January 14-15, 2005

Race Report

Getting to this Race.

After a wonderful experience at the 3rd annual N.S.C.R.C 24 Hour Race at James Baxley’s Jim Clark Raceway in March 1995, it was decided that we could run an endurance race here in Boise.  The 12 Hours of Boise was born.  Nine Races later, The 12 Hours of Boise had become a highly competitive Race with a rich history.

2002 comes along and Sam Shearman, Race Director of all prior The 12 Hours of Boise Races, starts suggesting that we run a 24-hour Race to celebrate the 10th running of the Race.  I was not sure whether we could pull it off, but Sam always knows how to make it work!  As time went by, Sam mentioned that there were Drivers from England who would come over in 2005 should we put on a 24-hour Race.  By 2003 before Sam and I went to Derby, England for the H:O Le Mans 24 Hour Race, rough plans were in place for a 24-Hour Race in celebration of 10 years of The 12 Hours of Boise Races.

At Derby, I met Peter and Tony Baldock of Croydon, England, the Drivers committed to coming to Boise to race with us.    Tony is easily one of England’s best Drivers.  Peter is no slouch either.  We discussed The 12 Hours of Boise, the quality of Drivers, and the competitiveness of the Race.  As we spoke of our 24-Hour Race, Peter and Tony became more excited about the Race and we knew that we would have them in Boise in 2005 for the Race.

By the time Sam and I returned from England, The 24 Hours at Les Bois was set.  By the time The 12 Hours of Boise IX concluded on January 3, 2004, we started to plan and refine everything to turn an already competitive Race into as big of a success as ever as well as twice as long.  We also had a new 12-Hour record set by Team Porsche, as well as segment lap records for all four lanes.   These record were thought to be difficult to break even by the quality of drivers which we expected to appear and drive in The 24 Hours at Les Bois come January 2005.

By July 2004, we were set.  The Rules and Schedule had been approved.  The Teams had Captains, most of the Teams’ Drivers had been recruited, and we could see that this Race was going to be more competitive than ever.  All Drivers had driven in at least one Race of 12 hours or more, and all Drivers (save one) have been victorious either in The 12 Hours of Boise, the N.S.C.R.C. 24 Hour Race, or the H:O Le Mans 24-Hour Race in Derby.

By November 2004, and our second trip to Derby, Peter and Tony Baldock were ready to come to Boise.  It was only a matter of time before we would all meet again for The 24 Hours at Les Bois.  A lot of Practice during the Holidays and into January, and the second week of January finally arrived.   The garage and Shearmanator Raceway was ready.  The Teams were set.  It was time to Race!!

The Week of the Race.

 Wednesday, January 12, 2005, started the official Race-related events with the arrival of Peter and Tony Baldock from England.  Sam got them promptly to the Shearmanator so they could get some practice laps over the next few days.  As it would turn out, that practice would be well rewarded.  Peter and Tony both went from “beginner” status with 10-second laps to “Race quality” laps in the 7 and 8-second range in one day, showing the quality of driving to come.  Wednesday evening we enjoyed a wonderful dinner on the town, then right back to practice.

Thursday, January 13, 2005, came more practice for the Baldocks.  That afternoon we welcomed Jeff Hurley from Redwood City, California, with the much anticipated hand-painted bodies for Team Jaguar X.  Jeff went to work on the Shearmanator and showed that, even though he had never seen this Track before, he knew how to get the most out of a car and was into the 7 and 8-second range before we went to dinner.  A wonderful pre-Race dinner of most Drivers at Lock Stock & Barrel was had as we geared up for the Race, which was now only a day away.

       Friday, January 14, 2005, 5am.  What are we doing up so early??  We were fortunate to have Larry Gebert of KTVB Channel 7’s morning show come and do a remote broadcast from 5am to 9am.  Mr. Gebert interviewed us about the Race while most of the Race’s Drivers got in some much needed practice when wishing at the same time to still be asleep!  We got that needed sleep and returned by 5pm ready to run the real Race.  We also welcomed Rick Burneson from Whittier, California, with the other hand-painted body, a Porsche 917 for Team Baldock Racing.  Everyone was here.  The cars passed the technical inspection and there was no reason to wait any longer.  It was time to race.

