Team Nasamax

Last year a lot of ink was spilt about the Nasamax as it was powered by a bio-ethanol
alcohol fuel derived from maize. This year it again grabs the headlines as it was the only
car complying with the 2004 LM P1 regulations drawn up by the ACO and the FiA.
John McNeill's team had retained the ex-Reynard O1Q carbon fibre tub but abandoned the
Cosworth DFX Indy engine in favour of one of the 5 litre Judd unites like those used by Henri
Pescarolo's team. The drivers were Robbie Sterling, Kevin McGarrity and Werner Lupberger.
They finished the first practice in April on a 13th place in 3m 45,442s, however, it was very
rapid on the straight line being clocked at 330 km/h on the straight before Indianapolis while the
fastest Audi's best was 326 km/h.

Overall the Nasamax's practice in June was a
bit like the Curid egg: "good in parts!" The car
was quickest past the grand stands but spent
a lot of time in its pits due to incorrect gearing
and ignition problems. Once the injector had
been adjusted Kevin McGarrity got round in 3m
49,799s as Wednesday's practice drew to a
close. The next day he improved to 3m
42,429s, 14th quickest overall, but once again
the gearbox acted up. Werner Lupberger did
not drive and Robbie Stirling owed his place on
the grid to the clemency of the steward, as he
did not do his three nightime laps!
In the warm up the Nasamax ran out of fuel
(apparently voluntarily) at the far end of the
circuit, which delayed its return to its pit. It

was beset by minor problems in the early part of the race like punctures, spins etc, and two
major ones, virtually impossible gear selection and serial misfiring. After 3 hours of the race
Lupberger was 20 laps behind the leaders but when McGarrity took over and quadruple-stinted
the horizon began to brigthen for the black and green car just as the sun was setting!

The Nasamax drivers were hoping for an un-
eventful night. Their prayers were answered as
they began an incident-free comeback apart
from the engine misfiring occasionally something
that Stirling, Mcgarrity and Lupberger had
learned to anticipate especially when
approaching a corner. John McNeill reduced the
stints from 10 to 9 laps to help fuel consump-
tion. The car climbed from 34th place at 23h00
to 17th where it finished.
The team attempted to cure the misfire by
working on the Judd's engine mapping. The
drivers did their best to defend the 15th place
they had reached in the morning, but electrical
problems sent them back to 17th place.

For Nasamax it was mission accomplished. The boi-ethanol fuelled car had a relatively serene
end to the race after a chaotic start. Stirling, McGarrity and Lupberger pulled back 34 places in
24 hours including six in the last three hours despite falling back in the morning with ignition
problems. 17th place overall was an encouraging result though a lot of work remains to be done
as the Nasamax finished 63 laps behind the winner.

Hour by hour:
Start - 13th
1h - 47th
2h - 46th
3h - 47th
4h - 43rd
5h - 40th
6h - 35th
7h - 35th
8h - 33rd
9h - 32nd
10h - 26th
11h - 24th
12h - 21st
13h - 19th
14h - 15th
15h - 17th
16h - 15th
17h - 15th
18h - 22nd
19h - 22nd
20h - 23rd
21h - 21st
22h - 20th
23h - 18th
24h - 17th