UPDATE FROM THE TEAM - Day two of race week practice started well with Stig testing on the lower half of the mountain. Now using more boost following successful mapping of the engine yesterday, Stig posted one of the fastest times of the day on his first run.

The team however hit problems on the second run where the Mach 2 Racing RS200 stopped 3 corners into the run. Assessment of the problem in then pits proved inconclusive however a major engine problem was suspected.

The team returned to it's US race week base at Brooks Racing Engines in Colorado Springs and further investigation proved that the engine has indeed suffered a major shaft failure. The diagnosis from senior mechanic and engine technician Geoff Page was that the engine was not repairable in the time available.

At 0900HRS US time ( 1500 HRS UK time), team manager Alan Greenwood enlisted the urgent assistance of Dave Mountain of Mountune Racing in the United Kingdom, who are Mach 2 Racing's engine partners. Mountune were able to come up with an amazing solution of readying a second replacement engine in their base in Essex, UK and preparing it for airfreight shipment to the USA. This still left the small matter of getting the engine from Essex, through US Customs and to Colorado Springs in time to prepare and fit the engine to allow the RS200 to race on the Saturday.

Motor Racing specialist forwarders MW Freight in the UK arranged shipment to the US via United Airlines on the first flight on Thursday morning. With the goods being pre cleared by MW's US customs brokers in Chicago, the engine was transferred onto an internal flight to Denver within a couple of hours. The Mach 2 team collected the engine from Denver at midnight on Thursday night and once back at base the team started work on first preparing, then fitting the new engine.

The team worked heroically through to the early hours of Saturday morning to install and test the engine.

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FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

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Blomqvist to miss qualifying

Colorado Springs, Co, USA

 

26/06/2002 - Stig Blomqvist and the Mach 2 Racing team will miss tomorrow’s qualifying for Saturday’s Pikes Peak ‘Race to the Clouds’ after striking mechanical problems during today’s practice.

 

Blomqvist completed one run of the lower section, commenting that the surface was still maintaining a slippery feel to it, although he said he’d compensated for this and that the car was running very well. 

 

Early in Blomqvist’s second run at the section, a mechanical problem developed in the vehicle, necessitating the end of the days practice for the Mach 2 team. 

 

Having had an opportunity to assess the problem, parts are now in transit to remedy the problem but will not arrive in time for Mach 2 Racing to set the car up for tomorrow’s qualifying session.  The team do, however, intend to have their Ford RS200 Evolution ready for Saturday’s ‘Race to the Clouds.’