The Teams.

       As noted above, the Teams for The 24 Hours at Les Bois were the best and most qualified of any other Race previously had in the history of The 12 Hours of Boise.  Defending Champion Team Fourpeat had all returning Drivers from Race IX’s record setting Team: Captain Phil Malone, Brady Fuller, Stan Fuller, and “Flyin’” Ryan Hansen, driving an original white Corvette GT body with blue on the front.  Phil is well known as being an incredible car builder and this Team had won two of the last three Races.  Going into this Race, Team Fourpeat was poised to compete for the victory and defend its title.

       Team Jaguar X, with Captain Mike Pope, Jeff Hurley, Jarom Shearman, and Chad Taylor, had the most victories in endurance Races of all Teams, and drove a Tangelo Pearl/Gold Jaguar XJR-8 with black trim painted by Jeff.  Mike and Jarom were driving together for the ninth time in the ten Races.  The rivalry between the Drivers of Team Fourpeat and Mike and Jarom’s Teams Jaguar is well documented and was going to be no different in this Race.

       Team Porsche, the Race’s only three-Driver Team, with Captain Sam Shearman, Jim Terry, and Rob Walsh, raced an original white Porsche 917 with green and gold trim, was the least experienced Team in the Race.  If you consider close to 20 races for Sam, 6 races for Jim, and 2 races for rob “least experienced”!  Sam is one of the best car builders around and the Team was certain to be competitive as the Race progressed.

       Finally, Team Baldock Racing, with Captain Peter Baldock, Tony Baldock, Rick Burneson, and Aaron Shearman, and their yellow, orange, and red Porsche 917 painted by Rick, rounded out the Teams.  All four Drivers have won at Derby, and Aaron and Tony are considered two of the best Drivers in the world.  Despite three “rookies” on the Team, there was no way the lack of time on the Shearmanator Raceway was going to be a liability when you look at the quality and experience of this Team.  In the end, this would prove to be more than true.

       All four Teams used Tomy Super G+ chassis.  The Rules allowed four armatures that could be balanced and trued, as well as silicone rear tyres and hubs to accommodate the tyres.  Otherwise, these cars were stock, and they were about to run twenty-four hours.

The Ceremony.

       The 12 Hours of Boise has had a building history over the previous nine Races.  None more than the fact that five Drivers, Brady Fuller, Stan Fuller, Mike Pope, Jarom Shearman, and Sam Shearman, have driven at least one segment in the prior nine Races, and were present for this Race.  Through seven of the nine Races, these Drivers accounted for 52,076 laps (no verifiable lap records for Races II and III).   Fourteen Drivers’ victories have come from these five Drivers as well, with all having at least two victories.  By the end of this Race, that total increased to 67,605 laps, close to one-third of all laps driven by all drivers in the ten Races, as well as adding two more Drivers’ victories.  Congratulations to these great Drivers.

       Team photos were taken.  Lane Assignments were drawn for by the Captains.  The cars were marked and placed on the starting grid.  It was 6pm and time to Start The 24 Hours at Les Bois.

The Race.

       Rather than give an account of each segment of the Race, summaries of what these top Drivers accomplished will be given, along with 4-Hour “Block” updates.  The fifteen Drivers in this Race proved that this was going to be a competitive Race from the beginning.  In the end, what these Drivers accomplished over twenty-four hours proved that we did have some of the best Drivers in the world at this Race.

       Starting with Race IX in 2004, we went from 90-minute to 60-minute segments.  The lap records set for each lane were considered to be reachable, but probably not breakable due to the high lap counts, especially Brady Fuller’s 480 laps on the Green Lane.  However, due to the quality of the Drivers, each lane record was blown away!  Rookie lap records were near 400 laps in Race IX, only to have all “rookies” go well over 400 laps many times in this Race.  Most “rookies” ran closer to 420 laps this year.

