Cox is Zolder and much Moore wiser!

10:53am Wednesday 5th September 2001

DAVE Cox has burst back into the limelight after a tremendous victory in the Zolder 24-hour endurance race held in Belgium.

Cox, from Gravesend, and his co-drivers, Willie Moore and Arthur Atkinson, brilliantly won their class, despite only starting in fourth place on the grid and then nearly having victory snatched from their grasp when their car developed engine problems near the finish.

It was a welcome change of luck for Cox and his team-mates who, until Zolder, had suffered a disappointing season.

But that was swiftly forgotten when the Moore International Motorsport 3-litre BMW M3 took the chequered flag in their class, albeit with the engine spluttering.

Cox, formerly from Lee Green, said: “We were the only British entry among those at Zolder when strong teams from the host country, as well as Finland, France, Germany and Holland, competed.

“There were fifty-three cars entered in four different categories, with the top two classes restricted to Le Mans-style cars like Chrysler Vipers GTS, Porsche 996 and Corvettes, plus two for touring cars.

“We entered the class for touring cars up to three litres and despite the fact that many of our rivals have professional drivers and well-funded teams, which used specialist engines and tyres, we concentrated on our race strategy and managed 33rd on the grid and fourth in class.

“Fuel consumption was the deciding factor when it came to pit-stops and driver changing.

“With a 120-litre fuel tank, we calculated that our car would run for two hours before the need to re-fuel and swap drivers.

“Team leader Willie Moore drove the first two-hour stint, having endured the 90-minute pe-race build-up on the grid in a temperature of 36c in his three-layered fireproof suit!”

“It was one way to lose a few pounds,” quipped Cox, who added: “The race started at 4.30pm and, unlike some of our rivals who found trouble with their cars after just one hour due to the extreme heat, we opted to drive steadily in the early stages.

“Our plan was working to perfection and by the time I had finished my two-hour stint and handed over to Arthur Atkinson, we were up to 12th overall and leading our class.

“At that point, the car was running smoothly, although we did have to make an unscheduled pit-stop when, under braking, the car vibrated badly and we had to replace a cracked disc.

“By 2.30am, the following morning and with just two hours of the race remaining, we had moved up to seventh overall and were leading ur class by 52 laps.

“Then, with only 90 minutes left, we had to bring the car back into the pits with a sickly-sounding engine. There was depair among all the team members as here we were leading by such a margin but facing defeat.

“Paul Denchfield, our chief mechanic, and his team got to work and he confidently predicted the engine could last another 10 laps.

“It was time for the calculators and, much to our relief, we worked out that the second-place team could not make up those 52 laps in the last hour-and-a-half.

“So we gave the car a polish, parked it in the garage and sat back for a well-earned rest.

“At 4.24am, just six minutes before the end of the race, Willie took the car back out onto the track and drove it round very slowly before taking the chequered flag to massive applause from the 66,000 flag-waving and cheering spectators.”

Cox concluded: “Winning our class was a tremendous achievement and, despite having to sit out so much of the race, we still managed to finish 14th overall.”

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