Time Attack - Donnington 5th and 6th April 2008 - Weekend Overview

For a first time team things went well, everyone knew their place and what to do with no major issues, however the weather was diabolical !

Saturday 5th April

Torrential rain !
We quickly learnt we had absolutely no grip!!!! and far too much power for the conditions.
So the day was spent fiddling with the suspension settings and tyre pressures in the hope of trying to get some heat to the tyres,
so we could get some grip, but to no avail.
Saturday afternoon the conditions were so bad that we were the ONLY rear wheel drive car on the circuit.

After the days session we went back to the hotel to reflect on the day and discuss possible changes to make for Sunday.

Sunday 6th April

Awake to a layer of snow !
We then had to make a decision whether to stay in bed or try and brave it out.
We decided we might as well chance the snow as it seemed to have stopped and the sky looked clear.

Arrived at the track to find even more snow!

Being the GBH boys we decided to crack on and not be put off by a mere dusting of snow and freezing conditions
So with kettle prepped, thermals on and layers of thick socks and gloves we cracked on.

Warm up and practice in the morning went well with dry line appearing, but it was still apparent grip levels were very poor.
More alterations were done to the car between sessions but conditions were continuously changing. The ever changing weather conditions... hail, rain, snow and the occasional bit of sun, made driving and car setup very difficult.

We still managed to qualify for the super battle much to our delight. This meant we only had to complete one timed lap in the super battle to come away with our first pocket full of championship points.

An Interview with Bob Parker

I am currently waiting in the office of GBH Motorsport to speak to Bob.
Looking through the window into workshop there are a number of high performance Japanese cars all having various things done to them.
The setup is very professional but also very relaxed, throughout the day various people pop in for coffee and a chat.

After a minute Bob enters the office and takes a seat at the desk opposite me. After a long weekend at Donington he is looking surprisingly relaxed...

Bob: Firstly before we go any further I know people would normally put this at the end of their interview, but I would like to make a point of thanking everyone for their commitment, dedication, time, effort and support for making all this possible. Both during the project build and getting us this far. There are too many to name but you all know who you are.

Lisa: It's taken a while to get this project finished are you happy with the way it's turned out?

Bob: Overall yes, I am certainly happy with the look of the car and the way the package has come together, with its individuality and the fact that it looks more than just your average race car.

L: You talk about individuality, the car certainly looks different, what made you go with something so radical?

B: Basically what we tried to achieve is to create something that looks great, becomes a show piece for the company.. but above all do the business when required.
The beauty of this car, if we wanted it to it can compete in Time Attack, Drift, 1/4 mile and it can also become an icon for our sponsors.
The finish and engineering of the car has been done to a standard of which our sponsors and Team GBH are more than happy to use as a show piece.

L: One of the questions that came up a few times throughout the day is.... what exactly is the car?

B: (At this point Bob starts laughing) I will make this short and sweet... it is... a GBH redesigned Nissan S14, the only thing that has not been chopped, modified or lost is the rear boot spoiler. (Bob laughs again...). But watch this space

L: So was all the modifications and design done by yourselves?

B: Yes, but no, but yes......
Every art of the design and overall look was done at GBH although some of the specialist fabrications had to be done by our team of local sub contractors.

L: Let's move on to the weekend at Donington.. were you familiar with the track?

B: To be fair and I know that all drivers are full of shit and excuses... no I don't know the track that well and what with changing conditions and car setup every session being different and only having an hour in the car behind the wheel, I think I done well to keep it on the black stuff!

L: So your telling me you are running with the big boys and you are not a heavily experienced driver... how did you end in pro?

B: Purely because of the car... the level of modification work that we had already carried out took the car out of club class and straight into Pro. Rules & Regulations

L: Did you have any problems over the weekend?

B: Yes we had our teething problems with the handling as covered in the weekend overview. We have decided before the next round to pull the engine, strip and inspect to see how it's coping with the abuse that's been thrown at it.

L: Do you expect to find anything?

B: NO! It may seem a waste of time but with such a high spec SR20 DET these performance levels are not often achieved... Caution is better than failure.

L: Were you happy with the overall result?

B: (Bob looks up with a big grin) Like a dog with two dicks!
We did not expect to qualify let alone pick up 10 championship points.
This made me and the team feel very proud of what we have achieved on our first outing.

If you would like more information on the cars times from Donington please click here

Check back again soon to see another interview with Bob and an overview of the second round.

Good luck to Bob and the GBH Team in the second round at Knockhill !