2019 saw TrackScotland enter the Race of Remembrance (run by Mission Motorsport) for their 3 year running. The Race of Remembrance is a 12 Hour Endurance Race around Anglesey Circuit which
helps raise funds for Mission Motorsport.
Before the Event, we were in contact with Adam from TrackScotland about trialling one of our DS24 dashboard prototypes in one their R50 Mini Coopers for this event. We felt this would be the perfect showcase for our prototype and a good test of the reliability of the device.
Car number #155 (affectionately named "Barbie") was selected as the race car that the dashboard would be fitted to. With a quick chat and a bit of time with the car, the dashboard was wired/fitted in to the car and programmed to how the team wanted.
With the Team & Cars prep'd, they made the mammoth Journey from Aberdeen to Anglesey on Thursday Morning. With the final pieces sorted at the track on Thursday night, they were ready to take to the Friday practice sessions.
For the practice sessions, the Team hit the mark right out the gate, matching their lap times from previous years with minimal track time & without pushing too hard. Towards of the Friday testing session, "Barbie" hit some trouble when they picked up a vibration coming from the front left. However, it was quickly diagnosed as a inner CV joint and repaired in minutes.
The drivers then moved onto their Qualifying sessions, with TrackScotland opting to only do the minimum number of laps as the qualifying bared less importance in the race (when compared to Sprint Races etc). The team still put in a solid effort, qualifying 4th & 5th in class!
The race gone under way on Saturday with a rolling start under poor weather conditions. An onboard of the car start can be seen below (the DS24's shift lights can be seen just above the wheel):
With the race under way, the team settled into a rhythm and kept chipping away at the cars in front. Disaster stuck part way into the opening stages of the race when car #155 snatched a brake and ended up collecting an early braking Civic! Luckily the car only got some cosmetic damage, a broken led and some unintentional alignment changes...
The racing continued into the evening with the poor weather keeping the drivers on their toes. The racing would be suspended over night & at the close of the Saturday section of the race the TrackScotland cars were P2 & P3 in class with only 1.6 seconds separating them.
Overnight, the team got a chance to carry out repairs on their car before the race continued. Car #55 only needed basic repairs in the form of a new ball joint and bleed of the brakes. Car #155 needed some more serious repairs, needing a replacement gearbox, new clutch, new pads and a bleed of the brakes.
The race would resume on Sunday morning & with the weather clearing up, the team opted for their dry option tyres. With Car #155 on dry tyres and the track starting to dry, it took the class lead during the first stint of Sunday. In the next stint however, the car would lose the lead after a trip into the grass and a subsequent extended pit-stop to check the car over and change the wheels over. The car was sent back out with most of the damage fixed except for the driver's side door, where the inner and outer skins had started to come apart. This would cause issues for the drivers as the window to start flapping at higher speeds. Towards the end of the race, the TrackScotland cars would be in a 4 way battle for the lead and with some careful driving, the team would bring home 1st and 2nd places in their class.
A big congratulations to all of the TrackScotland team for their mega efforts through the whole event and for the brilliant result!