       In Race IX, to reach 440 laps garnered praise from all Drivers should it be reached.  It was reached and surpassed only eight times.  In this Race, thirty-four of the ninety-six segments, fully one third of the segments exceeded 440 laps.  450 laps in Race IX were achieved in five segments, only to have twenty-five segments in this Race go past 450.  Last year, only two Drivers, Mike Pope and Brady Fuller, got to 460 laps for one segment, with Brady Fuller’s incredible 480 laps being the ultimate (and considered perfect) segment driven.  In this year’s Race, fourteen segments surpassed 460 laps, and eight of these went over 470 laps.  Three Drivers, Chad Taylor, who just seems to show up every Race and drive like crazy, Brady Fuller, and Mike Pope, passed the 480-lap mark Brady set last year.  Mike also broke the elusive and once-thought unattainable 500-lap mark with 504 laps on the Green Lane in Segment 2.  Race IX’s records fell hard and often with each new Lane’s record being at least over ten laps better than in Race IX.

       After four hours, Team Jaguar X led with 1,853 laps, only ten laps ahead of Team Fourpeat’s 1,843.  Team Baldock Racing was third with 1,714 laps and Team Porsche was fourth with 1,664 laps.  At the end of eight hours, Team Jaguar X only led Team Fourpeat 3,718 laps to 3,645 after a record-setting four-hour block total of 1,865 laps.  Both Team Jaguar X and Team Fourpeat had driven 437 laps or higher in all eight segments.  Teams Baldock Racing and Porsche had unfortunate motor problems during the second four hours.  Team Baldock Racing also went to work lightening its body to improve the car’s handling.  Team Baldock Racing was third with 3,275 laps and Team Porsche was fourth with 3,242 laps.   However, both of these Teams would rebound in the coming hours.

       It is now 6am on Saturday, January 15, 2005.  We have raced the first twelve hours.  It had been dark since we started and we are tired!  Team Fourpeat, then Team Porsche, set the 12-hour lap record in Race IX with 5,218 laps.  This record surpassed by one lap the five-year-old record set by Team Shearmanator.  It was accomplished by Brady’s magnificent 480 laps on the Green Lane and Ryan Hansen’s incredible 458 laps on the Red Lane in segments 10 and 12 to just pass the old record.  It seemed that 5,218 laps would stand for a long time since the previous record stood for five years.  This record would stand for one year and twelve hours as Teams Jaguar X and Fourpeat DESTROYED it in first twelve hours.

       After twelve hours, Team Jaguar X led with 5,531 laps.  This total was 313 laps better than the old record with a segment average of 461 laps.  Team Fourpeat also went over its Race IX record by 214 laps with 5,432, an average of 453 laps per segment.  This is almost twenty laps per segment better than last year.  The 99 laps difference between Teams Jaguar X and Fourpeat would have been the third closest finish had this been The 12 Hours of Boise X.  However, there was still twelve hours to go.  Team Baldock Racing finished the first twelve hours in third with 4,953 laps, and Team Porsche was fourth with 4,792 laps.  Even though a bit behind the top two Teams, these totals would have won many prior The 12 Hours of Boise Races.   With twelve hours left in this Race it was still anyone’s Race to win.

       Going into the final twelve hours it became a matter of survival, for both car and Driver.  As the sun rose, all Teams became concerned with keeping their cars running smoothly and keeping their Drivers awake while driving.  Sam Shearman started the new twelve hours by setting a new record for the Yellow Lane with 471laps.  Aaron Shearman came right back in the next segment to equal this total on Yellow.  Team Baldock Racing, with a lighter and better handling body, won the Segment 13-16 block with 1,785 laps, forty-eight laps better than Team Jaguar X’s 1,737.  After sixteen hours, Team Jaguar X still led Team Fourpeat, but only by 148 laps.  The cars were starting to get tired, but the desire to continue putting up good lap totals kept all driving hard.

       Segments 17-20 proved to be one of keeping the cars running.  Team Jaguar X had run the first nineteen hours on three of the allowed four motors, saving its number one motor for the home stretch.  Team Fourpeat started to have chassis concerns, but continued to put up incredible lap totals to take first place for this four-hour block with 1,749 laps and moving to only 117 behind Team Jaguar X.  Team Baldock Racing had some motor problems, but all Drivers surpassed the 400-lap bench mark to stay solid in third place.  Team Porsche, plagued with motor issues throughout the Race, kept going strong with 1,540 laps.

