Will Browning

Hi guys, appreciate this doesn't have anything to do with the mighty blue oval but thought I'd post this up in case it interested anyone on here. I've been given the opportunity to take part in the Britcar 24 Hour race this year at Silverstone as part of a Forces Charity team. As an ex-soldier this is something very close to my heart and we're hoping that doing such a high profile event will really help raise peoples awareness of what are some very worthy causes. On top of that it should be a fantastic weekend's racing and if you've never been to watch a 24hour endurance race I highly reccomend it. There will be full access to the garages and pits so you can get up close to all the drivers and teams. You'll be amazed at what the works team engineers can do (think changing entire engines and gearboxes in the time it takes you or I to perform a sunday morning oil and filter change!)

Anyway, below is some details about the team, drivers and how to donate if you feel you would like to..................

This year a Mazda MX-5 race car will be racing to raise the profile of British Armed Forces Charities in Motorsport at the prestigious Britcar 24hr race.
These include ABF The Soldiers’ Charity, Help for Heroes, Forces Children’s Trust, Scotty’s Little Soldiers and The Not Forgotten Association.

The Team:
Leading this team will be Major James Cameron of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2RTR) based at Tidworth in Wiltshire. James has just returned from Afghanistan where he commanded the Warthog Group – Task Force Helmand’s independent armoured Squadron. He is joined by Brigadier Mike Hickson, the Director of the Royal Logistics Corps. Mike is a keen racer, campaigning in single seaters as well as racing classics, most recently at Silverstone and LeMans. Ex servicemen Will Browning a keen racer and drifter from Bath, is perhaps the team’s busiest member, as the former Royal Signals Sergeant is now a Metropolitan Police Officer in the London Borough of Hackney. Completing the line up is TV presenter and racer Tony Jardine, an ardent supporter of Forces Charities and himself the son of a Royal Navy pilot.

The race team will be supported in the pit garage by soldiers from the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment including some who are recovering from injuries sustained while on operations in Afghanistan.
The Race:
The Britcar 24hrs – the only 24hr race for GT and Saloon cars in the UK, which is now firmly placed in the British motorsport calendar as the race to attend, as a spectator or competitor. With growing grid numbers from all around Europe, and with top International teams competing, the Britcar 24hrs at Silverstone sees racing twice around the clock on the circuit lauded as the ‘Home of British Motorsport’, and the British Grand Prix.


We also now have a text short code set up for donations.

People simply need to text 70070 with the message 'RACE24 £5' to donate £5


Link to the Britcar website with full race details:

http://britcar24hr.co.uk/cms/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.53


Online charity donation link:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/ForcesMX-5

RONNIE AMIS

iTrader: (17)

Donated mate. I will be at the silverstone spannering and racing in a back up race.

I believe very much in help for heroes and today at time attack we organised charity rides and raised £1200 :0)

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Well done to you for doing this race.I was at the brircar event last year.Its amazing to see these cars are still racing on the sunday.When i was there,there were a few cars gaffer taped up.

I hope your team do well.

Will Browning

Thanks guys!

Will Browning

Here’s a link to an amusing video as well…………………

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Uj1AKpW-8&feature=player_detailpage

Will Browning

......no idea why it's copied twice?

saph4be

i am coming to watch mate! however if you need a hand in the pits his a shout i am a time served mechanic!

muz

Donated. Great cause and should be interesting to watch. Unfortunately I'm away this weekend training so can't go but I think my brother is. He's currently preparing an MX5 for a mate of his for the MX5 race series so I'll get him to keep an eye out.
I don't think people realise the work people such as the ABF and Help For Heroes actually do so I hope you raise plenty.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Lol at the vid.I would of been very suprise if he could of mad it flat out.

I love silver stone its a mint track.Ive been round it 4 times and twice i drove round.Once in my mates bmw and i did it this year in my cossie.

Will Browning

Thanks again guys, it's so great to here people in support of what we're doing. It is easy to forget how many forces men and women don't come back in the same state they left in and hence rely on support from these fantastic charities. Let's hope the event (and team) are as successful as we hope.

