JB Data Engineering end of year review
2022 has been an exceptionally busy year for JB Data Engineering. With full racing schedules being announced globally at the start of the year and some remaining pandemic travel restrictions still in place, opportunities became available for us to travel internationally and participate in some of the biggest endurance events on the calendar.
DragonSpeed USA – IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
Elton Julian’s DragonSpeed invited JB Data Engineering to travel to Florida for the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, providing data services to its #81 ORECA LMP2 driven by Henrik Hedman and the father-and-son duo of ex-Formula 1 pilot and accomplished sportscar driver Juan Pablo Montoya and his son Sebastian. This was the perfect opportunity for us to utilise the skills and experience we had acquired with previous teams who had used the ORECA platform.
The Twelve Hours of Sebring was progressing well with the #81 car qualifying second on the class grid and leading the LMP2 category by the end of the second hour before a race-ending crash after 83 laps. +
As the team was pleased with the input that JB Data Engineering had provided in Florida, we were invited back to join the team for the Hyundai Monterey Sports Car Championship Presented by Motul at Laguna Seca, the Sahlen’s Six of the Glen, the IMSA Fastlane SportsCar Weekend at Road America and the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
The highlight of the year for JB Data Engineering’s work with DragonSpeed was Petit Le Mans where electrical challenges throughout the weekend meant that teamwork was essential to secure a good result. Second place in the LMP2 class was a fitting reward for the work that had been put in and it could easily have been a class win if not for a late safety car.
Working within the packed IMSA timetable, and understanding how to work effectively with drivers with varying levels of experience, meant that the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season provided some great development and learning opportunities. We very much hope we can repeat the experience in 2023.
EDF Motorsports – Fun Cup Endurance Championship
We were delighted to be asked to work with EDF Motorsports for two rounds of the 2022 Fun Cup Endurance Cup. At the opening round at Oulton Park in April, EDF fielded two cars – the #246 Vapeclub with EDF Motorsports entry piloted by Matt Dorkings and Vlad Vassilev and the #104 EDF Motorsport car driven by Syd Coombes and Victor Kara. We returned for the Donington round in September where the #104 car was driven by Simon Coles and Robert Croydon.
Working in Fun Cup is always rewarding as the grids are highly competitive and focusing on the basics of braking, throttle control, driver technique and engineering allows an experienced data engineer to add some real value to the team. The highlight of the season was the 4th place finish at Donington for Vlad Vassilev and Matt Dorkings in the #246 car. Both drivers went into the weekend full of confidence and, if not for a safety car, could have finished the weekend on the podium.
The Fun Cup Endurance Championship reminds us very much of the European Le Mans Series in that each race is a series of sprints and there is rarely much of a gap between the front runners. Less than 15 seconds separated the top four at Donington Park.
If you are looking for fun, competitive racing on a reasonable budget, you should definitely consider the Fun Cup Endurance Championship. JB Data Engineering would be very happy to work with you to get the results on-track that your effort deserves.
Trade Centre Formula Woman – GT Cup Championship
JB Data Engineering’s commitment to encourage diversity in motorsport fitted perfectly with the opportunity to work with Trade Centre Formula Woman and its two-car entry into selected rounds of the GT Cup Championship.
Four graduates from the Formula Woman programme completed the driver line up with Erika Hoffman and Jodie Sloss piloting the #64 McLaren 570S GT4 and Sara Misir and Steph Sore sharing the driving duties in the sister #65 McLaren.
GT Cup weekends are always demanding with a packed schedule of practice and qualifying and a mix of sprint and endurance races. JB Data Engineering’s experience of working to similar schedules at IMSA weekends helped the team to focus on the essentials and work fast to get the four drivers up to speed as quickly as possible.
JB Data engineering supported the Snetterton rounds in June and the Oulton Park and Silverstone weekends in July. Combining the roles of engineering both cars and analysing the data meant that the pressure was on over the three weekends but everybody worked hard and we found some extra life in the Pirelli tyres which even the manufacturer was surprised at. With the focus that Erika, Jodie, Sara and Steph applied over the weekends we worked with them, it’s clear they all have bright futures in GT racing and we look forward to supporting them in future seasons.
VMS Racing – Race of Remembrance
The annual Race of Remembrance, held at Anglesey Circuit to coincide with Remembrance Sunday, is one of the most poignant weekends in the motorsport calendar. JB Data Engineering worked with VMS Racing and its two-car team of the #9 BMW 116i driven by Warren McKinlay, Robert Mallett, Freddie Tatham and Leaun Evans and the #90 entry piloted by Tim Crighton, Matthew Graham, Ryan Ambrose and David Lawrence.
VMS Racing is a new name to endurance events and the team intends to develop its BMW 116i programme in 2023. Finishing 19th and 22nd respectively was an excellent result, especially given that the #90 car had an all-rookie driving squad, many of which had obtained their ASRDS licences just days before event.
Of course, the Race of Remembrance is more than just a motorsport event and to play a small part in such a memorable race to honour fallen heroes was very special. We hope to be back on the RoR grid in 2023 and build on the work of VMS Racing as it develops as a race team.
TCR UK, British Endurance Championship, Praga Cup – Data Scrutineer
We were delighted to become part of the data scrutineering team for the TCR UK Championship, the British Endurance Cup and the Praga Cup. Our job, to ensure all entries are running their cars within the regulated technical parameters, is essential to ensure that racing is fair and equitable. With JB Data Engineering’s experience in quick and accurate data analysis, we were able to report back to the race organisers in a timely manner, giving all competitors confidence that the Balance of Performance rules were being correctly enforced.
This was our first time of working within a championship scrutineering team and tested our ability to deliver under tight time constraints, where accuracy and the ability to work with varied conditions and volumes are paramount.
Lots of lessons have been learnt and we hope that we can build on 2022’s scrutineering experience with our existing partnerships and demonstrate our value to more championships next season.
Everyone at JB Data Engineering would like to take this opportunity to offer our sincerest thanks to the teams and drivers we have worked with this year and we very much look forward to hopefully developing those relationships in 2023.
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