With a hectic season of racing almost to a close, we were back at Silverstone for the 750 Motor Club Birkett 6 Hour Relay Race. The event takes place every year at the end of October on the GP Circuit. You can read about our exploits in the race last time on 23rd October 2021 by clicking the link below:

Instead of a straight race or normal endurance format, the relay element is for the driver AND car. Basically, a car and driver goes out, does their stint (which can be anything from 1 lap up to 3hrs of driving), and when they come back in the pits, a second car and driver follows them down the pitlane. The first car peels off into the paddock, and the second is out on track. This is repeated for the full 6 hours.
There is a handy video explaining the process here:

Up to 70 teams of up to six drivers and between three and six cars can enter, with the restriction being closed wheel only, and that is about it! As the 750MC website says, there can be anything from 1960’s MG Midgets to BMW M3s, Smart cars, TCR cars, Austin A30s, Caterham derivatives and modern sports cars such as Radicals and Spires. This year we only fielded 1 team, 48 - Darkside Motorsport, consisting of the Golf Mk5 TDI, and both of the TT Cups.

With such a diverse range of cars, all with differing lap times, as well as the overall (scratch) positions, each car and driver submits their best lap time at Silverstone (or another track if there is no time for Silverstone) and then the organisers give each team a handicap rating. This is based on credit laps, so the slowest cars are given the most credit laps that are deemed to have been run before the race starts. This is added on to their actual laps which then gives the Handicap (gross) laps. The handicap is adjusted to take into account any safety cars, and it can be adjusted where the vehicles are quicker than expected throughout the day, or slower cars are not used as much as expected.
The quicker cars are given less credit laps, with the ultimate goal if the handicapper does their sums right and everyone has a perfect race is that we would all finish on the same lap. Some cars and driver combos are given a limit of how many laps they can do, others have been given a minimum. This is if a team has a car that is significantly quicker or slower than the rest of the team, and therefore skews the handicap. In 2019 we were given 25 Laps, in 2021 down to 23, and this year we were down to 17, which considering the Golf was ~1s quicker this year, and the TTs were going to be about the same, maybe a bit quicker, I thought that was pretty harsh.
Our main rivals in Class B are going to be Capture (who we bought our RS3 TCR from) and Area, who we have been battling with all season in ClubEnduro!

As well as the handicap race, cars are split into four classes, two for Road / Track tyres, and two for Motorsport (Slick and Wet) Tyres.

a) SALOON & SPORTS CARS (running List 1A/1B/1C tyres) up to 2000ccs
b) SALOON & SPORTS CARS (running List 1A/1B/1C tyres) over 2000ccs
c) SPORTS RACING CARS and Sports Cars/Saloons (on racing tyres) up to 2000cc, all bike engined cars up to 1000cc
d) SPORTS RACING CARS and all Sports Cars/Saloons (on racing tyres) 2000ccs & over and all bike engined cars over 1000cc.

For the purpose of allocating classes, forced induction cars will carry an engine capacity multiplier of 1.4, i.e. a 2000cc turbocharged car will be treated as 2800cc

As we were running 2.0 Turbo Engines and running List Tyres, we were in Class B.

Vlog

We have made a short Vlog of the weekend with some of the highlights:

Qualifying

With the ‘grid’ already determined by your teams handicap, the 20 minute qualifying session is more about getting a feel for the car and circuit rather than outright pace. MSA Regs state that a driver must have driven a minimum of 3 laps of the circuit in that vehicle during the weekend to be able to race, so we had to get 3 laps in each car we wanted to drive.

Whilst in the race cars can go out in any order, the organisers need the cars to go out in alphabetical order during Qualifying, so you have to make sure that cars with driver shares are not out straight after each other. The sessions are 20 minutes each, and you had to be at the assembly area on the Copse Runway 10 minutes before, so there is an overlap.

