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Bildon Motorsport - News
For Immediate Release:
Team GTI take Victory in 13-Hour Sports Car Enduro
For Immediate Release - October 31, 2004
Amy, WEbb, Giles, and Knestis take Class Victory in 13-Hour Sports Car Enduro
Greensboro, NC - PhilsTireService.com Team GTI had a completely trouble-free run to a class win and 28th of more than 60 entries in its endurance racing debut, at the 2004 Charge of the Headlight Brigade 13-hour sports car race. The event, held on October 23rd at Virginia International Raceway (near Danville, VA) and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCAŽ), is shorter than only the historic Daytona 24-hours in Florida, among sports car races on the East coast of the United States.
Drivers Scott Giles (Leesburg, GA), Greg Amy (Middletown, CT), and Evan Webb (Elkridge, MD) joined car owner Kirk Knestis (Greensboro, NC) to complete 938 miles at an average speed of nearly 72mph, around the 3.27-mile circuit in an event that started at 9:15 on a Saturday morning and was not over until four hours after nightfall.
The team, in collaboration with Koni shock absorbers, Volkswagen racing specialist Bildon Motorsport, and Cobalt Friction Technologies brake parts, secured victory in Improved Touring B by finishing five laps clear of the next closest of six entries in that class. Success was achieved by applying a strategy of lapping faster but stopping for fuel more often than the second-place team, in what became a two-car race when other ITB entries dropped out or were delayed by mechanical difficulties.
Having qualified second in class and 48th overall, the driving squad avoided several close calls in the opening laps, including a minor car-to-car incident that thankfully left their 1996 VW GTI essentially undamaged. As the event settled into a rhythm more appropriate for a race of endurance, Webb, Amy, Giles, and Knestis were able to turn consistent laps punctuated by only seven brief stops to take on fuel and change tires.
The only mechanical service required during the event was the addition of a half-quart of engine oil (near the 10-hour mark), a topping-up of the brake fluid (to compensate for pad wear), and the installation of high-output driving lights just before dark. Team managers gave credit for this reliability to the preparation efforts of chief technician Cameron Conover (Greensboro, NC), and to parts and technical support from both Bildon and import service specialist Der Wagen Haus, also of Greensboro.
The tires - Toyo Proxes RA-1 race rubber from title sponsor Phil's Tire Service, in Haverstraw, NY - performed flawlessly, with the rears lasting the entire race while the fronts were changed as a precaution every 2.5 to 3 hours. Car owner Knestis was clearly pleased when the brake pads from Cobalt went the distance without replacement - a clear advantage in an event where time spent in the pits can mean the difference between winning and losing: "We didn't want to get our hearts set on not changing them," he admitted, "but we really weren't surprised when they lasted the entire race."
The team is already making plans for future events on the East coast with continued support from its current promotional and technical partners, and is working to develop collaborative agreements with other businesses with interests in the booming import performance automotive sector.
Additional information and pictures detailing the PhilsTireService.com Team GTI 13-hour effort can be found on the Web at http://it2.evaluand.com/gti/enduro04.php.
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