Green With Envy
Milltek Sport’s assault on the 2017 Nurburgring 24 hours resulted in a class podium, but it didn’t come easily...
Fresh and raring to go... with full day's racing ahead.
There can be little argument that, from a mental point of view, no other form of motor racing is more demanding than endurance racing. While it might not subject participants to as much G-force as F1 or as great a variety of terrain as the WRC, endurance racing puts drivers under a phenomenal amount of mental strain for an extended period of time, while also forcing them to drive within their limits and that of the car, the latter essential to reliability. Rarely has the old motorsport adage of ‘to finish first, first you must finish’ rung truer.
The Milltek TMG GT86 isn't truly fast by N24 standards, but nobody told the team that...
The immense challenge represented by endurance racing is embodied by the Nurburgring 24 Hour, a gruelling slog which sees competitors racing around the clock on Europe’s most unforgiving thread of tarmac, and one which attracts more than its fair share of ballistic, race-prepped Japanese metal. The ultra-competitive nature of the race ensures a healthy entry field, including that of Milltek Sport, one of Europe’s most respected exhaust manufacturers.
Perfect weather... but it didn't last.
A Class Act
The 2017 Nurburgring 24 Hour saw Milltek Sport team enter their 212bhp Toyota GT86 CS-Cup into the hotly contested SP3 class once again. A resolutely production based formula designed to attract bumper grids and ultra-close racing, SP3 manages to strike the correct balance between out and out performance and real world accessibility, so it isn’t hard to see why the GT86 is so well suited to it.
Balance, reliability, and durability. The TMB GT86 is quite the 'Ring weapon.
Dale Lomas - Milltek N24 Driver"It’s an impressively realised package right enough, not to mention one that’s very well suited to endurance racing events which place such a large emphasis on strength and reliability"
"It’s an impressively realised package right enough, not to mention one that’s very well suited to endurance racing events which place such a large emphasis on strength and reliability,” explains Dale Lomas, one of the team’s drivers and a fully paid up N24 veteran. “It’s also worth noting that the SP3 rules permit any production body shell to be matched to any production block of the same manufacturer, meaning that you could, if you felt mad enough, build a Yaris with the GT86’s 2.0!”
Dusting off the competition...
One of the most interesting aspects of the GT86-Cup car used by Milltek is the fact that it was developed (at least in part) using lessons learned from TMG’s rally GT86 rally programme. OK, so the needs of a car hammering up the Col de Turini are rather different in setup from those of one racing around the Nurburgring for an extended period of time, but both began life as bone stock cars destined for the wider dealer network. Selected for a higher purpose, the cars are then fitted with a smattering of control components, including a TMG-designed, equal-length 4-2-1 manifold and exhaust, both manufactured by Milltek, a 100-litre cell, TMG software with flat-foot shift and auto-blip capability, a Sachs clutch and Torsen LSD.
Flying high. So near to showroom spec, yet so far away...
Dale Lomas - Milltek N24 Driver“One aspect of the SP3 rules worth looking at in greater detail is the section covering transmissions,These are effectively free and largely left up to the teams to decide, which explains why we run a stock six-speed with tweaks"
As darkness fell - all was well in the Milltek pits.
Chassis
Another area of the SP3 class rules open to interpretation, and one which might well have put the Milltek car at something of a disadvantage, is that of the chassis, with the suspension being particularly open-ended. It means that the Bilstein-equipped car was at something of a disadvantage when compared with the wide-body opposition complete with more specialised, custom suspension devised with the Nordschleife in mind.
As a production based package, the TMG GT86 gives a little away to bespoke competition. Balance and drivability even the score, however...
Sizing up the opposition
The SP3 class consistently attracts some of the most varied entries on the grid, many of them (on paper at least) more capable than the Milltek Toyota. This year saw the team face off against 3 other GT86s, the aforementioned Thai-built Corollas), and a number of front-wheel drive Clio Cup cars, Opel Astra OPCs and Hyundai i30s, all with more outright grunt than the Milltek car. SP3 is also home to one of the N24’s stalwart entries, the Kissling Motorsport prepared and run ‘Fox Tail’ Opel Manta! It’s a compelling mix and one which has a proud history of delivering exciting racing and unpredictable results, precisely what you want from an endurance race of this nature.
You get all sorts in the N24 pits - and a cracking sunset if you're lucky
Fuel for thought
While the points covered above correctly give the impression that the Milltek Toyota was at something of a disadvantage when compared to its more specialised (read expensive) opposition, Dale is swift to point out that he and the Milltek team had a plan. Yes, their car had to do without the power and sequential gearboxes boasted by much of the opposition, but they had also calculated that their opposition would burn more fuel per hour, which gave them a chink which to exploit.
Nobody buys a race car for its MPG - but in the N24, less pit stops mean more track time... Hmmm
Dale Lomas - Milltek N24 Driver“Our projections gave us a 2 lap advantage per stint, which meant that every 5 stints (12 hours) we would be one pitstop to the good, or to put it another way, we’d have full 3 minutes in hand."
