Qualified 18th (11th in GTO class). Finished 8th overall (6th in GTO Class).

The first race of the 2002 British GT Championship was at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday, on the challenging 2.7 mile Grand Prix Circuit. The grid comprises the cream of sportscars such as Ferraris, Lotuses, Porsches, Marcos’s, TVRs, Listers and Morgans

Pre-season testing in the # 61 EIL.COM Ohana Marcos GTO had not gone to plan with what little testing the team had being mainly wet. Indeed Rob’s team mate, the vastly experienced Ashley Ward, had never driven the car in the dry! The car is a 2002 Marcos GTO. The engine is a Mustang V8, giving out 480bhp which produces a top speed of about 180mph.

The Friday practise day gave the team very limited running with the car being hampered by a fuel and oil leaks and once these problems had been fixed the gearbox started missing gears (known as a box full of neutrals!) and the decision was made to replace the gearbox on Friday night with a new development gearbox the team were planning on running at the second race. The team missed opening practise on Saturday as they finished off the gearbox installation (after working most of the night) and in the second and final session of the day Ashley managed half a lap before the new gearbox exploded…. To say this was the low point of the weekend was an understatement…. It later transpired that one nut in the gearbox hadn’t been tightened properly at the factory causing thousands of pounds worth of damage!

For the 20 minute Sunday qualifying session, a third gearbox had been borrowed from another team. Ashley was scheduled to run the first 4 laps before handing over to Rob but after just one timed lap a drive shaft failed as he landed after taking off over the famous Dingle Dell (flying is the correct way to take Dingle Dell as you power uphill over a blind fast crest with vicious kerbs. He was just unlucky!). End of qualifying. They would start last!

Race day on Sunday and the team had done a great job to repair the drive shaft and prep the car for the race. The circuit was packed with over 15,000 spectators and the sun was out after some early morning rain

Rob was scheduled to run the first 30 minutes of the on hour race and in pre-race briefing it was decided that Rob would hold back at the start and not take any chances. GT races have rolling starts meaning that the pack trundles towards the start/finish line at about 70mph waiting for the lights to change and then charges into the first corner at top speed. Accident at the first corner are the norm! Rob held back for the first corner (Paddock Hill Bend) and then as he started challenging for position going into Druids hairpin he was forced on the grass and had to back off. Then again as he charged along Cooper straight he was forced onto the grass by the same car as I tried to overtake him and again had to back off! After that Rob was able to make up 3 positions over the next 4 laps with some great overtaking at Paddock Hill Bend, Hawthorns and Westfield before a tyre pressure problem caused the car to begin to understeer (this is when the front of the car wants to go straight on instead of turning) and over the next 20 minutes Rob lost one of the places he had made up despite some very defensive driving. At the 30 minute mark the team called Rob in on the radio and as the car came to a stop in the pits he had already loosened his 6 point seat belts and unplugged his radio! In just 16 seconds Rob had jumped out of the car, Ashley had jumped in, the team had done up his belts and adjusted the tyre pressures and Ashley was on his way. More fine driving followed from Ashley as he made up yet another place and after a couple of other cars dropped out, the EIL.COM sponsored car finished 8th overall and 6th in class.

Rob says - After a terrible first 3 days of the long Easter weekend, Monday’s great result was a testament to the commitment and effort of the team. I can’t wait for Donningon (on April 14th) as we think we can make the car even more competitive and with a bit of luck may find ourselves on the podium”

More info can be found at www.robcroydon.com and eil.com.