5th April 2018
Tense opening race for ErinSport as the Automation-WEC SuperSeason gets under way at Spa.
G. Stevens blasts up Eau Rouge in the 4th hour
It was a tense first season opener at Spa-Francorchamps for ErinSport where the Superseason got under way. High temperatures meant the track was scorching at some point, causing a lot of issues for tire wear during the 6 hour event. The hard fought and action packed race resulted in a podium position for the team in LMP1, whilst the #55 Scarlet narrowly missed 3rd place.
Worries about the power delivery system of the GT18’s hybrid powertrain were rectified over night after some worrying moments in practice and qualifying, with both chassis’ running a smooth race. They couldn’t match the immense pace of the two KHT cars, though were able to hold off attacks from Maine Motors, with former Maine race driver Danny Garland-Monsort fighting the team he used to drive for during his stint. He drove his #14 GT18 to a 3rd place finish, while the #15 chassis finished 18 seconds behind in 5th.
The two Scarlet’s struggled to match the straight line speed of the Bonham Flemings and Merciel Corsaires on this one of the fastest race tracks in the world, forcing the team to rely heavily on strategy to remain competitive. WEC rookie Georgina Stevens had a few near misses in the in a battle with Sachiuri, but managed to put enough space between her adversary to secure 4th place. The #56 chassis came into contact with one of the Cavalleras during Josef Isaksson’s stint, leading to penalty stop that the car wasn’t able to recover from, finishing 8th in class.
Head of ErinSport Sam Wentfort was “pleased with the first race”, saying that “the team have learned a lot over this first race weekend, putting us in good stead for Le Mans next month”. Asked how he was feeling about the famously difficult 24 hour race, he said “its where Erin made its name, and we aren’t planning on changing that any time soon”.