BRITCAR 24 HOURS: Silverstone Report

With the marque in action earlier in the Dutch Supercar Challenge, the scene was now set for more Mosler mayhem. Qualifying was very promising: Rollcentre - winners in 2005 - took pole, the new Mosler on the block from Chad just behind them and Eclipse back the fifth row.

Stuart Hall took Rollcentre into an early lead, with Michael Vergers bringing the Chad Mosler into contention on lap two.

But 2006 champions Duller Motorsport made their intentions clear - lap five saw their BMW Z4 take a lead that it was reluctant to relinquish.

Key factors for the Britcar race turned out to be fuel consumption and reliability. The Duller Z4 had a clean run and needed fewer fuel stops than the rest of the field. This gave them a clear advantage for such an endurance race.

The Chad car had some engine problems but was scuppered by a collision with Richard Hammond in the Top Gear BMW diesel. Despite the damage, Rollcentre helped Chad get back into the action and to 27th place overall.

The Eclipse team, running without the Cole brothers who withdrew earlier in the week, had kept near the front runners throughout the race. But it was two driveshaft failures that held them back from a podium place, eventually bringing the car home in fifth place.

So it was down to Rollcentre to put up the most concerted challenge for the Britcar title. Stuart Hall ran two shifts in the car and was the team's fastest driver, but even he couldn't outperform the superior fuel economy of the Duller. The Mosler suffered from more brake wear than expected and was stuck in fifth gear for a time towards the end and came in second, 29 laps behind the second-time winning Duller Z4. The three Moslers crossed the line in formation.





















So, disappointing that Rollcentre didn't reclaim their Silverstone Britcar 24 title, but still an impressive display by the marque.


Thanks to Martin Short for the photos.