The first race in British GT for the team was always going to be a step up and a tough target. As Friday's test day unwound it became clear that the Dodge Viper is currently handicapped far beyond its peers or capability. In Saturday qualifying Mike Gardiner struggled to get a clear lap between the traffic and red flags. In second qualifying Paul Fenton could only manage 17th in the heavily restricted car.
The first race involved holding station for the first stint as the tight twisty nature of Oulton Park compounded the Viper's competitive disadvantage. Shortly after the driver change from Mike Gardiner to Paul Fenton an overly ambitious manouvere from a Ferrari led to damage to the car's right hand side and the decision to park it due to extensive exhaust damage.
Fortunately Sunday was a free day allowing time for the considerable work to rectify the car. As the second race drew near a fine drizzle settled over Oulton bringing the tyre selection into question. An exploratory lap to the grid on wet tyres revealed an incorrect choice. Starting from the pit lane with the other Viper of Nigel Greensall, Paul Fenton was able to take advantage of an early safety car to catch up with the pack and warm tyres to an equivalent level. With the safety car withdrawn and in changing conditions the Viper was able to hold station but not make progress. Handing over to Mike Gardiner the call was made to change to wet tyres. Mike took advantage of the wet conditions and the mishaps of others to haul the car up to 11th place.
With only two weeks to Donington and limited time available all the Dodge Vipers require a rule break to be competitive, though hopefully the more flowing nature of Donington will play to the car's strengths. A challenging start to the season in a very competitive championship, but a start has been achieved.
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Contact: Richard Moore - 07939 569027 or Paul Fenton - 07801 417931 |