Car issues cost Team Viking in the Welsh eight-hour race
22 August 2019
Anglesey played host to Round six of the 2019 Fun Cup, where Team Viking were ready for the eight-hour race after claiming victory at the last round.
A complete washout meant that the team had very little time in testing, but come the qualifying session the team were consistently setting top five times. Having won the last race in Zandvoort, the team found themselves starting in 20th, last place on the grid.
Driver Nick Nunn took first stint and battled his way from the back up to 12th after his 40-minute session. After a quick pit stop Mark Holme continued the drive to the front of the pack, and at the one hour and 20 minute mark, Team Viking were up in P4.
On Nunn’s return into the race, his 3rd stint, he displayed great pace, but mechanical failure proved disastrous for the team. A bracket that controlled the gearbox broke, and the team was unable to move out of second gear. “It was nobody’s fault,” remarked Holme. “It was just a small part that broke.”
Nunn managed to deliver the car back to the pits, where it was repaired. But the pit stop resulted in a significant loss – on returning to the track, the team found themselves 10 laps down and back in last place. Undeterred, both Nunn and Holme showed exceptional form and battled to back to P10. During this stint, they were often the fastest on track.
It was far from plain sailing to the final lap – with 90 minutes of the race remaining, the accelerator cable in the car snapped and the car headed to the pits once again. Another round of repairs saw Holme and Nunn return to the track, ultimately bringing the car home in 13th.
“We drove well under pressure and there were hardly any incidents,” explained Holme. “In terms of race craft and from the drivers’ point of view, it was one of our best races so far. Due to the mechanical failures it was damage limitation, but we coped well. We were quick, and the car was quick, so it was a good race in those terms.”
Although Team Viking finished the race in 13th, and currently sit in 7th place overall, they are still in the hunt for the Championship, after their rivals finished at the back of the grid.
The next race for Team Viking will be the four-hour race at Silverstone on 14 September.