Aliyyah Koloc, Adam Lacko and David Vršecký, supplemented by the experienced Jarek Janiš, had an intense 24 hour race at Portimao, round three of the 24 Hour Series. Despite starting third in the GT4 class and some technical issues during the race, the team managed to overcome all adversity to get class victory and 10th overall. In addition, the team was awarded the ‚Spirit of the Race Award‘ by the organisers for showing fighting spirit and never giving up.
The 24 hour race was filled with drama for Aliyyah Koloc, Adam Lacko, David Vršecký, Jarek Janiš, and the whole Buggyra ZM crew. David Vršecký took the start from third in the GT4 category. „ I was being careful at the start, maybe a bit too much, but with a long race ahead, the most important thing is to show consistency and to manage the tires,“ explained David after his first stint.
In what was the first time for Buggyra ZM Racing at this challenging but beautiful track with elevation changes and some blind corners, 19-year-old Aliyyah and her more experienced team-mates fought tirelessly with some close racing on the track. Within the first four hours, they moved from third to first in the GT4 class but then had some technical issues. „During my stint early in the race, the front right wheel joint broke for unknown reasons which put us back to second in the class standings. We used the pit stop not only to repair the damage but also to change the front brakes,“ said Adam Lacko.
When night fell over Portimao, the team was running second in class. „It was pretty diffcult during the night, you don’t see a lot, but nevertheless I enjoyed it and I was being consistent. Since my first stint, I had been fighting with another car, overtaking, defending, overtaking again, so I am a little tired,“ said Aliyyah half way through the race after her stint.
During the night, the team had another technical issue but kept on fighting to reclaim the class lead with four hours to go. Two hours before finish there was more drama when, being in the lead, the wheel joint broke down for the third time, so the mechanics had to work wonders and repair the damage as quickly as possible for the team to stay in front.
The crew defended this lead until the finish line to bring home another GT4 class win and 10th overall. With three consecutive wins, the team is now leading the GT4 standings, 48 points ahead of the second-placed team.
„It was a very intense race with many ups and downs. But the crew drove consistently, and the mechanics did an awesome job, working all through the night,“ said Martin Koloc, Buggyra ZM team principal. „We also got a special award by the organizers ‚Spirit of the Race‘ because we were not faced by adversity, we kept on pushing and managed to win after all, despite additional pit stops due to technical issues. The drivers did a great job, Aliyyah in particular. Despite her young age, she is showing incredible driving skills, leveling more experienced drivers with ease. I am sure she has not finished surprising us,“ a very pleased Martin Koloc said at the finish line.
Next for Aliyyah and the whole Buggyra ZM Racing team are the 12 Hours of Misano, Italy, on June 5-6.