(I'm still convinced with a bit more practice and a better line I could have held her semi-flat through there!!! )

Will Browning

Oh my god!!!! That is by far the best thing I've ever had the privilege of being involved with. Absolutely epic. Short version, qualified fifty something and finished 24th!!! (crashed in between but got it fixed) full report to follow but for now here's a quick video of some of the things we messed about with before the race..........

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJNMb...e_gdata_player

Will Browning

For those that are interested in my race report grab a brew and have a read. It is quite long though but I wanted to get down how I felt about the weekend.

Ok then, although it's now three days after finishing the Britcar race I'm still buzzing and totally in shock over what I've just done. Words cannot fully explain just how spectacular and amazing it was to have been involved. It truly was an honour.
I'll try and summarise the four days I was there.
Arrived Wednesday evening and met up with Rich the team manager and Jim Cameron, one of my fellow drivers and also the driving force behind pulling this whole thing together. We headed over to the Green Man Pub for an excellent meal and to meet some of the Jota faces I would be getting to know rather well over the coming days. I really can't thank Sam Hignett and the Jota crew enough for their unbelievable support and trust in myself and the other drivers. Letting us lot loose in one of their fantastic MX-5s, which incidentally are mind-blowingly brilliant little cars with awe inspiring grip and handling!
So Thursday morning came and it was a chance to stretch our legs in the car and re-familiarise ourselves. Having covered a fair amount of miles during the previous week at the Goldtrack day we weren't aiming to put too many more on the car, just practice some driver changes and confirm we were all on the pace. The car ran perfectly all day and we pulled it in nice and early in order to head down the pub to review and discuss the onboard video and telemetry data we had accumulated.
Once in the pub Jim, myself, Mike Hickson and our final illustrious driver Tony Jardine all went through each others laps under the ever watchful eye of Rich the team manager. Two things soon became apparent about Tony, firstly he is such an all round nice bloke and very giving of his time and knowledge. Secondly, he is blindingly quick straight out of the box with steadfast consistency.
What with Jim's previous experience and Mikes extensive racing background I was going to be keeping some very demanding company over the coming days! At this point I thought better of bringing up the fact I hadn't touched a race track in nearly two years!
Anyway, some useful tips exchanged and a few pints later I headed off to bed ready for another early start at the track for various media stuff, scruitineering and more importantly qualifying!
Britcar rules state that each driver must complete three laps in both daytime and also at night with the fastest drivers lap from the group determining grid position. It was already apparent that the fastest lap wouldn't be coming from me so I made a plan to head out, complete the required laps and bring it back in nice and fresh for either Tony or Jim who were both very close and either would be most likely to set the time.
Jim put in a fantastic 2:38.216 putting us 52nd on the grid which might not sound very good but when you see the sort of cars we were out with (Ferrari 430s, Astons, Moslers, Marcos, Porsches and BMWs) is pretty impressive.
Even the usually quite pokey 158bhp of the MX-5 shrinks into the background compared to the insane horsepower developed by the other cars on the grid. Even the Smartcar entry had a brabus engine and could just about pull away from us in a straight line!!! Our secret weapon however was the little Mazda's superb handling and apex speeds combined with excellent braking ability courtesy of some rather cheeky AP four pots!!
In between filming some silliness with a Challenger 2 and various media photos I spent the rest of the day in total shock over what we had achieved and what laid in front of us tomorrow.
Night qualifying was mind blowing. You literally cannot see a thing beyond your headlights and you just have to drive on semi-instinct hoping that the apex that was there earlier must still be there!!!
After a brief moment of disorientation I end up slightly confused and turning into a left hander thinking it leads onto a straight...............wrong! I coming hurtling upto Village Corner at 95mph trying to avoid our sister car braking and have to go flying past the inside along the grass! Very embarrassing but lesson learned. Concentrate harder.
Another debrief in the pub and an early night trying to sleep whilst my brain rushed through thoughts of braking points, apex speeds and how the hell do you know if it's a Smartcar or a Mosler screaming up behind you at night heading into a corner at 90+mph???? This was going to be interesting.
A few sleepless hours later and it was time to head back to the track for more media bits, signing autographs (why anyone wanted one from me I'll never understand!) and final checks and double checks of the car and equipment.
