Monday 24th November 2003

Morgan at Bathurst

Blown engine curtails Ozzie Endurance

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A blown engine ended the Morgan Aero 8 GT Cup car’s impressive run at the Bathurst 24 hour race after six strong hours. The team had overcome an early problem with a bottom radiator hose, and drivers Keith Ahlers, Tom Shrimpton, Adam Sharpe and Neil Cunningham had all put in superb sessions in very challenging track conditions to fight back up the field. Adam Sharpe, on his debut at Bathurst and to 24 hour racing, posted a brilliant 2 min 28 lap as the track dried following torrential rain.

Taking over from his regular team mate, Cunningham registered a lap of 2 min 25 – the team’s best time at the Mount Panorama circuit - and was closing strongly on the two class-leading Porsches when the sudden engine failure hit at the end of the pit straight just as darkness was descending.

Despite the disappointment, the Morgan Team was far from disheartened. Team boss David Dowse commented:

“We have had a really great reception from the crowd, the media and the organisers, and everyone on the team has thoroughly enjoyed the unique experience of racing here at Bathurst. All four drivers had a good session on track, and they all loved the circuit. We’ve made a big impact, and we plan to be back next year to finish the job – maybe running the Works Le Mans car in Class A .”

The Morgan Works Team’s immediate objective will be the 12 hour race at Sebring in the USA with the Works Aero 8 LMGT car as the team continues to work towards gaining an entry in the 24 Hours at Le Mans in 2004.

Link : www.morganworks.com

[joust]

Real shame that they didn't finish. That old adage "to win you have to finish" springs to mind.

Let's hope they aren't too put down by it and keep racing!

J

[jamieheasman]

It was a real shame that they didn't finish but at least it meant the end of all the 'wooden car' jokes by the commentators.

"Let's hope they don't smash it mate or it'll take two panel beaters and a dozen carpenters hours to fix it!". Very amusing.

Still, Martin Short's Mosler ran very well if not quite on the pace of the factory-backed Holdens. It was by far the most dramatic looking car out there and shows what can be done with a relatively small budget.

It was quite a surreal experience watching England battle the Aussies on a big screen above the pits as the GT cars screamed around in the dark between us. It was also quite scarey as the only other Englishman I managed to find hid his pride inside his jacket. We both suffered constant verbal abuse but most people congratulated me like I'd be out on the pitch playing!

Unfortunately due to some digital camera issues I've got very little to show of the race apart from a couple of shots of the cars in the garages and some video snippets of them heading down the main straight. I'll see if I can post some more details tomorrow.

[hansgerd]

Good to see Martin Short finishing in fifth place. Adding up all the little and bigger troubles that is a good result.
There are some fantastic pictures of the race on DSC. David Lord nearly put his life at risk for those shots. The circuit looks amazing, very nicely situated into the landscape.

[Beast]

if you want to see some other piccies - have a look on www.ulistich.com - there's quite a few !