Mayhem wrecks Ecurie Ecosse GT3 Spa bidposted in GT09 | 07 | 2016
BLACK BULL ECURIE ECOSSE duo Alasdair McCaig and Rob Bell saw all hopes of a maiden win in the British GT Championship wrecked by a first corner incident on the opening lap at Spa-Francorchamps.
Having only narrowly missed out on pole position by 0.042s, Edinburgh racer McCaig started the team’s McLaren 650S GT3 from second on the grid.
But as he and the Bentley of polesitter Rick Parfitt Jnr raced into the first corner of the two-hour race, mayhem broke out around them.
“Rick and I were running into the first corner, respectfully giving each other plenty of room, and the Lamborghini of Liam Griffin behind us got out of shape and hit Rick, which then catapulted him into the side of me,” McCaig explained.
“The impact broke the toe-link in the suspension of my right-rear wheel. I managed to get the car back to the pits, and the crew did a tremendous job in getting the car repaired and back on-track. But it cost us a stack of laps.”
It also left McCaig — who had delivered a stellar lap in qualifying, finishing fastest Amateur by more than a second over the iconic Belgian Grand Prix circuit — frustrated and angry.
“It was a race we wanted to win; we had the car, drivers and team capable of winning the race, but because of the stupidity of other drivers we got taken out at the first corner,” he continued.
Related: Fuel failure denies Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse Spa GT4 win
“Our pace was really strong, but it was just the stupidity of other drivers who ruined everybody else’s race.
“The start was unbelievable: there were cars off everywhere, with a lot of damage, and wheels flying down the straight into Eau Rouge. We were actually lucky to get away with such slight damage, given the circumstances.
“The positives are the fact the car was really very quick all weekend.”
And that was a sentiment shared by Newcastle team-mate Bell, who managed around 30 minutes in the car before being forced to retire it prematurely.
“We felt pretty comfortable,” the McLaren works driver admitted. “Qualifying from Alasdair was excellent: definitely his best performance of the season. He’s really getting into the car and maximising its levels of performance and grip.
“When I went out in qualifying, I got one lap in, then on my flying lap the skies opened and we had pouring rain. But because of Alasdair’s lap, we still started second on the grid.”
Bell explained that, having lost around seven laps with the initial repairs to the injured McLaren, the team decided to use the rest of the time as an extended test session.
“When I got into the car, we’d already done two pitstops,” he continued. “Essentially we simply used the time as an extended test session, and then unfortunately had to retire the McLaren 650S GT3 with a problem just before the end.
“The reality is, we have a fast car, and two quick drivers. But we can’t control what’s going on roundabout us on track: that’s motorsport for you.”
QUOTES:
Alasdair McCaig — Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 650S GT3 driver
“Rick Parfitt, who started from pole position, and I were running into the first corner, giving each other plenty of room, and the Lamborghini of Liam Griffin behind us got out of shape and hit Rick. That catapulted Rick into the side of me.
“The impact broke the toe-link in the suspension of my right-rear wheel. I managed to get the car back to the pits, and the crew did a tremendous job in getting the car repaired and back on-track. But it cost us a stack of laps.
“It was a race we wanted to win; we had the car, drivers and team capable of winning the race, but because of the stupidity of other drivers we got taken out of the race at the first corner.
“Our pace was really strong, but it was just the stupidity of other drivers who ruined everybody else’s race.
“The start was unbelievable: there were cars off everywhere, with a lot of damage, and wheels flying down the straight into Eau Rouge. We were actually lucky to get away with such slight damage, given the circumstances.
“The positives are the fact the car was really very quick all weekend. I was on pole in my Am session, the quickest amateur by more than a second. But that counted for nothing in the outcome of the race.”
Rob Bell — Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse McLaren 650S GT3 driver
“I got in the car after we’d already done two pitstops, and did about half-an-hour. Essentially we simply used the time as an extended test session, and then unfortunately had to retire the McLaren 650S GT3 with a problem just before the end.
“We felt pretty comfortable. Qualifying from Alasdair was excellent: definitely his best performance of the season. He’s really getting into the car and maximising its levels of performance and grip.
“When I went out in qualifying, I got one lap in, then on my flying lap the skies opened and we had pouring rain. But because of Alasdair’s lap, we still started second on the grid.
“The reality is, we have a fast car, and two quick drivers. But we can’t control what’s going on roundabout us on track: that’s motorsport for you.”
Related: Black Bull Ecurie Ecosse GT3 denied Silverstone podium by 1.3s
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Jim McGill