After the final warm up laps and before we had to be on the grid we found time to have a quick play with an Apache Attack Helicopter that Jim had somehow arranged to be in attendance!!!
Half four came around very quickly and before I knew it the lights were out and Jim was blasting away for the first stint. I was to have the second stint and would be driving from the daylight into the night.
Two hours flew by and the next thing I knew I was rushing to pull on my helmet as Jim came speeding into the pits with Rich shouting at me to get ready!
............"Ok Will, ignition on, start engine.....go, go, go!" Rich's voice over the radio and I was heading along the pits towards the burning green light at the end and onto the sweeping fast right hander of Copse. As I accelerated out and blended onto the circuit a Marcos and M3 blasted past at full chat, flames belching from both exhausts as they swooped past and away into the distance. I really cannot explain just how much of a buzz it is being out on track with full on race cars going for it 110%. It's mental.
An hour in and I was getting nicely into my groove, just about managing to stay on the pace whilst also avoiding collecting the front runners as they shot past like fighter jets. As the sun set over the Silverstone Gantry and I flew along the pit straight at over 100mph watching one of the 430s turn into Copse in the distance, blue flames trailing behind, I really couldn't think of a better place to be. It was a total privilege to be sat behind the wheel of such a fantastic little car in such an amazing place.
I continued on as the darkness drew in, watching plenty of others drop off the track or retire to the pits with problems. About half an hour later I had really settled into a nice night time rythym when for some unfortunate reason the safety car was deployed. We all bunched up and I found myself behind a black M3 CSL. After about a lap the boards were removed and racing could commence. Mr M3 however seemed not to notice and continued at a similar pace until a couple of Porsches came flying past and he speeded up. A bit. I could tell he wasn't happy and that he was taking odd lines and braking in funny places. I tried several times to overtake but he just put his foot down on the straights and refused to let me pass. I eventually got to the stage when I decided it was going to take something a little bolder to get passed and when I came round to the left hander in Maggots came off line to overtake. Unfortunately there was a load of marbles and gravel left over from previous off track excursions and when I tried to sweep back right the car slid towards the outside of the bend, onto the gravel and then the grass. From this point on I became a passenger with a one way ticket to the tire wall.
The impact didn't seem too hard but all the power went the second I hit. No radio. No lights. No nothing. Sickness and embarrassment washed over me. I couldn't believe I'd made such a stupid decision, my sprint mentality had failed to realise that in a 24 hour race you're much better off waiting than taking silly risks. As I clambered out and was ushered behind the wall by a marshal his first words reminded me of just how hugely I had messed up "oh mate, I'm so sorry, we were all rooting for you Forces boys!"
The tow back to the pits with team owner Sam behind me in the golf buggy was horrendous. I prayed that the car could be fixed and that I hadn't just ruined the entire weekend on my first stint.
On arrival the guys set upon the sad looking Mazda like rabid dogs, the broken bumper was off in seconds and lights and wiring was removed with equal speed. It quickly became apparent that the front cross member was buckled beyond repair and that a spare was not available. At this point some bright spark noticed a brand new press car parked at the back of the pits. Before anyone could say anything they were on it like carnivorous ants! It was stripped of it's bumper and the precious cross member was removed.
At this point my old man, Andy decided I needed to step back and have a chill for a bit as I think he noticed I had become pretty withdrawn over the whole thing. We wandered over to the BRDC club house and headed up onto the roof to watch the steady procession of glowing lights and growling engines. After what seemed like an eternity I thought I heard the familiar sound of an MX-5 heading into the Brooklands complex. Believing it to be the sister car I watched it turn into the ever decreasing left hander, cloaked in darkness. But as it swept round to the right it caught the light from the pit lane flood lights and I saw the 86 sticker across the door!!! Yes! We were back in business.
On strict instructions from Rich I headed off to bed to try and grab a couple of hours before my next stint. We had lost 1hr 20mins.
I woke up after a not very restful sleep and headed back to the pits to get ready. On arrival Rich informed me that they had been running slightly longer stints, the car was going great and I should be swapping in about an hour. I grabbed a quick coffee and headed over to the stand at Copse where my mum and Aunty were camped. Watching the cars blast towards you and then fly passed with glowing brake disks and trailing exhaust flames really got me fired up and determined to go back out and make up for my earlier stupidity. In this stint I would be doing the opposite and driving from the darkness into the dawn.
