BBC Children in Need 24 Hour Simulator Race.
23rd Nov 2009
On Friday the 20th I took part in the BBC Children in Need Charity 24 hr Simulator Race at The Race Centre in Southampton.
Including myself, Team Autosport also featured British drivers Adam Christodoulou, James Calado and Harry Tincknell – and very briefly ex-F1 driver and TV presenter Tiff Needell and a BBC News reporter (called Steve – I know no more!) who each did short stints then left the other 23 hours and 15 minutes to us four!
A total of ten teams entered including Team Virgin, Mclaren Racing and Team Porsche to name just a few.
The race was like the real thing – we were driving LMP1 cars around Laguna Seca (in the US) - with pit stops every half an hour for driver changes, cold tyres out of the pit lane and night time racing which made it extremly hard to see where we were going!
We battled hard with Team Virgin to secure an eventual 3rd place and the fastest lap at the end of a very tiring racing session. Most of the teams had about eight drivers so it gave them longer rest periods while the four of us didn’t get much sleep at all… just three hours each in the end!
It really surprised me how long 24 hours actually lasts when you’re in a continuous race, and so now I have even more respect for the Le Mans teams and drivers after discovering how easy it is to lose concentration and make a mistake.
A big thanks to the Race Centre for putting on a great event which raised a fantastic £7000 for a very worthy cause – the 2009 Children in Need appeal – and also to all the other drivers who competed over the course of the day.
About Riki Christo
Riki Christodoulou has been racing as long as he can remember. Through karts, Formula Renault and now in the British Formula 3 International series. Riki continues to compete in top flight motorsport as one of the UK’s most promising young racing car drivers.
