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SOCIAL MEDIA - STORIES Through our newly set up Instagram page, Donington Brands Snetterton Oulton we have updated our page with behind the Hatch Park scenes action from the track through our 71 79 121 90 stories. 81 69 107 86 71 67 101 148 After the race day we have saved the 73 76 97 138 stories to our highlight reel so that viewers 73 70 92 131 can see the race series at any time. 72 67 89 136 69 65 90 130 66 60 87 120 66 55 85 123 66 55 85 111 61 53 79 101 59 54 75 99 56 53 70 105 59 51 77 54 51 77 57 45 76 47 72 73 73 74 70 70 72 1054 1017 1912 1518 Total Story Views: 5,501 18. 19. DICK LOVETT WEBSITE CONTENT Race Reports / Homepage Highlight We have created a Restoracing hub for Restoracing Hub our website and utilised Search Engine Optimisation to ensure anyone Googling the Restoracing competition will find our page. In September we are currently the 4th and 5th result on Page One for a Google search of ‘Restoracing’. We are sitting behind the official Restoracing page, #Restoracing on Twitter, and the Porsche Club GB page. We are in the top search position out of all the Centres. Meet the Driver News Article Announcements 1,283 unique page views to our hub and news articles. 20. 21. Slider Modules CENTRE WEBSITE CONTENT 224 unique page views to our hub and news articles. Not only have we worked hard to create a Dick Lovett Restoracing Hub, we have also kept our Porsche site up-to-date with race reports too. Every race is on the website Restoracing Hub alongside details of the build and a gallery of photos. To ensure the SEO was not affected from our Group website, every article is written individually and not copied and pasted. This ensures our websites will not be penalised by Google for having duplicate content. Homepage Link Restoration Slides What do you like best about Restoracing? How the different Centres support each other even though they are competing against each other. Ashley Wilson, Technician 22. 23. To ensure we had something to CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION AND give out at the races, we made ENGAGEMENT flags to give out to the Restoracing spectators. These went down very We wanted to ensure we could engage with all ages when promoting our participation in the well with both adults and children who Restoracing competition. enjoyed waving them to cheer Ollie on. The Restoracing themed cakes also went down a storm with the spectators and the team. The Marketing team these with the number 39 on them for the final race, which took place the day after Ollie’s Birthday. We made a Restoracing themed activity sheet to enthuse younger motorsport fans about the competition. We had these in our showroom throughout the competition and gave them out at events such as our Sports Car Together Day. What do you like best about Restoracing? The team effort and buy in from so many people. The pit lane community encourages people to help each other out. Simon Lisemore, Centre Principal 24. 25. CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT We sent out a HTML to advertise our final round of racing to 846 customers on our database who have a Boxster or a classic Porsche and the engagement was great. We had a 61.00% open rate (524 people opened the email) and an 6.11% click through rate (22 people clicked on a link). The most popular link clicked was to buy tickets to the race at Outlon Park, the second and third most popular links surprisingly weren’t to the Restoracing hub. The next most popular links were to look at the Homepage and the Used Cars on Porsche Centre Swindon’s website. What do you like best about Restoracing? The adventure… every race is different and you never know what will happen, what the weather will do and how the race will go which keeps things exciting and then the rush to get the necessary action in place when required! Beth Powell, Meeter Greeter 26. 27. CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT We have been featured in two magazines with articles about our Restoracing car. The Wiltshire Business magazine and Wiltshire Living Magazine both wrote editorials for us about the Restoracing series. We also kept the brochures from the race meets where our car was heavily featured for the showroom so that customers could peruse the magazines and find out more about the racing series. 28. 29. RACE PRESENCE AND SUPPORT Team Swindon have had their work cut out for them this year and their Coca-Cola Boxster has definitely made them up their game race after race. Following a various host of issues throughout the season, the team have stood together to make sure that they were able to race in every round. Even if that meant a few late nights in the workshop fuelled by pizza! The team were supported at every race by two members of the Marketing Team to ensure that all the action from every race was captured. 30. 