I headed back to the garage and got myself ready.
Jim came flying in and jumped out whilst the team refuelled the car "the car is absolutely fantastic! Some stuffs starting to slow down now and you'll actually have to start overtaking things!" a slap on the back and he helped strap me in. Rich gave the familiar words of command over the radio and I was off.
The car was exactly as Jim had described, running faultlessly and brilliant. The track however had started to look like a war torn air field. There was gravel and rubber debris everywhere except a narrow path along the racing line and various skid marks across the track and into the dark grass beyond.
I quickly settled into a routine and again marvelled at just how amazing this all was. I could see myself getting used to this endurance lark!
The session passed without incident (on my part anyway) and before I knew it Rich was pulling me in for tires and fuel, the first of which were really passed their best and required a very delicate foot to guide them round whilst maintaining a decent pace. I handed over to Mike, watching him disappear down the pit straight and walked away feeling genuinely pleased I had redeemed myself with a good consistent session. I tried not to think where we might have been had I not crashed but I suppose that's racing. You make decisions and then learn from them. That wasn't a very good one and I'll not be doing that in the future.
Off to bed for a quick lay down before my final stint. Mike, Tony and Jim continued to lay down fast consistent times lap after lap.
Final words from Jim as he buckled me in "mate, all the places you like to run wide......don't" this sums up exactly what the track had become, a very narrow path ploughed through mountains of debris gathered over a day and night of racing.
The session goes fantastic and as I pull into the pits ready to hand over to Mike who will take her home to the chequered flag, I feel genuinely sad that I'm saying goodbye to the little Mazda. It's held it's own among such big hitting opponents and shrugged off a head on collision with the tire wall. Mike blasts away down the pits and I gather my thoughts about how fantastic everything is going.
Two hours later I clamber among the huge crowd that has formed on the pit wall waiting to see Mike come round to take the flag. I can't quite see down to the bottom of the straight but hear the crowd start to scream and cheer louder than anything and looking through the gap see the awesome sight of all three MX-5s flying accross the finish line in formation three abreast!!!
86 has been brought home 24th whilst our sister car 75 managed a very impressive 16th! The GT car that had been plagued with multiple problems still made it out to take the flag!
The emotion that washes over me is unexpected. It is a feeling I have never felt before after any of my races over the last ten years.
Pride, elation and relief are just some of the feelings rushing over me and it appears I'm not the only one! Hugging, handshakes and high fives are exchanged all round as the cars pull into the garage. A huge crowd has gathered in and around our garage, all clapping and cheering, and we didn't even win!!! Jim seizes the moment and makes an announcement to get the crowds attention. He thanks Mazda, Jota and all the team for everything they've done and we present Sam and Graeme Fudge of
Mazda for allowing us the opportunity to do this. Everyone cheers and claps more and photos are snapped by the dozen.
Even now, sitting here trying to put into words something I still can't believe I was involved with, a tingle goes down my spine and a rush of adrenaline pumps through me every time I think about it.
Epic. Truly epic.

Mark B

Brilliant read, would love to do this!

muz

Saw there was a little write up in this week AutoCar mag. Great work, lads.

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Well done lads.

Its a really good race to watch is the brit car racing.

Was the yellow and blue escort cossie racing this year. If so did it finish.It did really well last year.


Did you make a lot of money for your charitly then

Will Browning

Unfortunitly no cossie this year. As for total raised we're not sure as the individual charities haven't totalled up yet. It's well into the thousands though as we were on about two grand before the event started!!!

Glenn_

iTrader: (1)

Gutted the cossie wasnt there.I was watching it all weekend and we were talkin to the lads who were racing it.

It finished the race too.Im gutted i.missed the britcar this year cause i really enjoyed it last year.It sounds daft but you felt as if you were part of the racing teams and sometimes i felt like i wanted to help the teams.

How many times were you out in the car and how long for.

When we were there it was mad when we went to watch the racing on the last day cause a lot of the cars had body work damage.


Ive hoped you have raised a fair bit of money cause its going to a good cause.