In the mirror
A look in the mirror, to see what happened in the past few months...
2020 A year to wait
Not a lot of races in 2020, Le Mans Classic was cancelled, and the program disrupted.
We will only remember the weekend in Estoril. Everybody was so happy to be there, happy to drive, to breathe the smells and to listen to the sounds of the races. With a nice weather, everybody could enjoy the track that combines quite slow segments (the snail…) but also the very fast right turn that gives access to the pitlane straight. Having started 24th on the grid, our Lotus came back to the 15th position before a driveshaft broke 20 mn before the checkered flag…
2019 A year of fantastic races
PascalouRacing has the bit between the teeth at the start of the year with two new cars :
Porsche 911 2.0L and Ferrari 360 Modena N-GT...
Le Tour Auto 2019 - Paris - Deauville
Three cars entered this year with a strong support comprising our team manager Vincent and 3 seasoned mechanics.
It should be noted that the Porsche 911 2.0L had a co-pilot who had passed her driving license 9 months before the race !!!
Results:
Porsche 911 2.0L : 42nd (with a detour in a ditch on a sleepery road, thankfully with nothing damaged)
AC Aceca : 41st
Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint : DNF (accident on open road in between two timed stages)
Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or - Dijon June 2019
In the sixties Endurance grid, the qualifying session saw some heavy rain, quite good for the Lotus with its relatively soft shock absorbers. The track is dry for the race which made the car slightly less competitive but the fight was intense notably with the Alfa GTAs until the ignitor broke due to an over-rev.
On the 2.0L Cup , the race went quite well despite the car suffering from less power than some competitors… said to have bigger valves !
On the CER II grid, the Porsche 911 turbo has to fight with monsters of the category, the AC Cobras. The 911 turbo eventually had two rockers broken.
Finally , the Ferrari 360 Modena N-GT was on the track for a demonstration, together with 355 Challenge. The 360, what a car, with huge grip, but only with warm enough tyres. Very efficient Hewland gearbox and huge braking capabilities… but you can be led to change a set of tyres in only one braking !
Results :
Lotus Elan (Sixties Endurance) : DNF (overrev)
Porsche 911 2.0L (2.0L Cup) : 22nd
Porsche 911 Turbo (CER II) : DNF (engine damage)
Ferrari 360 Modena N-GT & 355 Challenge (Endurance Legends) : demo
Monza Historic - September 2019
PascalouRacing is coming to Monza with two cars : Lotus Elan and Porsche 911 2.0L.
In Sixties Endurance, the practice and qualifying sessions go just ok with a 46th place on the grid. Shortly after the start of the race, the Lotus can overtake slower cars that were ahead on the grid, such as Austin Healeys and MGBs. But after 25mn, at the chicane that follows the Pit Lane straight, the gear stick broke and the pilot could only declutch and stop on the side of the track…. Game over !
In 2.0L Cup, the start of the race is going well and the car can overtake two other competitors. After the compulsory stop , the pilot has to brake quite desperately right before the parabolic, which causes some damage at the tyre on the forward left side, and then some strong vibrations, several minutes lost at the pit to change the damaged tyre.
Results
Lotus Elan 26R : DNF (gearbox)
Porsche 911 2.0L : 21st
During 2019, for its second season, PascalouRacing has made some significant progress. Reliability and optimization of the cars constantly improved. For 2020, a quite strong program is envisaged : strong service and optimization for the Porsche 911 2.0L, with 30 hp extra expected. The Lotus Elan will lose 160 lbs, and the Porsche 911 Turbo will come back in line for the CER II and Le Mans Classic.
In short, an ever-improving team with more and more efficient cars. We are waiting for you to enjoy new adventures !
2018 When everything started
PascalouRacing was launched in 2018, which was a very exciting year with quite a lot of unpredicted events !!!
Le Tour Auto 2018 Paris - Nice
Two cars entered : AC Aceca and Alfa 2600 Sprint.
For this first Tour Auto, the full commitment of the support team was critical ! On the second day, the AC saw a ball bearing broken, the team managed to identify the problem, source a new bearing in Paris, sent somebody to buy it and bring it to Geneva where the car was taken on the support team trailer. After 18 hours of non stop work, the car was ready on time for the next day departing from Megève !!!
Very sunny weather for the rest of the race , with a memorable fight against a Mini on the Paul Ricard racetrack.
Results :
AC Aceca : 56th,
Alfa Romeo 2600 Sprint : DNF (electrical problems)
Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or - Dijon June 2018
The Lotus Elan is entered in the Sixties Endurance grid . During the qualifying session , the Lotus is suffering low fuel pressure, the race goes well despite a bad place on the grid and a spin in the gravel...
The Porsche 911 Turbo worked well in the CER II but could not compete against much more powerful and fast cars on this high octane grid. The engine is prepared in a too conservative way and the car is missing around 150 hp… More to come !
Results :
Lotus Elan 26R : 29th
Porsche 911 Turbo : 13th
Le Mans Classic - July 2018
There is no word to describe this extraordinary event with an incredible atmosphere !
On Grid 3, the AC behaves very well despite the long straights and could reach 125 mph. The 3 AM leg is unforgettable, with notably the contrast between the bright lights on the pit lane until Le Tertre Rouge and then complete darkness in Les Hunaudières.
The Porsche 934 entered in Grid 6 had been raced at le mans in 1976 (Didier Pironi , Bob Wollek and Marie-Claude Beaumont) and 1978 with a German crew. In its legendary Jägermeister livery, this car is a magnet for all the fans. Its max speed is 175 mph with 550 hp. Unfortunately, the turbo broke during the practice session and could not be fixed despite the efforts of the Lee Maxted Page team…
Results :
AC Aceca (Grid 3) : 36th
Porsche 934 (Grid 6) : DNF
Bahreïn Classic Challenge - November 2018
Patrick Peter had the great idea to organize a race in Bahrein with two one-hour legs. Long straights, followed by hairpins… what a track !
Great fight in the first race with our Lotus finishing 10th. Small mistake in the tire pressure at the compulsory stop in the second leg... with a quite instant spin but an honorable 11th place .
The Triumph Spitfire made its first appearance on the racetrack but did not finish... penalized by its too small fuel tank.