Qualifying started at 9:00 promptly!
I was straight out in the Golf, it was still very damp from the showers in the early hours, so best I could get was 2:40.93. This was 8th quickest overall and the fastest of all the Class B cars, which meant everyone in front was on Motorsport Wets, while we stayed on the A052s.
Ryan was next for group B in the TT, punching in a 2:47.95, enough for 7th overall, getting pipped by the Bad Boy Tuning Mini in our class, and a Caterham in Class A. He had thought the engine sounded a bit strange and was down on power. When he came in the car sounded like a Subaru. With not much time to sorted before the next session, they made sure nothing obvious was hanging off and got it ready for Danny's stint in Group F.
Danny was next up in the other TT for group C, he got down to a 2:36.20 as the track dried, which was 8th overall and 2nd in Class B behind Rob in the Area Golf.
Group D was Ryan's turn in the Golf, he just took it easy and put in a 2:43.15, still the quickest in our class.
For Group E, I was out in the same TT as Danny, but on my outlap, the car was in limp mode. I came in for the guys to check it over, and there was nothing obvious. We were told by the marshals that the car needed to be behind the garage for any work being done. By the time I got round and the guys were checking everything, I could sense it was almost the end of the session. I needed to get back on the track and complete another lap. The marshals were then saying I could not get to the track that way and needed to go through the assembly area, but I knew that was locked as soon as the session started. Eventually I got on and did another lap just as the red flag was shown while a recovery took place.
Finally it was Danny's turn in the lame TT to do a few laps to make sure he qualified in 2 different cars, and then we hoped we could get it fixed ready for the race.

Qualifying is just to get your laps in (and maybe a bit of showing off) as the starting order is determined by the handicap positions, with those on the least number of credit laps starting at the front. This year we were P9, just in front of our ClubEnduro rivals, Area Motorsport. This is a fair bit higher up than the P16 we started last year, and our lap times were not expected to be much quicker once it dried up.

The Golf needed to be in the assembly area for 11:20 with me in it, ready to get onto the grid. The guys were flat out trying to figure out what was wrong with the TT Ryan and Danny had qualified in. A quick compression test showed it was down on compression on Cylinder 4. That would not be going out again. This put a spanner in the works of our running order, as we were now down the 2 cars, and Ryan had qualified in the Golf, so he would need to go 3rd instead of 2nd as we expected.
The ambitious plan was as close to 3hr as possible in the Golf. With the new Auxiliary tank pushing fuel capacity past 100L, this should be possible. The rest of the car just needed to hold out!

Race

Stint 1

Time - 11:45 - Driver - Scott - Car - VW Golf Mk5 TDI - Planned Time - 180 minutes - Start Position - 9th

By 11:30 we were gridded up and waiting for the green flag. We were to do a full lap behind the safety car before it peels into the pits and racing begins! We still can’t overtake until we pass the green flag at the Start / Finish line, so the idea is to stay close until that point.
It looked like no one read the briefing notes about the start, as they acted like a 2x2 rolling start and all went for it! I had a BMW on the outside, a Ginetta on the inside and saw the Capture Cupra overtake everyone! I did was I was told and maintained position. I didn't expect to make any more places up as we were in the right place for the car really, maybe even a bit higher up as the Golf was the slowest of the 3 cars in our team. I should have looked at the grid before going out though, as I assumed we were starting behind Packer in the Area Golf, not in front, so I had given him the place before the race even started. However I managed to get him at the Chicane and pulled a decent gap while he got held up in traffic.
Capture were given a Stop / Go penalty for jumping everyone at the start, so after ~ 20 minutes came back through. From there it was pretty boring, but I just banged in the laptimes in the still tricky conditions.

12:45 - 1 Hour in

Position - 7th Scratch / 1st Class B / 42nd Handicap

With just over a third of my three hour stint down, I navigated some traffic at turn 1 and then heard the familiar sound of a boost pipe splitting. The car was massively under powered and smoking like a train. I had to complete a full lap at almost a snails pace whilst making sure the guys were getting Danny into the car ready to take over.
Luckily he was 90% ready before I even made the call, and was in the car waiting when I rolled past our garage. What I didn't know was in the haste to get him ready, his camera for the Live Stream was not turned on, and the VBOX was showing a Communication Error, so recorded ZERO footage!