       The final four hours was an exhibition in driving by Team Baldock Racing.  All four Drivers put up solid lap totals to end with 1,777 laps—a full 93 laps ahead of Team Jaguar X for this block.  Captain Peter Baldock fittingly won the final segment of the Race with 415 laps.  The Team’s second twelve-hour total of 5,258 laps also beat the Race IX record by forty laps.  The Team took two of the three four-hour blocks in the second twelve hours and obviously overcame its initial motor and handling problems.  Congratulations to Team Baldock Racing and its three “rookies” for its impressive third place finish with 10,211 laps.

       Team Porsche continued to have motor problems, but Sam Shearman’s excellent car maintenance skills kept the car going.  Jim Terry and rob Walsh held their own and continued to put up quality lap totals, with Rob striving to break 400 laps in the last segment and succeeding with 403 as time ran out.  Team Porsche finished in fourth place with 9,565 laps for the Race.  Congratulations to all three drivers for their efforts in a long Race.

       Team Fourpeat’s chassis concerns finally came to a head and the car slowed in the final four hours.  At first glance it appeared that maybe one of the motor magnet brackets were giving out.  However, that was not what ended up being the problem.  After the Race it was discovered that one of the rear axle clips had started to wear causing the axle to move up and down and rub.  Despite these problems, Team Fourpeat’s Drivers were able to hold onto second place  overall with 10,477 laps.

       Team Jaguar X kept going strong in the final four hours with a new motor and “rookie” Jeff Hurley’s consistent driving through three of those hours.  The Team never had any major motor or chassis issues which allowed the car to be on the track as much as possible.  Jarom Shearman drove the last segment and sealed the Team’s victory and the Shearmanator Trophy with 10,670 laps.  Congratulations to Team Jaguar X.

The victory was the fifth each for Mike and Jarom, the third for Chad, and the first for Jeff.    With this win, Jeff Hurley became the first Driver to win all three 24-Hour Races ever held: The N.S.C.R.C. 24-Hour Race, The H:O Le Mans 24-Hour in Derby, and The 24 Hours at Les Bois.  Jeff also set “Rookie” segment records for the Blue, Green, and Yellow lanes during this Race.  A great demonstration of driving, Jeff!

       Congratulations to all Drivers for surviving this long and tiring Race!  The competition was strong, the sportsmanship was beyond exemplary, and what marshaling had to occur was excellent.  Phil Malone put it best when he mentioned how boring he got while marshaling due to the fact that the cars never seemed to come off of the track!  A tribute to the quality of this Race’s Drivers.

       Special thanks go out to the following:  Peter Baldock for his generous sponsorship money that paid for The 24 Hours at Les Bois T-Shirts and for coming with Tony from England to captain an incredibly talented Team Baldock Racing.  Phil Malone, and Mountain Man Fruit & Nut Company, for the sweet treats we enjoyed throughout the Race, and for captaining the talented Team Fourpeat.  Wendy Christensen helped with taking photographs and brought us a wonderful tasting minestrone soup as the Race drew to a close to allow us all some “solid” food!  Without these people the Race would not have been the success it was.

       Finally, to my partner in crime, Sam Shearman, I give my personal thanks.  Sam came up with the idea of racing a 24-hour Race and made it work.  Sam provided a quality and welcome Race environment by making his garage and the Shearmanator Raceway ready for this event.  His suggestions and ideas helped bring the Race into form over the past fourteen months.  It has been a pleasure to work with Sam on this and all past Races and I look forward to planning future Races with him.

       We look forward to The Second Annual 24 Hours at Les Bois, scheduled for May 12-13, 2006.  Will Team Jaguar X become only the second Team to repeat?  Will Team Fourpeat come back for a third victory in five years?  Will we have a full Team from England come over and take the Shearmanator Trophy back across the Pond with them?  All remains to be seen, but I can guarantee that it will be just as competitive as this year’s Race!!