Rick Pearson in the Lola

"I don't share my women and I don't share my racecar..."

This was the advice given me by a wise (French) Touring Car driver before I embarked on this last season with Tracsport in the LMES. Below I discuss why I can see his point!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Rick Pearson, the last of the Tracsport drivers to write these columns and I'd spent the prior three years racing across Europe in the Renault Trophy series.

My European sojourn started after coming fifth in the UK Clio Cup in it's inaugural year and comprised two years in the mighty Clio V6 Trophy cars ("mighty frightening" according to Jacky Ickx...) and then a year in the European 2 litre Clio Cup before joining Tracsport for 2004.

This meant I was used to the big meetings, having been part of the Super Racing weekend for three years and some pretty big occasions when the series had supported the Monaco and German GPs. This also meant the handling of the Lola felt pretty benign compared to what I was used to: taking a Lola around Silverstone compared to talking the Clio V6 through the tunnel in the Principality was the difference between walking the dog in the park and playing "Nice Kitty" with a lion... And the experience of racing without someone gently tapping "Get out of my way" on your rear bumper in each braking zone meant the LMES races felt mighty lonely to me!

So for me the two biggest differences this year was racing something with downforce and sharing the car with other drivers.

Now the first of these is not tough to adapt to, at least not in terms of cornering speeds. The way the braking efficiency fades with the slowing of the car (as the downforce doesn't push the car onto the track so hard) is something that you do need to work with a bit, but that comes with track time.

But for me, coming from driving cars where the brakes were used more to balance it and persuade the front end to point it at the nearest kerb it was a bit of a shock to the system accepting that you can just hold your breath to the 80 metre board and then slam on the anchors. This was probably the toughest element of the year driving-wise.

Far more interestingly was the effect that having three drivers in the car made in the driving style.

Our first race at the Nurburgring, my second stint in the car was the final one of the race, we were running in fourth as I got in the car which was as good as we really could have hoped given the competition and the fact it was the teams first race in the LMES. The fifth place car was too far behind to catch us, so it was just a case of getting the car to the finish.

However, I started the stint on slicks on a wet track, and it was getting dark. The team had worked incredibly hard to put the deal together to be at the race, and the crew had worked miracles to build us a competitive, reliable car.

During my earlier stint I'd been clipped by a Ferrari while sat in the ball of spray behind another car and damaged the rear wing. To make matters worse, the first few bends on the lap were too slow (given the wet/slick tyres combo) for the engine and it was hesitating and cutting out on me at random. Finally, the radio wasn't really working, I could hear the team manager, Dudley, but I was pretty certain he couldn't hear me.

Now, I didn't want to be the one who undid the work of the entire crew and the other two drivers by not bringing the car home and the pressure of this was an entirely new experience for me in a racecar. And to be honest, not a particularly enjoyable one! I drove the car for the last 45 minutes on a knife-edge, lapping much slower than I could but with no upside in going faster (and going off).

Given the lack of enjoyment and financial sacrifices/ deals done in order to be in the car, it was tough to say that had been worthwhile. Whilst the mechanics headed off armed with beer money from the drivers to celebrate their efforts, we were crashed out in the motorhome exhausted.

Later of course we found out we were third following the disqualification of the WR, we'd had a decent nights sleep and the World felt like a better place! We were raring to go to Silverstone!

Clearly just driving a car of the nature of the Lola is an honour in itself and to do so around your home GP track is something special. It's important never to forget that you are doing something that most people would kill for the opportunity, but the stress of driving with an obligation of responsibility often plays with your mind.

The nature of the way we crewed the Lola was that occasionally you'd inherit tyres from the previous driver, and the rear tyres I got for my single stint at Silverstone were basically dead the second I left the pits. You then spend an hour in the car with the nagging thought that perhaps the driver before you had been sticking in glory laps to ensure he had the fastest lap of the day and generally torturing the tyres, then not owned up to the team manager that they needed changing. You struggle to post a representative time and then to compound the misery we had third place on the road snatched away from us when we had problems with 20mins to go.

It's easy to feel like again you've had a poor day at the office, when in fact most likely is that the team manager knows you are easy on the fuel and tyres and he can get away with running a set of covers beyond their normal life when you're at the wheel: without you losing as much time as it would cost to change the wheels at the fuel stop.

A team-mate of Jacky Ickx (again) was once asked if he felt that he'd driven in the shadow of the great man and not got the same level of press appreciation even though at several circuits he'd been the quicker driver. And he conceded that yes, because Jacky's contract stated that he had to start AND finish every race he was always going to take top billing. And that everytime Jackie got in the car he'd immediately try and smash their fastest lap of the day to ensure he had the best time.

But you can't all be in the car at the same time and this is racing not playschool. Like life, it doesn't need to be fair! The team manager needs to put in the best driver for that stint to get the car to the finish as fast as possible.

By the time we got to the final round at Spa, we'd pretty much got our heads around the issues of sharing a car and the three of us were able to operate right out at our limits, pushing the car throughout the five stints, stretching the final tank of fuel right to the line (great work by John Gaw), holding off the Luchini and snatching third place in the Championship.

It was fantastic result that has set us up with a viable package to take to sponsors and should see the team back in the LMES in 2005. As for me, I'm working very hard to ensure it all happens and I'm with the team, in a Courage C65, on the startline in Sebring in March.

I hope that gives you a slightly different insight into pressures of driving a prototype.

I hope to see you all at one of the LMES rounds in 2005!

Rick.