31. QUALIFYING RACE REPORT 1 The Easter weekend was very warm and it was feared that the heat DONINGTON PARK - 20TH APRIL may affect the reliability of the cars, possibly even being a deciding factor in the day’s outcomes. To qualify, each car had to complete three The opening round of the hotly awaited Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship 2019 kicked laps during a 20 minute session. The cars lined up on the grid where off at Donington Park on the Saturday of the Easter weekend. Porsche Centre teams which had the drivers had their first opportunity to weigh up the competition. Last restored a 986 Boxster for the 2018 competition were all excited to get back on the track for a year the Bournemouth car remained unchallenged in the competition second series in their cars with historically inspired Porsche racing liveries. with professional driver Ben McLoughlin at the helm. This year Ollie was hot on his heels in qualifying and, at one point, was only 0.6 of a second behind Ben, qualifying in second position. RACE 1 When Race 1 started, Swindon’s Coca-Cola liveried Boxster felt pressure from Wolverhampton’s Pink Pig, and Ollie dropped into third position. Shortly afterwards, while fending off the Wilmslow car with Salzburg livery, Ollie lost the back end of the Boxster and ended up on the grass. Recovering and having avoided the gravel trap, Ollie re- entered the race in 14th place, just in front of Cardiff’s car. Through sheer determination, Ollie was able to push his way back up to 8th position by the end of the race. RACE 2 As Race 2 began, Ollie was back at the front of the grid, and determined to stay that way. However, luck was not on Swindon’s side for the second race and, after losing a couple of positions on the outside line, the race drew to a premature end for Ollie when his Boxster was stopped in its tracks with a throttle problem. It was a challenging start to the racing season for the Swindon team, but the team remained hopeful for better luck at Brands Hatch for the second round, and quickly made plans to repair the Coca-Cola Boxster. 32. 33. QUALIFYING RACE REPORT 2 – The starting grid was made up of 39 cars as the Class 1 and 2 Porsche cars joined the BRANDS HATCH – 4TH MAY Boxsters on the track. The team’s hard work paid off when our Boxster qualified in 4th place for the first race and 6th for the second race. On the first May Bank Holiday weekend, the second round of the Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship 2019 took place at Brands Hatch. Our Driver Ollie had two podium finishes at Brands Hatch in 2018, so the team was excited to return to the track. After the technical issues the car had in the first round, our Restoracing team used the practice session on Friday to ensure the Boxster was back on form. RACE 1 Race 1 got off to a good start for Ollie, moving swiftly from 4th to second place. Nottingham and Wolverhampton’s Pink Pig were able to overtake our number 39 car, whilst Swindon and Nottingham battled for third place. There was a dramatic end to the race as all three categories fought for final positions. Ollie finished the race in fourth position, redeeming the teams DNF at Donington two weeks prior. 34. 35. RACE 2 As Race 2 loomed, so did the weather - the rain didn’t hold off for the whole day. Ollie was excited to race on the wet track and got off to a brilliant start, up into fourth from sixth by the first corner. When two cars from Class 1 spun off at Paddock Hill, Ollie was out in front. However, when our Coca-Cola Boxster locked up going into Druids, Ollie ended up in the gravel. As the Safety Car was already out for the previous incident, the marshals pushed the Boxster out of the gravel and back into the race. When the Safety Car was back in and the race resumed, there was little time left on the very wet track. The drivers weren’t able to pick up much speed, so the positions remained much the same until the end of the race. Those who tried to speed up, did so at their peril - as displayed by the Wilmslow Boxster which dramatically span off the track as he exited Druids… twice! By this point Ollie was nearly a lap down, but he managed to catch-up with the group while trailing the Safety Car, to finish in 10th position. This was further down the grid than we had hoped for, but the team was happy that the car survived this difficult round unscathed! 36. 37. RACE REPORT 3 BRANDS HATCH – 7TH JULY For the third round of the Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship 2019, the team returned to Brands Hatch. Ollie was keen to get a good day of racing under his belt after car issues had already left him with one race unfinished. The track was damp on Sunday morning as the team prepared the Coca- Cola liveried car. Practice on the Friday had been dry, so the change of conditions meant a different type of racing. Ollie is confident driving on a wet track so he had the weather he was hoping for. The shorter Indy Circuit would therefore play to his strengths. QUALIFYING There were only 14 cars on the grid for qualifying as Chester had an accident the day previous and the damage could not be repaired in time. Qualifying got off to a bumpy start as Nottingham spun at the first corner. Their driver adeptly saved it at the last second and then accelerated in a straight line to get away clear. Porsche Centre Bournemouth was leading the pack and setting good lap times. Ollie was driving well as he took seconds off his lap times, completing the Indy Circuit in 56.1 on his fastest lap - only 0.6 seconds behind Bournemouth. The competition was fierce and Ollie managed to manoeuvre to 3rd place, but unfortunately couldn’t hold off Wally’s Jeans, the Pink Pig and Premier Panel’s car, and ultimately finished in 4th position. 