Ben Barker and GR Racing battled manfully through the full eight hours of competition at the latest FIA World Endurance Championship event in Portugal, despite knowing that they were effectively fighting with one hand tied behind their backs.
After a disappointing start to the new season at Spa-Francorchamps in early May, both Barker and the team hoped for an uptick in fortune at Portimao, but were left facing a tough weekend as the weather and circuit conspired against the recommended choice of Michelin tyres. Pre-race testing had suggested that the medium compound rubber would be the best option for race weekend but, as temperatures rose, so it became clear that Sunday’s marathon would be more a battle to survive than a fight to the finish.
Promising results in the event’s three free practice sessions hinted at the distinctive black-and-orange #86 Porsche 911 RSR being a potential top five candidate in the closely-fought GTE-Am class, and even a solid qualifying effort from team owner Mike Wainwright failed to dissuade the crew after he lapped just tenths slower than the fastest cars in class, but Barker quickly discovered that race day would be very different to what had gone before.
“Free practice and qualifying aren’t really long enough for anyone to get a real idea of how the race will go, and we were definitely expecting more from Sunday” Barker explained. “Pre-race testing had led Porsche, Michelin and ourselves to believe the medium tyre was the one to go for at Portimao but, with temperatures soaring on raceday, it quickly became apparent that it would be a long afternoon for all of us.
“Although Mike’s pace in the slightly cooler conditions at the start of the race didn’t tax the tyres too badly, I had two stints on the medium that, for want of a better phrase, were more about surviving than driving. Portimao is a non-stop track in terms of its twists and turns and already had an abrasive surface before being refreshed for the F1 event last year. As a result, the tyres were blistering so badly that it was only taking 20 laps or so to burn through the rubber and it was a struggle to stay on track at times.”
Both Wainwright and new team-mate Tom Gamble made the best of the situation before Barker was fitted with a set of harder compound tyres for his final run. With Michelin’s race data suggesting that the option would be better for performance, the Cambridge native duly reeled off a stint that underlined just how different the race could have been, lapping more consistently and on a pace that threatened the fastest GT laps of the entire event.
“It was frustrating to imagine what might have been, but that last run was good for morale — not just mine, but that of the whole team,” Barker admitted. “After Spa, we had been hoping for a chance to show what this latest Porsche machine was capable of. In the end, we — and the entire Porsche entry — were somewhat hostage to the tyres for much of the afternoon.
“Mike, Tom and the entire pit crew did their usual exemplary job all weekend. A couple of tenths could have seen Mike qualify in the top four, while Tom, in his first full race with the team, showed that he will be a valuable asset going forward. Now, we’ll just take those positives on to Monza next month and focus not only on that race, but also our preparation for the Le Mans 24 Hours.”
