“That band of rain has just missed us, but this is supposed to hit soon.”
On the phone that British GT ace Phil Keen is holding, a large, ominous mass of rain is heading to engulf the Anglesey Circuit. It’s not what this writer wants to see ahead of the final two hours of a 24-hour race, having already endured a rollercoaster of emotions and challenges.
The race in question is for the EnduroKa series, which has become well-established since its creation by MotorSport Vision Racing in 2019, formed as an affordable way of going club endurance racing. Using the Ford Ka with the 1.3-litre Duratec engine and uprated GAZ suspension, as well as the usual mandatory motorsport safety features, a full build can be done for around £6000.
The 2022 calendar features events as ‘short’ as five hours, but the trip to north Wales across the Queen’s Jubilee bank holiday is for the inaugural 24-hour event for both series and club.
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“I think it’s a great way for people to fulfil their dream without spending a fortune, but more importantly have fun doing it,” says Karl Graves, team principal of Graves Motorsport which is running the car for the event. “You can do it with your friends and not feel intimidated.”
The team has been part of the series since the outset but is more renowned for its success in Mini championships, while Karl’s brother David won the Production BMW title in 2018. Karl’s quote perfectly applies to my team-mates for the event – Alistair Hardie and Alistair Macdonald have competed in the series since 2020, while Les Conway has previously raced a BMW E30 with the Classic Sports Car Club. All three are motorsport enthusiasts who are now in a position to go racing, with the series the perfect jumping-in point.
A track walk ahead of qualifying reveals not only the stunning scenery of Anglesey, but also what a challenge the Coastal layout will pose, with flat-out turns, banked bends, heavy braking and elevation changes packed into just 1.55 miles.
The first qualifying session begins at dusk, but being the last to drive means my stint is in complete darkness and soon proves to be an unforgettable experience for all the wrong reasons. Approaching corners at speed and struggling to pick out the apex or the exit means I spend my time trying to stay out of the way of the blaze of headlights behind in the most daunting track experience I’ve ever had.
The next day brings a second qualifying session in daylight where there’s a chance to put some meaningful laps on the board. It’s incredible how the eyes and mind work, as the first and third turns are easily flat and the drop down the infamous Corkscrew soon becomes fun instead of something to fear. The rear goes light, while there’s the usual understeer through some of the turns but the car feels well-balanced on the brakes.
"Racing is racing and driving on the limit is driving on the limit. You’re trying to extract the most you can from the car. It’s all the same in that aspect, it’s just a bit slower" Phil Keen
The onboard lap-timer indicates that I’m more than five seconds faster than my best from the previous night, and my 1m33.713s puts us 21st on the gird – albeit some 3.6s off the top spot. Despite focusing on my own performance, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the battle at the front, with just half a second covering the top four cars. The IP Racing machine with Keen among the ranks is on pole – the Lamborghini British GT driver is making his second outing in EnduroKa, having competed in the 12 hours of Snetterton in 2020 alongside brother Pete.
“Racing is racing and driving on the limit is driving on the limit. You’re trying to extract the most you can from the car. It’s all the same in that aspect, it’s just a bit slower [than GTs],” he says. “When everything around you is doing the same speed you don’t really think of yourself as slow and it’s quite a tight and twisty track so you’re just chasing your lap time and trying to get past everyone.
“At the end of the day it’s all about having fun. The cars are cheap to run, you can get a group of mates together and go and have a laugh.”
Keen isn’t the only professional to try his hand in a Ka over the past few years. Nick Tandy, 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner, added to his illustrious CV with a win in the Brands Hatch end-of-season event in 2019, where 1990 British Touring Car champion Robb Gravett also took the track. It’s a testament to the popularity and accessibility of the series, and their appearances also offer the chance for enthusiasts like Conway, Hardie and Macdonald to test their skills against established names.
Unlike my previous 24-hour experience in the Citroen C1s, where I had the daunting task of starting the race, I’m a grateful bystander as Conway takes the first stint, with Hardie and Macdonald following as day turns to night and stint lengths of approximately two hours are determined by fuel.
