Despite the fact that TMC and its four drivers were experiencing their first visit to the Scandinavian Raceway in Anderstorp, Sweden, this weekend, Jamie Davies and Darren Turner in their Ferrari 360 N/GT, car number 88, achieved an excellent third position after a fraught and highly-charged race. Unfortunately, car 89 retired after two-thirds distance with electrical problems. These manifested themselves initially in the form of an engine miss-fire. However, despite great determination on the part of Tim Mullen, who was driving at the time, and his crew to continue, it proved impossible to rectify the difficulties. Initial investigations revealed a number of electrical problems which will be investigated thoroughly by the team during the next couple of days.
Car 88 ran reliably throughout the three hour endurance race and both Davies and Turner showed consistent pace in keeping with their experience. With a number of other incidents and casualties in the N/GT class which kept the crowd tense and entertained, Davies, having inherited the car from Turner, secured a solid third place with both drivers earning themselves and the team six points .
Kelvin Burt: “I had good drive overall during my stint although the tyres did not perform particularly well here. I was suffering with low grip throughout my session which put Tim and I on the back foot from the start. I’m disappointed that we were unable to finish the race as I’m sure that we would have picked up some points for the team and for Tim’s Championship aspirations. Still, as always, we look ahead now to Germany and expect to be back in contention in Oschersleben.
Jamie Davies: “This is a good result considering. The tyres were not gripping as much as I would have liked and Anderstorp has proven to be hash on rubber. My six points can only help towards the Championship and as I’m third now, I must say that I’m content as we leave Sweden. The team knows we need more pace and it’s coming, for sure. I’m looking forward to the next round in Oschersleben and we will be fighting for the top step of the podium.”
Tim Mullen: “I’m disappointed to have a DNF here in Sweden as Kelvin and I were confident of a good result. The car was running really well in the early stages and my pace ensured that I could run with Darren with no issues. It’s a shame that the new electronic system was the cause of our retirement but I’m sure Oschersleben will see us back in the fight.”
Darren Turner: “I’m very pleased that Spa was the turning point for us in terms of reliability; the car felt really good throughout the race. This result is also good news for the team who worked very hard to ensure that Jamie and I finished on the podium. We need to work on our pace now that the previous glitches have been banished and I’m sure that the speed will come.”
“We were expecting this race to be tough, and so it proved to be,” said Rod Benoist, TMC’s Team Manager. “Running with a new system is always a risk and despite the amount of testing we do, the race itself will always produce the real results. The team is obviously disappointed to have lost car 89 as this does not help Tim in particular at all. Nevertheless, a podium finish is always gratifying and we will take advantage of the time available to us before the next round of the Championship in Germany. Our team will remain in Sweden now for a few days and work with the engineers from Magneti Marelli before returning home and we will also take a careful look at our choice of tyre compounds for Germany too.”
Text/Photos: Team Maranello Concessionaires - Strictly Copyright