24hr at legendary Spa Francorchamps TEAM PSYNCHRO RACING
Behind the event
Unlike our regular race-weekends, where we prepare and organize everything ourselves, we were lucky enough to join Team GreenPower as drivers for the 24Hr 2CV 2019. Generally speaking, we know the hours of work behind every minute of track-time. So, to get the opportunity to be “just drivers”, and experience the amount of energy and dedication the team laid down, just for us to get behind the wheel, was somewhat humbling. Our Team manager Anders Grandahl organized and handled everything the event could throw at him,
always looking for solutions. The mechanics, Ole Martin Sørlie, Tommy Kristiansen and Pål Eide, were hands-on at all times, doing way more hours than any of us drivers. Photographer and reporter Bengt-Åce Gustavsson was, as usual, everywhere at all times, capturing the moments. Indeed, we were lucky!
Amigo Motorsport was in charge of our sister car, #650 Team GreenPower International. They coached our side of the garage whenever needed, and as professionals in the sport, they made an impression on us.
To sum up:
- Prepare well, know what you are doing, solve the problems as they come along, be respectful and have a laugh when you can.
Thank you for taking care of us!
#607 Team GreenPower Basic
We were five drivers sharing our car: Roger Iversen, Daniel Kroken, Dag Wasmuth, Kjetil Kristiansen and Ketil Thomassen. We all drive in the Norwegian Formula Basic class, hence the “Basic” badge.
None of us quite saw this 24-hour race coming. Of course, as motorsport-enthusiasts, we know of Spa Francorchamps. It’s one of the most famous race-tracks in the world. The iconic Eau Rouge – Raidillon section, and the challenging double left-hander called Pouhon, are amongst its highlights. But to race there, for no less than 24 hours, hadn’t quite crossed our minds. It’s fair to say that we felt a little tingling in our bodies when we were ready to do our first practice-runs. The smiles on our faces when we stepped out of the car afterwards, said all that was necessary. The track did not disappoint.
We had been curious about the car beforehand as well. A 68hp Citroën C1 probably isn’t the most obvious choice for track racing. But the car surprised us! It was agile, and handled the bends really well. The car was definitely not the limiting factor around the track.
Despite the joy we had in practice, we were behind on pace. Also, during the qualifying session in the evening, the action on track got fiercer. We had to earn our position into the bends every time we had company, which felt like always. On most occasions we opted for the secure solution, and let the more eager drivers by. After the session, the scoreboard said P49 out of 50 cars in our class, C1-UK. That was nowhere near where we wanted to be.
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While driving, we noticed some small inconsistencies in the way the car handled. We discovered a problem with the left front brake-caliper, which the mechanics had to replace. We also decided to alter the rear wheel angles, and hoped that this would help shave a few seconds off of our lap time. During warm-up Saturday morning, we gained three seconds. Not as much as we wanted, but still something.
The 24-hour race
Our game plan for the race was simple enough: stay out of trouble!
During a 24-hour race there are an almost endless amount of ways to pick up damage, and consequently, loose time in the garage.
Roger Iversen entered the car, ready to do the first 2,5 hours of the race. The beginning of the race is usually when most of the incidents happen, so he had a tall order trying to stay clear of the heat. In the dry conditions Roger delivered just what we needed. His lap times were faster than they were the day before, and they were relatively consistent.
We all varied a few seconds from lap to lap, due to a cautious approach to traffic. Roger gained around ten positions.
When Daniel Kroken jumped in the car, it was already dark. Daniel also stuck to the game plan, and kept his lap times relatively consistent. He set our fastest lap of the race with a 3:42.3, and gained a few positions during this stint.
Dag Wasmuth continued in the same path, and delivered the same kind of consistent lap times. He also managed a lap time of 3:42.3, only 0.006 seconds “slower” than Daniel. He climbed around eight positions, and returned the car in P28. Twenty positions gained in total, and we were close to the middle of the field.
Kjetil Kristiansen set out to do our fourth stint, and past midnight the race seemed to settle a little. The field went on for almost an hour without a safety-car period, and Kjetil kept his head down. He climbed another six or seven positions. We were now in the upper half of our class.
