13th-Oct-25, 06:36 AM
WHO Birkett Six-Hour Relay 2025 Race Report
Sixteen racers gathered at the Barn for the third running of the WHO Birkett Relay. James also joined us, but as his day would be disrupted by work, he very generously decided to marshal for us and enjoy the vibe. He did sterling work at the chicane - especially in the first couple of hours as we learned the track - and was deservedly awarded the 'Spirit of the Race' award and took home a Silverstone mug and a stick of UNISON rock (thanks to Dean and Kev for those).
With minimal practice time, all six teams would be learning the track during those first couple of hours. It was a whopper - Simon's WHO Monaco filling almost the entire floor space of the Barn and using up all the WHO track stock plus plenty more...
And it was a delight to drive - although the single-lane chicane and the hairpin were busy marshalling points to begin with. The chicane added a hazard, but also gave an overtaking opportunity for faster cars - and with such a mix of classes on track at the same time, that would prove ideal.
Our sixteen drivers made up a team of four, two threes and three pairs...
Hour One - Legends! Legends! Legends!
Four teams wisely chose to get the Pioneer Legends out of the way first. With their short wheelbase and lively on-track behaviour,they'd certainly wake everyone up. Écurie Escargot and Maximus Gastropodus bucked the trend and ran a Trans-Am and a BTCC car respectively...
Each 57-minute race was run separately, with random weather decided in advance. Hour One saw two sunny spells, giving us clean, dry track conditions. The Escargot's Camaro and the Gearzilla Legend battled for the first hour honours, although the Days of Blunder Legend came back strong at the end. Ash drove the whole hour, with all the other teams swapping twice - the 120-second driver change windows straddling the 19 and 38-minute marks. Three teams needed brief trips to the garage for repairs - and this saw them in the bottom three places, although not too far off the pace...
Don't forget to click the image to make it bigger
Hour Two - Blunder Boys grab the initiative
The second batch of cars were collected and checked-over during the opening hour. There was more of a mix this time - leaders Écurie Escargot played their Legends card, alongside three Trans-Ams (Brake 'Til Tyre, Gearzilla and the Gastropods) the Days of Thunder BTCC Honda and a Whitsun+ GT Mk2 for the Fuller-Beans. The latter would lose its bonnet and spend a short time in the garage - as did the Brake 'Til Tyre Camaro. However, Oliver's hour in the Gearzilla Camaro was wrecked by braid plate issues, dropped him and Ash right to the back.
At the front, Écurie Escargot, Days of Blunder and Maximus Gastropodus battled in out in overcast conditions on a damp track. Intermediates were the tyres to have, although not everyone made it easy for themselves! In the end, it was the Days of Blunder BTCC Honda that took Hour Two honours and the lead of the race overall...
Back soon for the next couple of hours...
Sixteen racers gathered at the Barn for the third running of the WHO Birkett Relay. James also joined us, but as his day would be disrupted by work, he very generously decided to marshal for us and enjoy the vibe. He did sterling work at the chicane - especially in the first couple of hours as we learned the track - and was deservedly awarded the 'Spirit of the Race' award and took home a Silverstone mug and a stick of UNISON rock (thanks to Dean and Kev for those).
With minimal practice time, all six teams would be learning the track during those first couple of hours. It was a whopper - Simon's WHO Monaco filling almost the entire floor space of the Barn and using up all the WHO track stock plus plenty more...
And it was a delight to drive - although the single-lane chicane and the hairpin were busy marshalling points to begin with. The chicane added a hazard, but also gave an overtaking opportunity for faster cars - and with such a mix of classes on track at the same time, that would prove ideal.
Our sixteen drivers made up a team of four, two threes and three pairs...
- Brake 'Til Tyre: Alex (Gold) & Dean (G) - Handicap 0 laps
- Fuller-Beans: Rob (Silver), Ollie (Bronze), Isaac (B) & Kev (B) - Handicap +170 laps
- Écurie Escargot: Andy (G) & Jeremy (S) - Handicap +20 laps
- Gearzilla: Oliver (G) & Ash (S) - Handicap +20 laps
- Days of Blunder: Simon (S). John (B) & Duncan (B) - Handicap +120 laps
- Maximus Gastropodus: Mike (G), Matthew (S) & Stephen (B) - Handicap +70 laps
Hour One - Legends! Legends! Legends!
Four teams wisely chose to get the Pioneer Legends out of the way first. With their short wheelbase and lively on-track behaviour,they'd certainly wake everyone up. Écurie Escargot and Maximus Gastropodus bucked the trend and ran a Trans-Am and a BTCC car respectively...
Each 57-minute race was run separately, with random weather decided in advance. Hour One saw two sunny spells, giving us clean, dry track conditions. The Escargot's Camaro and the Gearzilla Legend battled for the first hour honours, although the Days of Blunder Legend came back strong at the end. Ash drove the whole hour, with all the other teams swapping twice - the 120-second driver change windows straddling the 19 and 38-minute marks. Three teams needed brief trips to the garage for repairs - and this saw them in the bottom three places, although not too far off the pace...
Don't forget to click the image to make it bigger
Hour Two - Blunder Boys grab the initiative
The second batch of cars were collected and checked-over during the opening hour. There was more of a mix this time - leaders Écurie Escargot played their Legends card, alongside three Trans-Ams (Brake 'Til Tyre, Gearzilla and the Gastropods) the Days of Thunder BTCC Honda and a Whitsun+ GT Mk2 for the Fuller-Beans. The latter would lose its bonnet and spend a short time in the garage - as did the Brake 'Til Tyre Camaro. However, Oliver's hour in the Gearzilla Camaro was wrecked by braid plate issues, dropped him and Ash right to the back.
At the front, Écurie Escargot, Days of Blunder and Maximus Gastropodus battled in out in overcast conditions on a damp track. Intermediates were the tyres to have, although not everyone made it easy for themselves! In the end, it was the Days of Blunder BTCC Honda that took Hour Two honours and the lead of the race overall...
Back soon for the next couple of hours...
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