Actual Stint time - 66 Minutes / 23 Laps - Best lap time - 2:35.97 with ideal from the VBOX of 2:34.99

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Elsey Motorsport Photography

---

Stint 2

Time - 12:51 - Driver - Danny - Car - Audi TT TFSI - Planned Time - 90 minutes - Position - 7th Scratch / 1st Class B / 42nd Handicap

No footage was a bit of a disaster from both a YouTube content point of view, and also our pit crew could not see anything inside the car, the only comms being good old fashioned radio.
Danny was banging in some great laptimes considering the traffic, doing the best time of the day for our team, a 2:23.16. He had kept up with Capture Motorsport, with all their TCRs.

13:45 - 2 Hours in

Position - 6th Scratch / 1st Class B / 21st Handicap

He'd mentioned on the radio that the ABS Fault warning was flashing up randomly, so when a safety car slowed everyone down, he thought it would be an ideal time to do a power cycle and hopefully reset it. This was a bad idea, the car turned off, and would not restart. We saw his grinding to a halt. As per Birkett rules, as long as the car is not circulating, another can be dispatched, so we had to quickly get Ryan ready and send him out, at least 30 minutes earlier than planned.

Actual Stint time - 62 Minutes - Best lap time - 2:23.16 - VBOX Issues

---

Stint 3

Time - 13:53 - Driver - Ryan - Car - Golf Mk5 TDI - Planned Time - 180 minutes - Position - 6th Scratch / 1st Class B / 21st Handicap

This put a real spanner in the works. We now had nearly 4 hours to go with two cars that didn't want to do much more than 1 hour! We didn't tell Ryan, but the only way it could work was for him to try what I attempted and failed, a 3 hour stint.
He was immediately on pace and was pumping in very good laptimes, trading tenths with Luke Handley in the Area Golf, who I had been battling with all season in the ClubEnduro, and despite all the issues, we were still 2nd in class. It was looking obvious that we would struggle to beat Capture as they were getting close to the 2:20s whereas we were around the 2:25s.

14:45 - 3 Hours in

Position - 8th Scratch / 2nd Class B / 31st Handicap

The Golf hung on past the 1 hour mark, and just kept going. We had lost comms (Ryan's microphone seemed to break early on) so we could only tell him what was going on and get limited information back, basically playing Guess Who on the radio with thumbs up and down!
I asked him a few times what the fuel level was showing on the dash, and kept getting back a 5 and 2, which is the max the standard tank gauge reads, meaning there were still some sloshing around in the aux tank. It was looking good.

15:45 - 4 Hours in

Position - 8th Scratch / 2nd Class B / 31st Handicap

Another hour down and the fuel level was still fifty two! If we could go any longer than 3 hours, I think the car would do it!
In all the chaos, we had not written down the exact time Ryan had gone out, so erring on the side of caution, he was brought in after 61 laps, a mega stint!

Actual Stint time - 166 Minutes / 61 Laps - Best lap time - 2:25.02 with ideal from the VBOX of 2:23.81

---

Stint 4

Time - 16:39 - Driver - Scott - Car - Audi TT TFSI - Planned Time - 66 minutes - Position - 8th Scratch / 2nd Class B / 29th Handicap

Going out in the TT was a drop into the unknown. The non-starting issue was traced to a dodgy key module (the factory Clocks and Key Module needed to be retained as we have not been able to code them out, but we have some hope after the weekend!), which was only temp fixed. This was apparent after I tried to start the car in anticipation for Ryan boxing in a few laps time. A bit of running around later we got it working again, and I went out and pushed hard immediately.
First time into the chicane, the ABS fault popped up on the dash and I was instantly facing the wrong way! I recovered and adjusted the bias as far forward as possible!

