News from Rob Austin Racing...

Elise Trophy is Go

With the opportunity of carrying out a track day on the Friday evening prior to the first meeting Team RSA headed up to Derbyshire with eager enthusiasm. However, by purchasing a car that has not run for 2 years will always throw up a few issues and after only being able to complete 5 laps of running on Friday night because of various mechanical gremlins, this left us with much work to do on race day.

There was little we could do to repair an oil leak and it was with trepidation that Rob went into qualifying on Sunday morning.

With 38 runners out on the Grand Prix circuit final words of wisdom from his chief engineer, Chris Dear suggesting that Rob should just keep going until it was physically no longer possible to do so! Within 2 laps the cockpit was full of smoke as a result of a continued oil leak in the engine bay. After 7 laps it was not possible to continue and a trip into the gravel trap did not help! However, we were very pleased to qualify in 13th place.

With eager anticipation Rob lined up on the grid and at the start was soon up into 11th place. However, coming into the final hairpin in the first lap he was knocked sideways into a spin and facing the whole field backwards was lucky to avoid any further contact. A stalled engine dropped him to way down in last position. As he attempted to storm through the field he was black flagged after 5 laps with the oil leak becoming even more severe.

It was also hugely disappointing to be awarded Pole Position for Race Two but due to the continued problem this was not taken up and the boys headed home. Martin Donnelly, the former Grand Prix driver, eventually won the race.

The boys are however very happy that we can compete near or at the front in this championship and feel that it is well run by Paul Golding and his team at Lotus On Track.

The next race is at Dijon in early September.