Milltek Sport Sponsored Race Teams Have Excellent Weekend of Competition

Milltek Sport supported racers and teams enjoyed a very fruitful weekend of racing on two of Europe's most visually stunning and technically demanding circuits. The SPS Automotive Performance Mercedes-Benz AMG GT3 team were in action at Paul Ricard (with Tom Onslow-Cole (TOC) behind the wheel), while Lucas Orrock had an equally productive weekend, placing 3rd overall at Mugello in his Seat Leon Eurocup racer.

Tom Onslow-Cole takes 3rd at 24 Hours of Paul Ricard
TOC put in a mature drive to claim a superb podium position in the Pro class of the 24 Hours of Paul Ricard, an event that the GT ace and rising endurance racing star won on his way to class victory in the 24H Series last year.

TOC had new SPS team mates for the event, sharing driving duties with Lance David Arnold, Alex Müller, Valentin Pierburg and Stéphane Kox. TOC's first stint fell 6 hours into the race, and he wasted no time in getting to grips with the car and settling into a decidedly quick rhythm, hauling the car to 4th place overall. The team ran as high as 2nd until a damaged splitter forced them to pit, in turn pushing them down to 5th in class. This had become 4th by the time TOC came to complete his final stint, the one that would take him to the end of the race, and he was ultimately able to fight his way into a podium finish, a great achievement for the SPS Automotive team.

Lucas Orrock 3rd in the Wolf-Power Racing Seat Leon
The Seat Leon Eurocup thunders on and continues to provide racing that's reliably close and consistently fast! The series pitched up in Mugello last weekend, the Italian track one of Italy's unsung gems and one that Lucas Orrock admits to having a particular soft spot for.

“Having been testing the week before the race, I had a rough idea of my pace. I was certainly closer than I had been but still lacked ultimate pace. I left the test day and kept going over the track, data and car setup in my mind, searching for ways we could improve.”

The weekend started promisingly, Orrock quickly up to speed and setting lap times that were both quick and consistent – the hallmarks of a driver comfortable in his competitive environment. Orrock went into qualifying confident of a top 10 grid slot, something made all the more important thanks to the reverse top 10 grid used for the second race of the weekend. Orrock ultimately placed 8th on the grid for the first race, 3rd for the second.

The first race saw Orrock put in a superb drive, pouncing on a pair of cars at the first corner and proceeding to pass them round the outside, before adding another mere seconds later. Orrock was 5th overall and the fastest car out on track, pace that saw him rapidly catching the leading pack. His progress up the field was only halted by a big crash at turn 3, an incident which brought out the safety car and bunched up the field.

Orrock's 3rd place on grid for Sunday's race presented the perfect opportunity to claim a podium finish.

Another stunning getaway saw Orrock up to 2nd by the end of the straight until a hefty whack into Turn 1 and rubbing into Turn 2 forcing the Wolf-Power Racing Leon back down to 3rd. Orrock's sheer pace meant that it wasn't long before he was back up to 2nd overall though, maintaining the gap to the leader and pulling away from the rest of the field. This remained the case until midway through the race when Orrock noticed the Leon of Stian Paulsen, 2015 vice champion, closing up on his rear. Orrock decided to let Paulsen by with little fuss, both to save his tyres and to give himself the chance of chasing the Norwegian up the field and possibly challenging for the win. Orrock’s eventual 3rd place finish was a superb result and one which leaves him well placed for the remaining rounds.

“I’m chomping at the bit to get back in the car and keep my learning curve accelerating at its current rate! I’m confident now we can look forward to more podiums and the chance of a win in the 6 remaining races of the season.”