Well we didn’t go the distance, perhaps 1000 km in a race car with less than a week’s preparation time was slightly optimistic, but that’s how we are at Embassy - optimistic. And with good reason.
Our time in Monza on the track did not end happily, even with our limited time with the car, there was still a real sense that we could do well. With a lot of luck a class win was not out of the question, and with a little luck 1000 km was certainly within our grasp. We certainly got some luck - all of it bad.
The full story of what happened to the car and why it stopped on lap 50 is not available yet, but here’s what we know so far. After three, hour long, free practice sessions and two, hard run, qualifying stints, the Embassy Racing Radical prototype was performing superbly. Obviously using the first race of the season as practically a shakedown is not ideal, but the results were promising. Building up steadily, Warren put in lap after lap, tentatively pushing the car harder and bringing it in for minor set-up adjustments until he was confident enough to circulate in blistering consistent 1.42s, well on race pace and just half a second off the leading LMP2 car.
Through the available sessions, everything seemed to be coming together quite nicely. Both Warren and Neil had time in the car - although still effectively brand new to them, they got to grips with the Radical early on and took on the challenge with a steely determination you would expect of two experienced professionals.
During Saturday’s qualifying, our performance matched the weather, hot, hot, hot - with Warren posting our quickest ever lap time in the Radical around Monza of 1;41.4, good enough to secure 5th in class and 14th overall on the grid.
Everything was set-up for a fabulous first round and Sunday began well. The weather was as it had been all week - glorious. Team boss Jonathan France continued to make the most spectacular entrance of all team bosses - flying in from his Lake Como Villa by private helicopter. The Spiers supplied full English (not for drivers) was a veritable feast of breakfast delights that our European cousins cannot compete with - bread, salami and cheese at 7.30 in the morning, who are they trying to kid? The warm up went without incident and although far from how we would want it, the car was running well, reliably and it looked great. Talking of looking great, the Embassy girls had appeared and were causing the kind of commotion Italians usually reserve for, well let’s be honest, the Italians can create a commotion over a cup of coffee - but you get the point. The Embassy girls were well received and it was no surprise as they stood behind our drivers during their autograph session that the queue for Warren and Neil’s signatures was twenty letharios deep, while other drivers were sat twiddling their thumbs - at least that’s what I hoped they were doing.
So the car was in good nick, team fed, drivers psyched, girls gorgeous, boss happy - what could go wrong?
Nothing… until the first lap of the race proper when Warren reported an intermittent problem with the downshift. Unbelievable. Effort upon effort, sleepless night after sleepless night, agonizing decision after agonizing decision, problem free run after problem free run and signed cheque after signed cheque and it all stops after one lap.
Working through the possible causes for a downshift fault took some time. Try something send it out. Bring it back in, try something else, send it out. Eventually it was found that a single loose connection on the steering wheel was responsible. Cured easily, the problem has cost us 45 minutes. We were not going to win the race, but there was still an opportunity to show that we could run to the end of the race and on the pace.
We certainly had the pace. When we were running Warren was posting 1.42s well within touching distance of the top three LMP2 cars. Unfortunately our problems had put us so many laps down it was now a case of keeping the pace up to the end, testing the teamwork, driver’s stamina and ability and the cars reliability.
Oh no, that word reliability. After two and a half hours, Warren handed the car to Neil - we were nowhere in the positions, but we had ironed out our problems track side and were still running which was more than many of the teams who began the race could say - but then it happened. Warning lights on the car, a significant problem with the engine and Neil just couldn’t get it to the pits. The Embassy Radical was parked on the inside of the Parabolica sadly failing to complete its 50th lap.
Obviously disappointed with the way things ended, there are many positives to be taken from the showing at Monza. The car is quick, the drivers are quick, the team works well together and because this is such an under developed project, there is still an awful lot more to come from every aspect.
Making his way back to his heli-taxi, Team Principal Jonathan France said:
"Obviously I am disappointed in the final outcome here today, but I can see that to bring in the Radical was the right decision. It has all been a bit last minute so to even get near race pace is a marvellous achievement in itself. I would be worried if we’d had this car in development for months, but the whole project is effectively a week old. I am sorry for the boys who have put everything into this over the last few days but I know they can make this car competitive in the Le Mans series and I will do everything I can to help them. It’s a great platform to know we are quick enough, now we need to refine things and get reliability - it will be tough but it can be done."
Embassy will be back in the Le Mans Series for race two at Valencia on the 6th May.
