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News page
1 April 2001
Impressive Debut from
Harlow Pairing.
The twin-Porsche 911 GTO entry from Harlow Motorsport made an impressive debut in the Privilege Insurance British GT Championship on Sunday. Round one of the new season began on Silverstone’s two-and-a-quarter mile International Circuit, with both the Harlow cars consistent front-runners throughout the hour-long race.
In the end it was Paul Fuller and Marcus Fothergill who came through to finish a close second, but only after a freak mechanical failure had sidelined the number one car of Terry Rymer and Adam Simmons.
The team had arrived at Silverstone after a number of promising shakedown runs, including a stint at the official championship launch in late February. Friday testing was an opportunity to prepare the set-up on both cars, with new shocks being foremost among a shortlist of items requiring attention. It certainly paid off for the #45 car, which came through Saturday qualifying as the best-placed Porsche in GTO.
First out in the damp conditions of the morning session had been Adam Simmons. He completed just three or four laps on wets before electing to come back in, change to slicks, and send Rymer back out for rest of the period. "There were still a few adjustments to make to the car," he explained. "I decided to sacrifice my time so that Terry had a chance to work on the set-up." If the car was far off perfect, it didn’t show. Rymer still ended the morning as runner-up to the Hayles Motorsport Viper, a surprise on provisional pole after a blinding last lap from Ben Devlin on the drying track.
In the afternoon it was slicks all the way for Rymer, who posted a best of 1:24.190 to secure that front row slot. He seemed unperturbed by the Viper. "It’s really quick down the straights," he admitted, "but I’m all over him like a rash on the infield. It’s going to be very close into the first corner!"
Race day dawned a picture of Spring sunshine. No question about tyre choice today, and the prospects for a good race certainly seemed on the cards. A mix-up with timing saw two of the GT cars miss out on the rolling start, being forced to begin from the race from the pitlane, but this released two spaces up front on the grid. The result was an effective notch or two up the order for the Harlow cars and a clean run for everyone.
The entire field thundered through Woodcote without mishap. Indeed it was almost a whole lap before anything went seriously wrong. Terry Rymer had a small gripe. "Kelvin Burt pushed his way through and stuffed me into the dirt at Maggots," he said. A ‘Touring Car’ move, perhaps, but it didn’t appear to be serious contact. That was to come a little later when "the TVR Cerbera thumped me hard in the rear, and I think that was what bent the wheel rim." At the time the knock lost Rymer a handful of places and passed off as just a racing incident, but it was to prove considerably more costly later.
This left the GTO order as Burt leading, Matt Turner a close second, Rob Barff in the TVR third, and Rymer fourth.
Rymer had benefited from other’s misfortune. Having been forced to work a little harder to pass the (then much healthier) TVR Matt Turner in the #54 Parr Motorsport Porsche had taken the best out of his tyres. On lap eight he spun, albeit briefly, and handed the second place slot to Rymer on a plate. Fothergill, at that time hot on the tail of the TVR, followed through. With Kelvin Burt in the first of the Parr Motorsport cars a full fifteen seconds clear and setting fastest laps with apparent ease, Rymer and Fothergill were content for a while to occupy second and third.
With the TVR out of the way the two Harlow cars were circulating nose to tail. Unbeknown to the chasing Fothergill, Rymer was having brake problems. "They were fading rapidly," he explained. "I was having to pump like mad to have any effect. Then, coming into Priory, they caught me out." Having been pumping his way up through Bridge in anticipation of the tight left hander, they suddenly bit. "It was so unexpected!" He spun off, losing the best part of ten seconds as he regained the track and allowing his team-mate through in the process.
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Pics: Miles Tripp |
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Pics: David Stephens/Studio
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