also plenty of stuff to see in the build-up days, and visiting different parts of the track was amazing, even when the GT3s were not on track.

I would only travel that far for a 24h race for the sole reason that even a disrupted race will still deliver a memorable experience, but hopefully there won't be too many 7.5hr races in the future.

The Spa 24h (next weekend) is also a good shout, but obviously the weather there is as variable as the Nurb (considering how close they are, it's not surprising!).

Now I've been to all three classic European 24h races, I honestly don't have a favourite - they are all amazing for different reasons. A highlight of Spa was the car parade and driver meet-and-greet in the town of Spa on the Wednesday before the race. I thought there was also a similar thing in Adenau (where I stayed for the N24) but alas there wasn't this year.
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NomadicCactus
I think it would only make sense if it was part of a bigger trip, rather than the sole intention being the event. It’s then less of a bitter pill to swallow if/when something disrupts it.

It also depends on the layout of the event. Usually, the longer the race, the more practice they have in advance, better/bigger support race package etc - so there’s plenty of track time to enjoy before the main race begins (as Touring Mars also pointed out).

I was at the Daytona 24hrs in 2019 and nearly the whole second half of the race was red flag/SC for rain, but honestly, I’d already had a solid 3+ full days at the track and was pretty content with it all. Plus, I’d had another few days doing other activities in Florida which made the trip more worthwhile.
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Thanks for the feedback guys. Much appreciated.

Any race attendance would definitely be part of a larger trip to Europe.

I'm hoping to tour the U.K and parts of France next year, most likely timing it to coincide with the Le Mans 24hr. That race weekend has an historic component & that really floats my boat. Alternatively, I like the idea of going to the Goodwood Revival.
 
Touring Mars
I'm watching the British GT race at Spa just now, and I'm supporting Richard and Sam Neary who I met there last year.

Sadly, they had the worst possible luck at the start, and got taken out by a BMW at La Source, and got crushed between the BMW and another car, and had to retire the car after only having made it about 200 yards :( It was a terrible outcome for what has been a frustrating weekend for them, but at least they (and all the other drivers) are OK after a very messy start to the race for multiple cars.

-

Many cars are getting penalties for track limits, but the GT4 Mustangs in particular seem to be really struggling to stay on the track - as usual, Raidillon is causing issues, but I wonder if the Mustangs are not quite nimble enough to take Raidillon at racing speed legally?
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Watched the race online, good result for 2 Seas. Shame about Abba, I always root for them, as well as Ian Loggie, although it was the other 2 Seas car that dominated.
Hope Richard gets his car fixed, I'm going to Oulton Park to watch the GT Cup on Saturday, hoping to seem him drive with Loggie, alongside the awesome Brabham and the unique Porsche 935! 😍
 

Iron Dames Pull Out Of Spa 24 Hours | dailysportscar.com

Iron Dames Pull Out Of Spa 24 Hours
www.dailysportscar.com www.dailysportscar.com
:(

Gutting for them, and sad that they've had to pull out so close to the race.

I stayed in the same hotel as the Iron Dames at Spa last year but didn't have the guts to say hello, even when I was standing right behind Doriane Pin as she checked out of the hotel. I'm quite glad I didn't bother her though, as although I'm sure they appreciate the support, getting celeb spotted at your place of rest/refuge is the last thing they'd appreciate. Still, it was very cool to see them, both on the track and at the hotel.

I'd love to be at Spa this year - tomorrow is the car parade from the circuit to the town of Spa (about 10km from the track), and it was amazing. If/when I go back, I'll be doing the car parade on Wednesday again for sure.
 
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05XR8
Crazy that I missed this.
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Love it. What a mega race that was.

I remember all these cars from when they were current and in period racers. To see them all on track at the same time racing each other, but having their relevant class battles as well...🤩

I can only imagine what the Touring Car 'class' race will be like.
 

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