38. 39. RACE 1 The sun had now returned and the track was drier for the first race. The Boxsters at the front of the pack didn’t get away as well as those in the second and third rows and, as the packed grid tried to navigate the first bend, the Swindon Coca-Cola Boxster unfortunately took a hit. Swindon then knocked into Hatfield which resulted in a spin into the wall. Ollie came away from the accident unharmed, although very disappointed. The car was lifted off the track so that the race could resume. The team of Porsche-trained Technicians from Swindon were there to comfort Ollie and to assess the damage to the Boxster. On inspection, they found a broken suspension arm which meant an early and frustrating finish to the day’s racing. The team towed the car back to Porsche Centre Swindon and were in the workshop the very next day to begin work repairing the car. Ollie and the team had just under three weeks’ until the next round at Snetterton Circuit to repair the suspension on the Coca-Cola Boxster. 40. 41. RACE REPORT 4 SNETTERTON – 27TH JULY After our Coca-Cola car faced tragedy at Brands Hatch in the third round of Restoracing, the team worked tirelessly to fix the car for the next races. Fortunately their hard work paid off. After a scorcher of a week, the team from Swindon drove east to the Snetterton 300 Race Circuit. The track and dates had been changed from the more local Silverstone, so the team were hoping the 6-hour journey to the track would be worth it. QUALIFYING Greeted with rain for the early Qualifying round, the teams had fitted their wet tyres for the first time in the season. This round also welcomed the Class 1 911s and Caymans from the Porsche Club, meaning the grid was very busy. Everyone used the qualifying as a chance to get to know the track in the rain, more successfully for some than others, and not everyone managed to keep their tyres on the track. Ollie was able to keep his cool and qualified in 6th position. 42. 43. RACE 1 RACE 2 The rain continued as the first race arrived. The crowded grid caused Ollie a delayed start as the As the weather brightened up for Race 2, the Swindon team elected to put their dry tyres back cars in front of him stalled, and he dropped to the back of the pack. This track is a particularly on. As Race 1 had been the first race without a safety car this season, the drivers felt more challenging one, with tight bends and long straights, but Ollie revelled at the chance to drive in confident. Swindon got off to a much better start and quickly climbed to 5th place. the rain and attempt to claim back the positions he had lost. Steadily increasing his speed, Ollie soon gained 4th place and only the Jardine Group car stood After managing to gain two places, Ollie then locked up going into a bend and the two cars between him and a podium finish. As his lap times got quicker and quicker, Ollie reduced the quickly stole back their positions. Swindon ultimately placed 8th - we were happy with this space between him and the Jardine Group car. As the pace quickened, the back bumper of the performance after being knocked out of the Brands Hatch race entirely. Coca-Cola car detached, but luckily it didn’t affect Ollie’s progress. With only a few minutes to go, Ollie made his move and overtook the Jardine Group car to achieve a 3rd place finish. The team were overjoyed to see a podium finish as a result of Ollie’s tremendous driving and the Restoracing team for working so hard to get the car ready to compete again. 44. 45. RACE REPORT 5 QUALIFYING 13 Restoracing Boxsters lined up for the final qualifying. It was a cold and windy morning but the OULTON PARK – 31ST AUGUST rain was holding off for the drivers to stay on their slick tyres and Swindon were in 6th position for a large amount of the qualifying round, until Nottingham and Chester snuck in front of him to leave Ollie in 8th position to start Race 1. For the final round of the Restoracing season, Porsche Centre Swindon made their way to Oulton Park circuit. The team had carried out more work on the Boxster to ensure it was race-ready in time for the final day, including reattaching the bumper which had come loose at Snetterton. RACE 1 The practice day on Friday had seen two cars out of the qualifying round as Glasgow had a Just before the start of Restoracing Race 1, a torrential rainstorm hit the teams before they crash which finished their racing for the season and Hatfield’s gearbox failed them, but the team could leave the holding pen and threw up questions of whether to change to wet tyres for the were hoping to fix it in time for race 1. first race. The majority of the teams decided to stick with slick tyres and hope for the rain to stop as the race started. The pit crew from Swindon decided to change to wet tyres in case