PTG Magazine Issue 1 - November 2015 | Page 22

M.A.D - Make A Difference Charity Race

Farewell Forza 5!

M.A.D Make A Difference Charity Race

Farewell Forza Motorsport 5!

PTG participated in the grueling M.A.D (Make A Difference) 24 Hours of Spa Cancer Charity Event on September 5th and 6th. The event raised over 542.50 over the weekend, so hats off to StellaStig, Cornwolf, and the F4H team members involved in the planning and running of this event.

After some minor confusion in the team paddock as to the car choice, PTG started the event in a dismal last after a poor last minute qualifying performance by PTG Baby Cow in the Ferrari F458 with a slow 2:21.968. The two fastest qualifiers were LRT Breeze (2:15.469) and LMR Ascari (2:15.774) powered by BMW followed by the Chevrolet powered NGR Ganon (2:17.036). A total of five teams represented the mighty BMW for the event, followed by three Chevy powered Corvette's, one Ferrari power plant and nobody opted for the Dodge Viper.

With qualifying finalized the contenders lined up on the grid. It was a sunny morning in Belgium and it appeared to be a great weekend for some wheel to wheel action.

In Stint one PTG Kamikaze started for Pendulum Tuning Garage. Some very tight racing, some bumps and bruises along the way but the stint was completed. One position was gained in this stint due to a mechanical failure by F4H ChriSupra dropping all the way from 3rd.

Stint two began and things still looked grim for PTG, however, things were beginning to look even worse for GForce as MidLandZeta had mechanical troubles and had to retire to the pits to see if the mechanics could get things going again for the next driver.

As the pit crews finished their lunch the 3rd stint was set to begin, the Ferrari's appeared to be having a similar race to that of F1's McClaren Honda. PTG Ty1erWard was the next driver and still he appeared to be running his own race at the rear of the pack. Fortunately for PTG, TLR's Corvette began acting up on them and they retired to the pits for repairs prior to stint 4. The LRT BMW now has a commanding lead and has lead the race from pole for the first 6 hours in. Is LRT's BMW's as bulletproof as they appear?

The next stint for PTG was by PTG Baby Cow and the Ferrari began to show some life. After some tough fought battles and wheel to wheel action and all cars completing their stint for the first time of the day PTG finished the stint in 6th place.

UK based PTG Coops now held the wheel of the ferrari for the 5th stint of the day. So far, it appears that despite being the slowest car on track, the Ferrari has held together better than any other manufacturer. Can this continue? Coops with another minor victory for PTG finishes in 8th place as all cars were able to complete their stints.

PTG Kamikaze is the next driver in the paddock coming up for his second session. An exciting session in which the PTG ferrari had enough to tie for tie for 7th in distance. Fraheliaz had trouble with the HCR BMW and had to retire to the paddocks early.

We are now halfway through the coverage of the M.A.D 24 Hours Du Spa. The grueling race continues, and fatigue is beggining to set in for some teams. The BMW LRT still holds a commanding lead as they have pulled at least a one mile gap in every stint. Is there any stopping LRT? Will their car hold up for the next 12 Hours or will they have issues like the majority of the teams? How reliable is this BMW?

PTG Baby Cow is now behind the wheel for his second session. Some well fought battles with the BMW of LSR Filly and MAD S2's Rot King Vette. In the end PTG's pit strategy and overall pace in this session was not enough to keep up with the others finishing in 7th and just a few seconds behind ROT King and TLR Jmcfad.

PTG Chunky was up for his 2nd stint and trying some adjustments he suggested to the pit crew. Some close battles in the beginning of the race with an exciting start. He pushed hard for the entire stint and it was just enough to finish ahead of the Mad S2 Vette.

The doors of the PTG paddock are closed and there is no sign of the PTG/Thrustmaster Ferrari. Lets hope they can get the car repaired and in decent shape for the next Driver.

After a few hours of work the PTG car is driven out of the garage by PTG Chunky for a arduous 3rd stint! Feeling refreshed from his off stint PTG Chunky put together a great session and managed to reel in the MAD S2 Vette by nearly a mile.

PTG Mesasphere is out at a last minute request to do the 11th stint of the day, and what a run it was. Mesasphere managed to log the most miles of the day for PTG in his stint. Once again getting closer to MAD S2's Vette and pulling a wonderful five mile gap. Will they be able to surpass them in the short amount of time?

Last up is PTG Kamikaze for his 3rd stint in the 24 hour period. Kamikaze is hoping to put a wonderful stint together and for a mechanical failure by Mad S2's leader Stella Stig. It quickly became clear that the Ferrari was just no match for the Vette in the hands of Stella Stig, the only hope is that he has to return to the pits, to no avail. PTG finished the event and had a great time being on track with the other racers.

The event raised a great amount of money for charity and all who participated exclaimed how much they enjoyed the event. There was no match for the LRT BMW finishing a whole 30 Miles in front of the Ceasers Elite BMW. The car was right hooked and had the speed to match. LRT Breeze was steady as usual having the fastest stint of the day at a phenomenal 2 Hours 20 Minutes 7.2 seconds.

We hope you join us for the next event!