Photo: Marcus Potts/CMC
AD Group’ MG Lola EX264 race car emerged victorious in the Le Mans Prototype 2 class after a barrage of equipment problems and failures.
Mike Newton, CEO of AD Group, and Brazilian Thomas Erdos, the two regular drivers of the MG Lola EX264, were joined by former works MG driver Warren Hughes.
Inside the MG, the company installed their own TransVu mobile CCTV unit, which captured continual digital image recordings for the duration of the race. The same, rugged TransVu unit was used all last season in the FIA GT Championship. There, the unit had to withstand temperatures of up to 122 deg. F, underlining the ruggedness of the design.
For much of the gruelling race, all went better for the TransVu than for the race car. By the end of the first hour, minor problems with the cooling system and gear change dropped the car to last place of the 50 entries. But 17 hours into the race, the skill and determination of the drivers brought the car into the lead of the LMP2 class, with a two-lap cushion ahead of the second-place rival. Further mechanical problems surfaced, but each time the car was able to recover. With 40 minutes of the 24 hours left, Erdos swept past the competitors to once again lead the class. He crossed the line at 4:00 p.m. to capture first place in the Junior Prototype Class.
“We are naturally delighted with this result, given all the heart-in-mouth drama that led up to our victory,†Newton said.
AD Group companies AD Aerospace, Dedicated Micros, and RemGuard sponsored the race. For more information, visit www.dedicatedmicrosus.com.
