AN ELATED LAUREN GRAY MOTORSPORT team has snared a top three class finish at the Dial Before you Dig Australian 6 Hour production car race at Eastern Creek after a dramatic and unpredictable class battle today.The LGM Toyota Corolla Sportivo ran at the front of Class D – for production sports cars – all race long in an absorbing battle between teams with cars from Holden, Honda, Renault, Ford and Mini.
Whilst the Turbo Holden Astra was in a class of its own, LGM drivers Lauren Gray and 18-year-old Sydneysider Jake Williams often headed the ‘real’ Class D race and set a cracking pace early, before being forced to slow to conserve a limited stock of rubber.
The team played a cat-and-mouse game with the lead Renault Clio for third in class throughout the last two hours, and when their rivals pitted with five minutes to go to they were able to snare a stunning class podium.
Whilst the tyre issues forced the team to run at a pace slower than its main rivals in the latter half of the enduro, slick pit stops and smart driving ensured the team remained in contention right to the end.
The elated team was classified 15th overall, third in class and third non-turbocharged car home after completing 177 laps – 690kms – of the 3.9km circuit.
The stunning top 15 result backs up a top 20 finish in the Armor All Bathurst 12 Hour race plus strong runs in four, one-hour championship races also contested this year; the LGM Corolla and team performing without fault for 22 hours and more than 2200kms of racing to date in 2010.
Head to www.laurengray.com for more information about the team.
Lauren Gray
“We are really pleased to be on the podium after the dramas we had with tyres during the race. We had very good pace early but only had a limited stock of rubber so had to run five to six seconds a lap slower than we could to conserve the tyres, which was very frustrating.
“Despite that the car was fantastic and we made sure we made the right calls all day, stayed as consistent as possible and made no mistakes on track or in the pits, which we didn’t.
“I was watching the Renault at the end and asking the team how far ahead they were. When they came in I pushed for a lap to make sure we got in front and got a buffer, so to be able to come through and get a podium after all of that is an awesome result. We’re really happy.”
Jake Williams
“Words can’t describe the feeling (of finishing on the podium), it’s an awesome feeling.
“I just wanted to go out there and see what I could do. Lauren did a great job driving around the dramas with the tyres and everything else that was thrown at us. We both stuck to it and did the best job we could and it paid off.
“The team did a great job with the car and the pit stops. Everyone did great work, I had a ball driving around and really enjoyed it. It was a great weekend. ”
