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Written by Stephen Dobie
Bored of Formula 1? Watching the final 20 minutes of the Daytona 24 hours would have done much to remind you motorsport can still take your breath away.While the Tequila Patron Ligier Honda prototype took overall victory, both of Chevrolet"s GT LM" class Corvettes were racing bumper to bumper a class below, finishing within 0.034 seconds of each other after a heated battle.Following a full day of racing, it"s impossible to overstate how enthralling their tussle was to witness. It was also a victory for team bosses letting their two cars race each other.The GT LM" class being taken by a Corvette one-two - in favour of the car driven by Brit Oliver Gavin - meant that there was no fairy tale for Ford, however.Ahead of its assault on Le Mans, under Chip Ganassi, the Ford GT"s racing debut had been the big story leading into the Rolex 24. Indeed, it was swarmed unlike any other car on the public grid walk before the race. That"s despite the class it competes in meaning overall victory wouldn"t be possible.By hour three, though, it was clear class victory wasn"t going to be, either. Both GTs suffered niggling issues, revolving around electrics, brakes and gearboxes, putting them 15 laps apiece off class best. It was a sign of things to come, and little gremlins always seemed to be lurking, a three-hour gearbox change for car number 67 most dramatic.Both cars finished, though, and on their competition debut. Disappointment within the team, as ongoing issues kicked them further out of touch, turned to pure emotion at the chequered flag."I have mixed feelings. I"m not sure well done" was the first thing that came to my mind, but certainly the reliability issues we had are not unusual for a first time programme, first time out," said Ford group vice president Raj Nair, as TG spoke to him shortly after the chequered flag."We"ve got the right team, drivers and partners, we just need some time to get miles on the car and sort out those issues. She"s fast and she"s pretty, but she"s temperamental right now."
Date written: 31 Jan 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 1960
Bored of Formula 1? Watching the final 20 minutes of the Daytona 24 hours would have done much to remind you motorsport can still take your breath away.While the Tequila Patron Ligier Honda prototype took overall victory, both of Chevrolet"s GT LM" class Corvettes were racing bumper to bumper a class below, finishing within 0.034 seconds of each other after a heated battle.Following a full day of racing, it"s impossible to overstate how enthralling their tussle was to witness. It was also a victory for team bosses letting their two cars race each other.The GT LM" class being taken by a Corvette one-two - in favour of the car driven by Brit Oliver Gavin - meant that there was no fairy tale for Ford, however.Ahead of its assault on Le Mans, under Chip Ganassi, the Ford GT"s racing debut had been the big story leading into the Rolex 24. Indeed, it was swarmed unlike any other car on the public grid walk before the race. That"s despite the class it competes in meaning overall victory wouldn"t be possible.By hour three, though, it was clear class victory wasn"t going to be, either. Both GTs suffered niggling issues, revolving around electrics, brakes and gearboxes, putting them 15 laps apiece off class best. It was a sign of things to come, and little gremlins always seemed to be lurking, a three-hour gearbox change for car number 67 most dramatic.Both cars finished, though, and on their competition debut. Disappointment within the team, as ongoing issues kicked them further out of touch, turned to pure emotion at the chequered flag."I have mixed feelings. I"m not sure well done" was the first thing that came to my mind, but certainly the reliability issues we had are not unusual for a first time programme, first time out," said Ford group vice president Raj Nair, as TG spoke to him shortly after the chequered flag."We"ve got the right team, drivers and partners, we just need some time to get miles on the car and sort out those issues. She"s fast and she"s pretty, but she"s temperamental right now."
Date written: 31 Jan 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 1960