It's either team tactics - or whose turn to get the teas in. #britishracing
Teething troubles
So, how did the Milltek Sport team do? Very well indeed, but its eventual 3rd in class most certainly didn’t come easily – and that’s putting it mildly! The weekend started with cooling and fuelling issues which robbed the team of the chance to partake in the opening practice session, meaning that their first opportunity to drive the modified machine would be the night qualifying session that very evening! Not that the team need have worried, as the experience of its driver lineup shone through from the off, meaning they eventually qualified 6th in class – and on old tyres! This was further improved to 5th in class through Friday’s session, giving all concerned hope for a strong finish Saturday.
Full compression - full commitment
race day
Race day dawned bright and dry yet also brought a number of reliability niggles, namely a failing intercom system – something which would come back to haunt the team several hours later! The driver lineup of Dale Lomas, Lucian Gavris and both Moritz and Werner Gusenbauer would tackle several stints over the course of the race. It was the latter who first experienced the brutal nature of the N24H, when a Porsche Cayman understeered into him in the middle of Schwalbenschwanz, damaging the front right wheel and forcing him to pit a lap earlier than planned, though he managed to retain first in class.
Hat-tip to OZ quality! This little piggy made it all the way home!
The drama continued to unfold in Dale’s first stint, a driveshaft failure costing him a full 25 minutes! Moritz’s luck was no better, he collided with an AMG GT3 midway round the Karussell and the damage would go onto haunt the team throughout the remainder of the race, as did a loose ball joint on the wishbone, almost certainly a legacy of the Toyota-to-AMG interface some laps earlier.
'Hey mate.. I'm coming in... get the hammers ready... '
The arrival of dawn brought fresh impetus and a slice of good fortune however, with Werner able to record the car’s fastest lap of the race. His time, a mighty 10:15.910, was set against yet another driveshaft failure, though one the team managed to replace in a scarcely believable 7 minutes! The failing radio issue returned once again, joined by yet another duff driveshaft, and it says much about Werner’s inherent pace and the speed of the pit crew that the team was 3rd place in class when the time came to hand the car back to Dale.
Takes a kicking - and keeps on ticking. This car is mega!
The final push
It fell to Dale to undertake the final stint of the race in a battered GT86 with evil handling traits and a duff mic, not to mention rain clouds on the horizon. A final stop for new front wheel bearings put him down to 4th in class, and the Englishman then set off to hunt down the number 129 Clio Cup almost 4 minutes up the road in third. He brought the gap down to 3 minutes with just 3 laps remaining, whereupon the heavens opened. The sensible move would’ve been to follow the Clio into the pits for a set of wet tyres but Dale had other ideas; he remained out on track, pushing on for a lap and a half of torrential rain! This proved to be a wise (if risky) move, and one which allowed Dale to seal 3rd place in class, just ahead of the more appropriately tyred Clio.
A risky tyre strategy paid off - and aged the team by about 10 years!
3rd in class meant 87th overall, an immense result achieved against opposition which was (on paper at least) more potent. The 2017 running of the Nurburgring 24 Hour proved once again how hotly contested this race is, and also how important strategy is to a strong result when competing in a production based class.
A heroic final stint for a team of exceptional drivers that truly deserved their podium
Milltek x TMG GT86 Tech spec
Engine
1998cc four-cylinder Boxer with 12.5:1 CR, TMG ECU with flat-foot shift and auto-blip function, TMG 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, Milltek Sport race exhaust with FIA mandated cats, 100l fuel cell
Performance
212bhp/220nm
Transmission
Six-speed manual with modified top gear, 1=4.3 ratio, Sachs single disc dry clutch, Torsen LSD
Suspension
Bilstein adjustable two-way, bump and rebound suspension, adjustable camber angles, front strut-brace
Wheels
8x17in OZ Motorsport alloys, various semi-slick/wet tyres Pirelli
Brakes
Front: Alcon 4-piston racing calipers with 330x30mm vented discs, PFC pads, stainless steel braided lines, TMG brake cooling system
Rear: Alcon 1-piston calipers with 286x10mm solid discs, PFC pads, stainless steel braided lines, TMG brake cooling system
Exterior
Toyota GT86 CS-Cup bodyshell with Milltek Sport livery, front spoiler, side skirts and rear wing, reinforced jacking points
Interior
FIA mandated welded roll cage, FIA bucket seat, Takata lightweight 6-point safety belt, FIA certified electronic fire extinguisher system, electronic master switch, safety window grid, Lexan side windows, 320mm 3-spoke motorsport wheel with radio button, motorsport anti-slip footrest, quick release fastener, bonnet and boot lid
THose last two laps!
Nail biting isn't the word, as we ride onboard with Dale for the final stint. Popcorn at the ready!
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