Night qualifying took place on Friday evening for the Britcar 24 hours.
Despite the name, the session doesn’t set the times for the grid, (The cars are generally slower anyway) it’s just a session to enable drivers to adjust to driving in the darkness.
Because the race is in April rather than September this time, the session began while it was still dusk with only the final half taking place in darkness.
A few cars went faster, most notable the Osbourne/May/May Porsche which hadn’t managed a flying lap in the afternoon session. They set a time that would put them mid grid if the times were used. As it is they will have to start from the back. This won’t be too much of a setback for them with twenty four hours ahead of them.
The top ten were similar to before with the team LNT Works Ginetta Prototype in front of the MJC Ferrari. The Simon Green Jaguar took third ahead of the Peter Cook Audi. The MARC Cars Ford Focus V8 was fourth and looked spectacular as the darkness drew in spitting flames and the glowing brake discs showing through the wheels. Its sister car hit the barriers early in the session but incredibly the team had the car full repaired and back out before the end of the session. If they are that quick at repairs in the race it could put them in a winning position. Sixth was the Schlep Porsche ahead of the works Radical which didn’t appear to be going for times. Top cats racing lead Marcos was eighth just ahead of the Beachdean Aston with Jamie Chadwick on board. Jamie, having her first twenty four hour race has so far taken to it like a professional. The previously mentioned Alex Osbourne Porsche was tenth, showing that they could have been well up without their earlier issues.
Alice Powell, who also races in a twenty four hour race for the first time was twenty first and fifth in class in the Aston Martin she shares with three other drivers including Journalist Andrew Frankel.
She revealed that they hadn’t been going for times;
“We were doing driver change practice in the session, so there was no time for push laps for me. It’s so different driving in the night. I Really enjoyed it! The team are doing great!”
The Fiesta team were again slowest of all unsurprisingly, but their chance to move up the field will be in the race, especially if they keep going when others have problems.
The race gets underway at 4pm after a grid walk that is open to the public. It currently appears that the start of the race will be dry but rain looks inevitable at some point during the race.
Full times for the night session are available from TSL timing as usual By Marc Waller