When Ketil Thomassen strapped in for his first stint, we were well into the night. For some reason the race unsettled itself, with four safety-car periods during the time he was in the car. Maybe the small hours played a part of it, who knows. Regardless, the job was the same: keep the car out of harm’s way. Ketil managed to steer clear of any major trouble, and delivered the car back to the pit as it started to rain.
Our crew, Pål Eide, Tommy Kristiansen and Ole Martin Sørlie, had performed flawlessly up to this point, and continued to do so. They sent Roger Iversen out on his second stint, now in darkness and rain. Naturally, the darkness would have to yield as the clock ticked forward, but the rain kept on pouring for the rest of the race. Almost, at least. It stopped for a brief period a couple of hours past midday, but the track actually became more slippery when the rain stopped.
Roger saw the rain as an opportunity, and kept chasing down our competitors. Team manager Anders Grandahl thought that we should keep each driver out as long as possible in their final stints, and thus try to save an extra pit-stop at the end of the race. If we could do that, we would gain a bonus lap or two in the final standings. The limiting factor was the fuel tank of the car. Obviously, if we stayed out for too long during a stint, we would run out of fuel. That, in turn, would mean stopping on track, waiting for rescue, being rescued, refuelling, and then, eventually, continuing the journey with a huge time-loss.
Again, we went for the cautious approach. We would try to stretch each stint with a modest margin. Also, every safety-car period was an opportunity to save a little bit of fuel. Simple enough, when the field slows down, we would spend less fuel.
Roger Iversen, Daniel Kroken, Dag Wasmuth, Kjetil Kristiansen and Ketil Thomassen all did their job in the wet and challenging conditions. There were a mistake or two out there, truth be told, but luckily none that ruined our race. We also showed a little more teeth than we did the first few laps of our stints, and claimed our place on track with some newfound authority.
In the end we managed to avoid the extra pit-stop, and took the car home to P13 in class, and P32 overall. We climbed 36 positions in class during the race, and, needless to say, we were extremely happy with the result.
#650 Team GreenPower International
There were four drivers sharing car #650, Håvard Kollen, Eivind Brynildsen, Daniel Bøhler Størkersen and Reid Harker. The sheer speed each of them showed on track was impressive, as was their ability to find their way through traffic. They were P7 in class after a strong qualifying run, and once the race got underway, they gained positions.
At about 14 or 15 hours into the race, fighting for P2, they got hit by their closest competitor. The fuel pump broke, and the car stopped on track. It didn’t take Amigo Motorsport more than four minutes to replace the pump. But the car had to be brought back to the garage before they could do their magic, and that’s where the significant amount of time was lost.
Our sister car was several laps ahead of us when they got struck. After being rescued, repaired, and sent out to race again, they were behind us. At some point in the final hour, they passed us and were in front of us for a lap or so. But then they had to do their final pit-stop, and we could retake the position.
After 24 hours, #650 finished P15 in class, and P35 overall.
Final Results Race
All results October 25th – 27th Spa Francorchamps
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B-Zero Racing
68 horsepower, what can we say? After this experience, our answer is clear. You don’t need more to experience good racing. If you have to apply the brakes before any curve on a track, the game is on!
The brilliance of this concept, is cost. The cars are cheap, the parts are cheap, they don’t need much fuel, and again: they handle very well for the price.
An additional bonus is that B-Zero Racing will follow the technical regulations of the C1 Racing Club, which will open the doors to international events like the 24Hr 2Cv.
We will definitely take a closer look at B-Zero when the class launches in 2020.
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Travel mates
A very special thanks to the always enthusiastic and unstoppable Bård Bergsjø! The direction is forward 😊
Anders Grandahl, Bengt-Åce Gustavsson, Ole Martin Sørlie, Pål Eide, Tommy Kristiansen, Kjetil Kristiansen, Margie D Kristiansen, Roger Iversen and Dag Wasmuth, you are the best!
Håvard Kollen, Eivind Brynildsen, Daniel Størkersen and Reid Harker, inspirational stuff!
Daniel Kroken and Ketil Thomassen.
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Foto: http://www.racefoto.se/,
Team Psynchro:
Daniel Kroken
Øyvind Nordahl
Ketil Thomassen
Asle Rugland Skjørestad (associate member)