One thing that becomes apparent quickly is that tyre wear is a bigger issue than teams expected, with the abrasive surface ripping the Toyo treaded front tyres, which I discover during my stint.
Heading out into the darkness again, the difference from 24 hours earlier feels staggering, as I’m committed through the flat-out turns and soon into a rhythm. A 1m33.523s, less than a tenth off Macdonald’s fastest from his earlier stint, proves to be my best in the event as I soon have to contend with a new experience – racing in the rain.
One of the most startling aspects is that, despite the short circuit length, some parts of the track remain dry while others – notably at the top of the hill – soon become wet. Each lap and corner by corner the grip levels change and it’s a surreal experience not knowing how much, or little, you can push through a bend.
Feedback from Graves via the radio indicates that my pace at this stage is inside the top half, encouraging me to push on. But as ever with racing, you come crashing down hardest when you’re at your highest.
Having let the second Graves-run machine driven by Henry Wright through, I attempt to keep up and heading into the hard, uphill braking of Rocket In the car starts to step out. Coming off the brakes isn’t an option with Wright just feet in front, and pressing harder on the pedal only sends the car sideways further to the right and heading towards the marshals’ post. Pulling hard left, the car spins and I travel backwards across the grass, coming to rest with the barrier alongside. Engaging first, I quickly regain the circuit and apologise over the radio having had my first experience of a spin.
It certainly wasn’t to be the last for our car or others, but thankfully there are no more during my stint as Conway takes over just after 12.30am. While our pace isn’t setting the world alight, by generally staying out of trouble we’re climbing the leaderboard and occupy 15th as I head to my car for some rest.
My four hours of sleep is broken by the sound of heavy rain hitting the roof of the car, and it’s enough to make me want to stay curled up in my sleeping bag. By the time I take over from Macdonald the rain has thankfully passed but a greasy film of moisture covers the surface of the asphalt.
A spin into the left of the Corkscrew is much less dramatic than the one in the night, but it’s a sign of just how tricky the conditions are, with mounds of discarded rubber offline making it even more treacherous. While Turn 1 remains flat after a few laps spent building up confidence, trying to do the same through T3 feels too risky with the front washing out.
Too much lifting causes the rear to step out though, making each pass through a challenge, while the final left-hand turn is an understeering nightmare no matter how many different lines I try. Just before 9am I hand over to Conway and through the following six hours he, Hardie and Macdonald make steady progress as we run in 16th.
"You’ve got to enjoy motorsport. You’re never going to become a millionaire unless you’re a billionaire, so if you haven’t got a smile on your face what are you doing it for?" Karl Graves
Ahead of the final stint the news from Macdonald is mixed. The car, while still handling well, is struggling to pull out of the corners. Even with a new set of front tyres, my best lap during the whole stint falls two seconds short of what I’d done earlier in the race. Ironically, despite Keen’s warning of heavy rain, only a few drops fall but it’s enough to let me keep pace with others before they pull away when the sun starts to shine.
Over the radio Graves tells me that my current pace means I’ll catch the #3 car of Jonathan Barrett for position before the end of the race and, with half an hour remaining, I have him in sight. I look up the inside into Turn 1 but back off when the door is shut, and in the end simply drive past up the climb to Rocket In as his car is clearly in a worse state than mine.
We finish 14th, with all 23 cars classified. Having spent more than six hours in the driving seat it’s easy to understand why the EnduroKa series is as popular as it is, both with professionals and amateurs.
“With the positive feedback received, we would certainly look favourably at other potential 24-hour events in the future,” says series manager Stuart Garland. “While as a series we would look at all options available, the Coastal configuration at Anglesey has proven to be a very enjoyable track for the lower-powered Kas.”
As Graves adds: “I’m a believer that you’ve got to enjoy motorsport. You’re never going to become a millionaire unless you’re a billionaire, so if you haven’t got a smile on your face what are you doing it for?”