the Ollie Coles, driving for Porsche Centre Swindon, was enjoying the practice sessions and was downpour continued, but it was a race against time as they returned to the pit lane and their settling into the long straights and tight chicanes of the less familiar track. rivals entered the track. Gold Technician Jon Rapson directed Swindon’s pit crew as they changed the tyres as quickly as they could. The Technicians enjoyed the thrill of the challenge as they raced to get Ollie back on track, even though he would be entering at the back of the pack, hopefully he would be in the best position to rise up the grid with wet tyres. The race saw a lot of wobbles on the wet track, the grid was still two cars down as Hatfield had not managed to fix their gearbox yet. Ollie gained a position when Joshua Morris in the Wally’s Jeans Boxster slipped off the track and then one further place when Karl Hazleton for Porsche Chester had to make a speedy escape to the pit lane, Ollie moved into 11th. As the rain stopped Ollie, still in 11th place, was trying to keep his wet tyres cool on the drying track which was costing him speed and time. Unfortunately the gamble of wet tyres had not paid off for Team Swindon. The Coca-Cola Boxster finished in 11th place, and Ollie was excited for the second race and another chance to place further up the grid with slick tyres on instead of wets. 46. 47. RACE 2 The start of Race 2 was warm and sunny and the rain from the first race was now a distant memory. In the holding pen, Hatfield tried to jumpstart their car down the slope and were assisted by the other race teams in getting the car started. This was true Restoracing spirit. None of the teams would want a Boxster to miss a race, and the competition this year has shown how all of the teams carry a sense of ‘Team Porsche’ unity above all else. In the previous race, oil had been spilled on the track, so the teams waited patiently to enter the track. When the race began, the Shorade and the Nottingham Boxsters weren’t able to avoid the oil left behind and span off of the track. The Swindon Boxster managed to slip through the spinning cars without any problems. Ben McLoughlin for Porsche Bournemouth again was out in front of the grid. He had enough points from the first race of the day to claim the victory of the competition for 2019. After gaining two places from the Nottingham and Shorade Boxsters, Ollie was now in 9th place. The Nottingham car had a second spin on the track trying to gain back a position from Shorade, but luckily no safety car was needed and the race continued. Ollie was battling for 8th place with the Cambridge Boxster, and attempted to overtake on the uphill straight but couldn’t make it past in time. The Elite Body Motorshop Boxster with Gulf livery was catching Swindon up and when they entered the chicane side-by-side, Ollie had to take the escape road to avoid any contact. This cost him a 5-second penalty for exceeding the track limits, but was worth it to keep the Coca-Cola Boxster safe. Not long after, the brakes on the Coca-Cola Boxster locked up and Ollie took a bumpy trip over the grass. When he re-entered the track, Hatfield was hot on his tail. Ollie couldn’t push ahead through the car trouble the car was now giving him as the brakes began to become untrustworthy, and he slipped back to 13th place as the chequered flag waved. 48. 49. INTERVIEW WITH THE DRIVER OLLIE’S SECOND SEASON IN THE DRIVING SEAT What was your favourite moment of the season? My favourite moment was celebrating the 3rd place podium at Snetterton with the team. What have you learned about Porsche this year? I have learned that the Porsche network is full of people equally enthusiastic about cars and Porsche as we are at Porsche Centre Swindon. What do you like best about Restoracing? The competition between Centres and how it intensifies on the track. What challenges did your team face this year? We suffered with bad luck, some reliability gremlins and the crash in the car, but we overcame them and in the latter part of the season had some very good and close racing. Which was your favourite race track to visit and why? Snetterton - when I have previously raced there, I have gained good results, and this occasion was no exception! What has it been like being part of the Restoracing team this year? It has been great to be part of the team again with the team with the honour of driving the car and over the course of the season it has definitely brought us all closer together. Describe Restoracing in three words. Friendly, Fun, Competitive. 50. 