DIJON, France (10 June 2024) — Another 2.0L Cup success story is in the books for Era Motorsport as we earned our third consecutive podium and first overall win in the 2.0L Cup last weekend at the 2024 Peter Auto Grand Prix de l'Age d'Or at Dijon-Prenois Circuit in Prenois, France.
Kyle Tilley and Oliver Bryant were once again behind the wheel of the Era Motorsport-prepped No. 60 1965 Porsche 911 SWB nicknamed “The Queen of Diamonds,” a car that has served them well and has improved every outing thanks to our excellent UK Staff!
The weekend started on Thursday with a track day to get some extra seat time and testing before the official Peter Auto event began. The practice proved worthwhile as our drivers got a feel for the course and the crew gained valuable data to help make adjustments to the car as they sought more speed.
Friday morning the official action began as the field of 26 spec-built 2.0L SWB 911s set out for the 40-minute private practice session. Both Tilley and Bryant set the pace throughout the session, with Bryant ultimately managing the fastest time of 1:39.921 around the 2.362-mile (3.801 km) circuit.
The team managed to qualify P2 in the 30-minute qualifying session later in the day with a two-driver average time of 1:41.248, less than 0.2 seconds off pole position.
Saturday was race day! 90 minutes of on-track action as we fought for the win. Rain throughout the first 30 minutes of the race resulted in a wet but quickly drying track, with constantly changing levels of grip. Kyle started the race in fantastic form, moving into the lead quickly, and then staying in the podium position battle for the remainder of his stint.
As per usual, the mandatory pit stop length imposed on the pair of Elite drivers set Olly back in the field as he started his stint, but fully committed, he made quick work of the competition, jumping from 11th to fifth in the space of just three laps.
“I got in and just pushed hard as the track was drying,” Olly said. “We managed to take a lot of time out of the other competitors who had a shorter pit stop penalty than us, so it was always going to be close, but we managed to bridge that gap and get the lead with probably ten or fifteen minutes to go.”
The race wasn’t over yet though! While the track had been drying, another rain shower made conditions tricky again.
“It rained heavily in the last four or five laps so I just had to bring it home and not make any mistakes.”
“It was fantastic to get such a great result and really good work from the Era guys to get the car balanced perfectly all weekend. I’m looking forward to the next one!”
Kyle was just as thrilled with the outcome, stating, “What a race! Very special to take the first sustainable fuel win in the 2.0L Cup.”
“All the boys in the workshop have been doing fantastic work on the car, especially our mechanic Lee Woodhams. They’re receptive to the feedback from Olly [Bryant] and I, and always come back with an even better car than we had before.”
“To get our first overall win and take the championship lead, I feel like things couldn’t have gone any better. The 2.0L Cup has such a fantastic grid each weekend; thanks to Peter Auto for once again organising the premier historic racing series and allowing us to race these pieces of history."
“As always, stunning work from Olly behind the wheel. Looking forward to Paul Ricard in September.”
This weekend was also the first event where the 2.0L Cup race ran using sustainable synthetic fuels, marking another step in Peter Auto’s journey to promote sustainability in racing.
“Peter Auto is committed to the environment with the use of Aramco synthetic fuel,” Peter Auto said. “After a very conclusive first test on nearly 30% of the cars during the 2023 Le Mans Classic and the 2024 Tour Auto, Peter Auto is repeating the experience this year during the circuit races.”
“In a collective approach, the objective is to prove the effectiveness of synthetic fuel on various vehicles. Peter Auto aims to make this fuel compulsory for all its events within three to four years, thus underlining its commitment to sustainable mobility.”
Now we have just two races left in the 2.0L Cup this year, first at the Peter Auto Dix Mille Tours 30 August - 3 September at Paul Ricard Circuit, and finally at the Peter Auto Estoril Classic 3-4 October at Estoril Circuit.
We can't wait to see you out there!
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