16:45 - 5 Hours in

Position - 8th Scratch / 2nd Class B / 29th Handicap

I was able to manage the brake issue, since it was perfectly dry now in most places. However, the Birkett curse reared it's ugly head again, as around 30 minutes in, I could smell burning oil and see a nice plume in my rear view mirror.
Now the dilemma, the TT was supposed to finish the race. The other TT was dead, and the Golf had just done nearly 3 hours with Ryan, so he was not able to get back in the car. I would need to get in the Golf, but we needed to see where we had to do the change (in the pits, in the garage or at a the back?).
I did another lap and then had confirmation from the powers that be to drive around to the rear of the garage, then jump into the Golf that was waiting at the front. I did this as quickly as possible and set off once again!

Actual Stint time - 35 Minutes / 13 Laps - Best lap time - 2:24.65 with ideal of 2:23.65

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Elsey Motorsport Photography

---

Stint 5

Time - 17:14 - Driver - Scott - Car - Golf Mk5 TDI - Planned Time - 28 minutes - Position - 8th Scratch / 2nd Class B / 29th Handicap

The Golf felt good, but I could not get anywhere near the 2:23s I expected we would (and have done in the past). A few laps in I saw a Stop Go Penalty board. Mathisse had told me Ryan had overtaken a load of super slow cars before the safety car line at one of the restarts. We thought we had got away with it, but I guess not! I came in to serve the penalty, did 36mph all the way up (60kph = 37.2mph) despite having no working speedo in the car, but 10 metres from the line I accelerated and was caught doing 70kph. I was going to get another penalty!
With around 4 minutes to go, a Mini had took at hit at Maggots and was stranded in the middle of the track. The chequered flag was brought out early to save us finishing under a safety car.

Actual Stint time - 22 Minutes / 9 Laps - Best lap time - 2:25.53 with ideal from the VBOX of 2:24.84

Photos courtesy of Jonathan Elsey Motorsport Photography

That was it. 6 hours of racing, none of it going to plan! I guess that is the beauty of the Birkett, you never know what is going to happen!

17:45 - 6 Hours in - FINISH

Position - 11th Scratch / 3rd Class B / 35th Handicap

So we didn't improve on our 2021 position of 7th in the scratch and 1st in Class B. What I thought was most impressive was the number of laps the Golf did. The boost pipe issue was hopefully one we can easily solve with a redesign, but to do 95 laps, which was over 4:15 of racing flat out was amazing. Last year it did 86 so an improvement there!
We actually got up to 12th in the Handicap at 5 1/2hrs but the last 30 minutes it all unravelled! The 1 Minute Stop Go and the extra time added on in lieu of the Stop Go for speeding probably didn't help!

Danny was well in the clear for the fastest lap in the team, it was a shame his stint did not last longer, we might have been a bit further up the order! Ryan did mega in the Golf, very consistent considering the amount of traffic you see around here. I need to try harder, clearly!

Out of 284 Cars / Drivers we were 34th, 44th, 45th and 47th, which is a drop from 2021. Does this mean there were just more faster cars this year? Or that we need to try harder?

The event was Live Streamed on YouTube by the guys at AlphaLive, you can watch the full video below if you have a spare 6 hours! All the tasty parts of our cars have already been added to our video:

We also Live Streamed from inside and outside of the cars, apologies for some of the issues we had, but overall it seemed to go pretty well! As above, we have pulled out the best bits for the Vlog already.

Kit used for Live Stream:
VBOX HD2 HDMI
LiveU Solo HDMI
ZTE MU5001 5G Portable WiFi Units
Huawei E8372H-153 4G LTE USB Dongles
EE 4G Data SIM
Vodafone 4G Data SIM
GiffGaff 4G Data SIM
Panorama Shark Fins
Lightstream Studio
4G/5G Kit supplied by Motorhome WiFi