M O D E L S : MG at Le Mans 2004
Team
RML (Ray Mallock Limited)
website: http://www.rmlmallock.co.uk
Car
Engine: prepared
by AER (Advanced Engine Research); 1995cm³ Turbo (from Garett) engine;
4 cil. in line, 16 valves, type: MG XP-20; Electric injection by Pectel TIOS;
Sparkplugs by NGK
Torque: 600Nm @ 6200rpm
Power: 475bhp @ 7000rpm
Maximum revs: 8000rpm and 7800rpm during the race
Clutch: from AP with 3 carbon discs
Gearbox: from Lola/Hewland, 6 sequences
Chasis: MG LMP 002 Monocoque in carbon/nina
Development: Frank Dernie/Lola and Julian Sole (Lola EX 257)
Suspension: front and rear double triangles with a spring and damper
(Koni) combination
Brakes: AP 6 pistons callipers front and rear with AP carbon discs
Lights: from Hella
Weight: 695kg
Fuel capacity: 80 liters
Wheels and Tyres: OZ 18" with Dunlop's
Drivers
 Mike Newton |
 Tommy Erdos |
 Nathan Kinch |
Race report after 8 Hours - 13th June 2004
RML started this years Le Mans 24 Hours race today with the teams three drivers Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos and Nathan Kinch securing a 7th row grid position with the MG Lola EX257.
Tommy took the start of the 24 Hour race and a clean getaway saw him maintain his position on the first lap. The following early laps saw him climb the leaderboard and gain 10th position before he began to experience a throttle problem and was forced to pit. A few minutes were lost before he was back out on track where he rejoined in 37th position. He drove a trouble free run for the next hour, gaining a place, before pitting for Mike to take over.
Mike’s first stint was delayed when a starter motor problem had to be rectified during the driver change and resulted in the team losing approximately 6 minutes on track. Rejoining in 43rd position he drove a fantastic stint, gaining places consistently and taking the MG up to 15th. The team optimised a safety car period to refuel which also enabled Mike to extend his stint to over twice its scheduled length. Despite being pushed into a spin by another car he drove superbly to rejoin the race before pitting to hand over to Nathan.
Nathan began his stint in 16th position and after one and a half laps the MG lost power and he had to make an unscheduled stop. The car was found to have a broken exhaust manifold and the team worked tirelessly to replace the complicated system for the next two hours.
Nathan rejoined the race in 43rd position and with darkness fallen he drove a very impressive two and a half stints, setting the fastest time of the day, and lapping consistently to maintain 41st position. After over two hours in the car he pitted for a driver change and Tommy took to the track for his second drive of the race.
Full Race report
RML’s sportscar team completed over 20 Hours of this years Le Mans 24 Hour race and recorded the MG Lola EX257’s endurance record. The teams three drivers Mike Newton, Tommy Erdos and Nathan Kinch all drove a superb race, until an engine failure at 12:15pm on Sunday caused the cars eventual retirement.
Saturday saw the start of the 72nd running of the classic race and the first eventful 8 hours included the team working tirelessly to rectify an exhaust manifold problem. Back on track and with darkness falling the MG was running quite a way down the leaderboard before all three drivers put in some superb lap times and climbed their way back up to 10th position in class by Sunday morning.
The car was running strongly with each driver having set faster lap times than their qualifying stints and Tommy set the MG’s fastest lap of the race overall with a 3.41.383.
The race continued throughout Sunday morning, and with the car running strongly and over 255 laps of the famous circuit completed, the team were hopeful of a race finish. With Tommy in the car at noon he began to experience a loss of power and was forced to make an unscheduled stop. The team investigated and on discovering the failure were forced to officially retire from the race.
Ray Mallock commented “We are obviously disappointed not to complete the full 24 hours as the car was running so well. The team have all worked very hard throughout the year with the build up to this race and have put in a tremendous effort to ensure it stayed on track for over 20 hours”.
Tommy Erdos commented “To drive the Le Mans 24 hours is a fantastic experience and we had such a well balanced car with the MG that made it all the more enjoyable. We are disappointed not to cross the line at the finish but know that we have a strong car and are looking forward to capitalising on the work we have done here at the next LMES round”.
The MG Lola will compete in the next Le Mans Endurance Series round at Nurburgring on July 3rd.