Team Rapid (drivers Mark Hobbs, Jez Clark and Mick Martin/Pit Crew) earned a well fought victory for the second year in succession beating 15 other Crossles along with another 46 Classic racing cars of various vintage and performance.
With no time (or funds) for testing, and with the Crossle needing 'finishing time' following a recent gearbox overhaul, the team spent the Friday before qualifying, preparing the car and making adjustments for competing at this magnificent circuit.
Nerves were a little strained for Jez who had not sat in a race car since the same event in 2010, and with Qualifying taking place on a drying (but still damp) circuit he miscalculated his laps bringing the car into the pits a lap earlier than necessary, creating a slightly panicky situation in the pits as the team hurriedly changed drivers for the second stint of qualifying.
There were mixed feelings about the performance of the car, Jez set the team's fastest lap on his very first 'hot lap' the second lap being lost to a wild slide at Eau Rouge as he hit a damp patch of circuit.
The time was good enough for 6th place on the grid but neither driver was happy with the gear change or the brake pedal that was sinking very low, and so they set to work to cure the problem, Mick using his customary 'wizardry' to bring the car back into shape.
With the race at 11.00am the following day, the team prepared for a night out with the rest of the Crossle drivers at a dinner hosted by Arnie Black (Crossle Cars Ltd), a clear demonstration of the huge support shown by the manufacturer to its drivers and teams.
Race day began with a bright blue sky , cool temperatures, perfect for a day of racing.
The Crossles headed the huge field of cars onto the warm up lap following the safety car with what would be a rolling start.
Jez made a good start with a plan to use the outside line at the La Source hairpin only to find a car spinning across his bows, taking avoiding action cost him another 3 places and as the field headed down into Eau Rouge, Jez was still busy picking off cars well into mid corner.
Back up to fifth place by the end of the first lap, Jez could see the familiar Yellow Crossle of Arnie Black dicing with one of the Swiss cars for the lead, picking off cars under the braking zone, Jez was soon on Arnie's tail and took the lead on lap 4, opening up a gap of around 3 seconds and setting fastest lap of the entire race.
The next laps were hectic as both the front runners caught up the backmarkers, and using as much care as possible, in the circumstances, succeeded in avoiding any incidents, a challenge bearing in mind some of the speed differentials between the faster and slower cars on the grid.
On or around 12, Jez pitted, and handed over the car to Mark, no fuel stop this time, but the brake pedal was getting longer and inconsistent and the tyres past their best.
Mark went about his business in dramatic fashion, chasing down the leading Crossle (who had taken the lead thanks to a very fast pitstop/driver change). With pressure mounting they made a mistake while lapping a backmarker and Mark dived through to take the lead while the second driver recovered from his spin.
Mark was never headed again, lap after lap, putting in fast and consistent times, and bringing the car home as leading Crossle and 1st place overall.
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