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Written by Joe Holding
The life of a racing driver is full of glamour, right? Wrong.Adoring fans, plush motorhomes and fast cars might make it look like the perfect job. But what other occupation forces you to put in a 24-hour shift on little or no sleep, in a uniform you may need to relieve yourself in? Suddenly the daily office grind doesn"t sound so bad, does it?It will all have been in a day"s work for Aston Martin Racing"s Darren Turner and Jonny Adam come 3pm on Sunday. Turner a veteran of over a dozen races at La Sarthe and Adam a newbie for 2016 face the daunting prospect of a full day of racing in the GTE Pro class: the most competitive category of the lot.At the first shakedown earlier in the month, the 14 cars that make up that particular field posted quickest times where fastest and slowest were split by less than two seconds. On a lap that lasts nearly four minutes. Pretty close, then.Over 24 hours, with things like reliability and strategy to consider, virtually anyone could win.That is, of course, assuming that everyone was pushing to the limit. Rumours of sandbagging" persist every year, but according to Turner the practice makes no sense."We don"t really have the luxury of that," he explains. "In reality we"ve got so much stuff to get through, the only way you can understand if your numbers are correct is by going as fast as you possibly can."Brake wear, fuel economy all this stuff that is the homework you have to do prior to the race. Because if you do it holding back, your numbers aren"t correct, and then you"ll come into issues come the actual race itself. It"s not just us, everyone will be giving what they can, I"m sure."Not necessarily. According to Ford GT driver Harry Tincknell, "No one really shows their hand on the test day," for fear of giving vital information away to rivals.Two drivers, two completely different opinions. That clears that up then.While they might not agree on the issue of sandbagging, the atmosphere between the 180 drivers in the paddock remains friendly in the week leading up to the race itself.Turner calls it a "sociable place", and it"s easy to see why. Jonny Adam warmed up with some karting action in the pit lane earlier this week, while Darren Turner revisited a risqu photoshoot from racing days gone by thanks to a daring autograph hunter yesterday afternoon. Crikey.
Date written: 16 Jun 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 3859
The life of a racing driver is full of glamour, right? Wrong.Adoring fans, plush motorhomes and fast cars might make it look like the perfect job. But what other occupation forces you to put in a 24-hour shift on little or no sleep, in a uniform you may need to relieve yourself in? Suddenly the daily office grind doesn"t sound so bad, does it?It will all have been in a day"s work for Aston Martin Racing"s Darren Turner and Jonny Adam come 3pm on Sunday. Turner a veteran of over a dozen races at La Sarthe and Adam a newbie for 2016 face the daunting prospect of a full day of racing in the GTE Pro class: the most competitive category of the lot.At the first shakedown earlier in the month, the 14 cars that make up that particular field posted quickest times where fastest and slowest were split by less than two seconds. On a lap that lasts nearly four minutes. Pretty close, then.Over 24 hours, with things like reliability and strategy to consider, virtually anyone could win.That is, of course, assuming that everyone was pushing to the limit. Rumours of sandbagging" persist every year, but according to Turner the practice makes no sense."We don"t really have the luxury of that," he explains. "In reality we"ve got so much stuff to get through, the only way you can understand if your numbers are correct is by going as fast as you possibly can."Brake wear, fuel economy all this stuff that is the homework you have to do prior to the race. Because if you do it holding back, your numbers aren"t correct, and then you"ll come into issues come the actual race itself. It"s not just us, everyone will be giving what they can, I"m sure."Not necessarily. According to Ford GT driver Harry Tincknell, "No one really shows their hand on the test day," for fear of giving vital information away to rivals.Two drivers, two completely different opinions. That clears that up then.While they might not agree on the issue of sandbagging, the atmosphere between the 180 drivers in the paddock remains friendly in the week leading up to the race itself.Turner calls it a "sociable place", and it"s easy to see why. Jonny Adam warmed up with some karting action in the pit lane earlier this week, while Darren Turner revisited a risqu photoshoot from racing days gone by thanks to a daring autograph hunter yesterday afternoon. Crikey.
Date written: 16 Jun 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 3859
