FIRST LAP INCIDENT ENDS WEEKEND HOPES AT MONZA
Ben Tucks latest outing this weekend offered him a great opportunity to experience a new circuit, the legendary ‘Temple of Speed’ at Monza. He re-joined Kessel Racing in the #74 Ferrari 296 GT3 for the GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe, with a new crew, Bronze driver Ashish Patel and Gold rated driver Alex Fontana. However, the weekend was cut short when Patel was taken out in a multi-car accident on a chaotic and dramatic opening lap.
The incident was remarkably similar to Tucks previous race in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) at Spa in August when his Bronze rated co-driver in that race, John Hartshorne, suffered a race ending collision after just a few laps, a collision which ultimately caused his early retirement from racing after aggravating an existing back injury.
Hartshorne’s retirement means that Ben will be driving with a new crew for the remainder of the ELMS season. Ben quickly built up a very close relationship with Hartshorne and was understandably saddened by the news; “It’s a shame our last season together was cut short, I really hope he recovers and enjoys his retirement. John gave me an opportunity in ELMS when it seemed like I was at a crossroads in my career, and I’m forever grateful for the journey we’ve been on together in the last couple years – not to mention the highlight of P4 at Le Mans this year!”
This weekend, Ben re-joined Swiss based Kessel Racing for Round 5 of the GTWC Endurance Cup at Monza, after last racing with them at the legendary 24 Hours of Spa in June.
The weekend started positively with the crew of the #74 Ferrari dialling into the super-fast circuit. Ben was thrilled to be enjoying his first experience of the legendry Italian circuit in a Ferrari. “What a feeling, to be driving a Ferrari around here, it just feels special!”.
In GTWC, qualifying position is determined by the average of the laps set by all three of the drivers, each allotted a separate 15-minute session. By the end of qualifying, the combined crew had done enough to line up in 15th position, with Bronze rated Patel assigned the opening stint of the race.
With a grand total of 56 cars lined up to take the start, the first few laps were guaranteed to be frantic, and when the lights went out it was only a matter of seconds before the action started with a multi-car incident at the first chicane. Patel successfully negotiated the chaos, but heading into the second chicane he was heavily impacted from behind by another car, which created a second multi-car pile-up, taking the #74 out of the race before it really got started.
Ben was disappointed but philosophical; “Unfortunately our race only lasted 2 corners, and the damage was too much to continue. Thankfully Ashish is ok after the incident. It ended up being a crazy race with nearly 20 cars either not finishing or finishing many laps down after incidents and damage. Thanks to Kessel for all the hard work over the weekend. But that’s racing, on to the next one…..”
Ben next races in the ELMS at Mugello on 29th September 2024.
