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Bryce Beats The Heat At The Nurburgring To Finish Strong Debut Intern |
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Monday, 17 July 2006 |
Bryce Washington has finished his first International Sportscar endurance race with a strong performance in the Nurburgring 1000km at the weekend.
Washington, 22, and British teammate Paul Daniels brought their underpowered James Watt Automotive Porsche GT3 RSR home 14th in class and 34th outright in the six-hour endurance event, held in scorching hot conditions at the famous 5.137km circuit in Germany.
Despite their vehicle not having the outright pace of the class leaders, Washington and Daniels posted a consistent performance that ensured they would reach the finish in a surprisingly attrition-free event: 36 of the 43 cars that qualified for the race were classified at the finish.
Washington started the event from 40th place and quickly set about making up positions, completing the first hour of the race in 34th place outright and 11th in class. The South Australian also set the car’s quickest lap early in the event, a 2m04.482 lap less than a second away from his qualifying performance.
Washington held a position as high as 31st outright for a number of early laps, before faster and recovering cars relegated them to their eventual finishing position in the second half of the six-hour marathon.
A supreme effort saw Washington complete four hours in the car, completing double stints at the start and the end of a race where some competitors were sick in their cars due to the excess heat.
“It was so hot and a lot of drivers were throwing up because of it,” he said.
“I drove four hours all up and had cramps in my back at the end of the
race but it was still a fantastic experience. My times in qualifying
and the race were very competitive and I’m happy with the way I drove.
“All the other teams (in the class) had upgraded their cars to the 3.8-Litre engine which I think was a big advantage over us.
“I learnt heaps throughout the weekend and I really enjoyed the guys in
the team who were very happy with everything. Allan Simonsen was also a
massive help throughout the weekend.
“It’s really opened my eyes as to how small the Australian scene is
compared to Europe and I definitely want to do something over here next
season,” He added.
The LMP1 Pescarolo-Judd of Emmanuel Collard, Jean-Christopher Bullion
and Eric Helary won the race, completing 189 laps (963km) in the six
hours allowed.
Race Results, 1000km of the Nurburgring:
| Position |
Drivers |
Car |
Distance |
| Outright LMP1 |
Emmanuel Collard / Jean-Christopher Bullion / Eric Helary |
Pescarolo C60 Judd |
189 Laps |
| LMP2 (5th Outright) |
Miguel Amaral / Miguel Angel De Castro |
Lola B05 / 40 AER |
183 Laps |
| LMGT1 (10th Outright) |
Pedro Lamy / Gabrielle Gardel / Vincent Vosse |
Aston Martin DBR9 |
177 Laps |
| LMGT2 (26th Outright) |
Stefano Zonca / Andrea Bellicchi / Macro Cioci |
Ferrari F430 GT |
171 Laps |
| 2nd (18th Outright) |
Marc Lieb / Joel Camathias |
Porsche 996 GT3 RSR |
170 Laps |
| 3rd (19th Outright) |
Jeroen Bleekemolen / Mike Henzemans |
Spyker C8 Spyder GT2R |
170 Laps |
| 14th (32nd Outright) |
Bryce Washington / Paul Daniels |
Porsche GT3 RSR |
158 Laps |
Bryce Washington will next be on track on Australian Soil when the WPS
Carrera Cup Championship heads to Oran Park Raceway on August 11 – 13.
Bryce Washington and ADRAD Racing are proudly supported by Adrad
Radiator Experts, AdAir, Koyo Radiators, BGC Cleaning supplies,
Abbott’s Printers and Stationers and Buik Motor works.
For more information please visit www.adrad.com.au
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 January 2007 )
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