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September 2011
Finish What You Start! JMW Win At Estoril
The final round of the 2011 Le Mans Series took place at the Portuguese circuit of Estoril. A twisting and undulating circuit, it proved a great venue for the end of the season and produced a truly show stopping race.
From the first practice session it was clear the JMW Motorsport Ferrari 458 was purring with Rob Bell and James Walker putting in some great lap times.
This pace continued to the qualifying session when Rob put in a stunning lap to secure pole but as every the LM GTE Pro category was covered by a hair’s breadth!
A welcome sunny day greeted the team on Sunday with Rob taking the wheel for the start and soon he was carving out a healthy lead. The Dunlop tyres were performing superbly but the chasing pack were never going to let the team have it all their own way.
James’s second stint was equally as impressive and indeed garnered much praise from the race commentators who have eagerly watched his development in this his first year of sportscar racing.
A spanner in the works looked to appear mid-race when slight contact from another car caused held breathes and some time was lost. Once again Rob was wringing the best out of the car and showing just why he was one of the most sought after GT drivers on the scene. The #77 Porsche was not for letting the Ferrari out of its sights as their battle on the track was a straight race for second in the team championship. Losing lots of time behind a slower car, Rob’s lead was slashed to a minimum and the #77 Porsche came out the better from the next round of pitstops. Indeed, the pitlane was providing as much action as the track.
In his second stint, James never let the Porsche out of his sight and an edge of the chair battle followed. Never letting the Porsche get away it was all down to the pit crew at the final stop – and what a stop! Lightening doesn’t describe the team’s final pitstop which catapulted Rob back into the lead, just!
The final hour was one many people couldn’t bear to watch so close was the following Porsche. Expertly, Rob made the track his own and thundered to the chequered flag to take the win by just 0.1seconds! It is hard to comprehend a 6 hour race being won by such a miniscule margin!
So, just as the season began at Paul Ricard, JMW Motorsport were back on the top step of the podium. A wonderful win well deserved and testament to the dedication of the team and Dunlop, Shell Racing Fuels and the invaluable support of all our partners. The support from friends and supporters also added a few seconds a lap we are sure.
Top Ten Hit At Silverstone!
It was an exciting return to the home circuit of Silverstone for JMW Motorsport. The chance to experience the new layout surrounded by many friends and supporters was not one to be missed. The team worked diligently through the weekend which saw changeable conditions – there was to be no Indian Summer for Silverstone! The weather stayed between cool and cold with interspersed rain to boot! Indeed, the dreary weather and ensuing track temperature was one hurdle the team had to face all weekend as coming to grips with grip was a top issue.
Rob qualified in 9th place. As usual the LM GTE Pro class was proving to be as competitive as ever with less than 1.5seconds covering the top ten and everyone knew the team would have a battle on its hands come Sunday.
Sunday started early and the team welcome several guests to the JMW garage, all keen to cheer on the crew before Rob and James headed out to the autograph session to meet the many fans who’d made the journey to Silverstone.
Blue skies welcome the start of the race, which saw Rob take the wheel. Some confusion at the start followed as the first lap took place behind the pace car but as racing proper got on the way on the next lap the drama started coming thick and fast with spinning prototypes and close calls. Rob got into a steady rhythm but being in the dirty air made it difficult for the tyres. Coming towards the end of his first stint, Rob was hit from behind by the Audi R18 of Allan McNish leaving the Audi with some damage but able to continue. The incident occurred at Beckett’s with Rob on the racing line and thankfully though it cost one place, the JMW Ferrari was otherwise unscathed with what the majority saw as a racing incident.
A smooth pitstop saw James take over the wheel and he too put in solid performance despite some grip issues. However, near to the end of his stint the JMW Ferrari was called in for a one minute stop and go penalty after the race stewards concluded the earlier incident with McNish was avoidable. The severity of the penalty and the conclusion that the blame therefore lay at Rob’s, despite the clear consensus that it was a racing incident and indeed Rob had been following the driver briefing’s instruction for driving behaviour at Beckett’s, was met with disbelief by commentators, press, fans and indeed many other GT drivers, some of whom made their way to the JMW garage to voice their astonishment. With great poise after the race, Rob fully explained the incident and his own disappointment at the penalty not only from a personal perspective but for the precedent it was felt it sent out to the GT class. Whilst the drivers themselves were amicably able to discuss the matter and shake hands on the racing incident afterwards, it has certainly opened a wider debate which we hope will prove constructive for mixed class sportscar racing for which we all share such a passion.
‘The’ incident aside, the race continued unabated and the team’s times became better and better as the race continued. After 6 longs hours of racing the team saw the chequered flag on home soil to take a 9th place finish.
The next round is the final round of the 2011 Le Mans Series which takes place at Estoril, Portugal on 23-25th September.