51. PORSCHE DRIVER’S SELECTION Lanyard – Motorsport MOTORSPORT COLLECTION Item no.: WAP8000030J Key strap inspired by the look of the safety Porsche Motorsport merchandise for lovers of motor racing. belts in Porsche racing cars. With ‘PORSCHE MOTORSPORT’ badges and safety closure. All passionate fans of motor racing will find something they love among the Porsche Motorsport merchandise. Over the decades, Porsche race cars have been responsible for writing £16.86 incl. VAT. motorsports history. The Porsche Driver’s Selection is the perfect choice for anyone who would like to bring a part of this fascinating world into their everyday life. From the fun computer mouse in the shape of a racing car, to the office coffee mug or the luxurious watch, you will Windbreaker jacket – Motorsport find the perfect gift for a good friend or for yourself among the varied Porsche Motorsport merchandise collection. Item no.: WAP80300L0J Lightweight, highly functional unisex jacket. Baseball Cap – With stow-away hood, reflective elements and Motorsport waterproof seams. Item no.: WAP8000010J £167.72 incl. VAT. Sporty baseball cap with embroidered ‘PORSCHE MOTORSPORT’ logo.- Outer Polo-Shirt – Motorsport material: 100 % polyester- Lining: 100 % cotton- In Item no.: WAP80100L0J Black/Red/White Functional polo shirt similar to those worn by the Porsche Motorsport team, featuring reflective £23.00 incl. VAT elements. £62.00 incl. VAT. Please contact our parts team on 02920 606 520 or [email protected]. All prices correct at time of printing. 52. 53. Has anything gone wrong with the car? INTERVIEW WITH A CLASSIC TECHNICIAN. We first thought that the throttle pedal was at fault at LUKE PERRY TALKS RESTORACING CHALLENGES. Donnington; we later discovered back in the workshop that the battery live cables which ran to the kill switch What have you learned about Porsche this year? had become faulty causing an intermittent running I have learned that it is a tight knit brand, from colleagues to customers, everyone has the same problem depending on temperature. We then had a passion for Porsche. This was reflected in the Restoracing series, as when people needed help slight oil leak from the camshaft end plugs. Then we with broken cars, people were always willing to help no matter the cost. had the crash at Brands Hatch which ended up with the car being too damaged to go back out for Race 2. What challenges did your team face this year? We faced too many challenges for my liking in one season. However, this did not stop our How did you fix it? determination to get the job done when it was needed. Managing to get an 8th position after We replaced the kill switch battery cables for new a spin by Ollie in race one at Donnington. Then in race 2, after only a few laps in, Ollie was ones; this fixed the lack of power issue. The oil leak struggling with a loss of power. At first, this was thought to be a problem with the throttle. We we repaired by replacing the camshaft end plugs and then had Round 2 at Brands Hatch and in race 2 Ollie ended up in the gravel due to a lack of applying extra sealant to ensure these did not leak again. grip on a very wet track. Round 3 at Brands Hatch we had the worst luck of all. Starting from a After the crash at Brands Hatch, we got the car back into very commendable 4th place on the grid for race one, Ollie had 3 cars in front all blocking his the workshop the next day first thing and inspected the path which left him with no choice but to manoeuvre to the left to find a gap. Little did he know damage. We found that the lower arm, toe arm, front and rear trailing arms and the drive shaft that in his blind spot Hatfield’s car was there - Ollie then clipped the Hatfield car and span off into had all been bent or snapped on the rear right. We found further damage to the front of the car, the barrier at the end of the pit straight. This caused major damage to which was the steering arm on the front right. And the steering rack had bent. This all had to the right rear of the car and front right. All suspension linkages were be replaced. Unsure on the condition of the gearbox due to the driveshaft being ripped out, we snapped on the rear right, the drive shaft had been ripped out of the drained the oil and inspected for any swarf - this looked ok. We refitted the drive shaft pinion gearbox and the front steering arm had bent. and manually turned the drive gears, this also seemed ok. We put new gearbox oil in the car and connected the drive shafts up and ran the car on the ramp going through all the gears to make What work have you carried out on the car this year? sure the gearbox was still ok. Thankfully we had no issues with it. I have done countless wheel alignments. Brake bleeds, spark plug changes and oil changes. We repaired epaired the oil leak from What was your favourite moment of the season? engine which wasn’t that bad but wanted to ensure this didn’t turn When Ollie came 3rd in Race 2 at Snetterton. A lot of hard work had gone into the car and into something worse. We replaced replaced the whole rear right time restrictions following on from the incident at Brands Hatch made the podium much more suspension assembly except for the strut (shock absorber, rear right deserved. spring). We also replaced the front steering arms and steering rack. 54. 55. THE LIVERY THE RESTORATION The Stripdown The Story of the Livery The team was confident in their shared knowledge of the 986 model as everyone had worked The Coca-Cola Porsche 935 driven by Peter Lovett in 1981. with them before, but no one had experience of building an engine to race. The project got off to a good start with the stripdown of the car only taking a matter of days, with the team confident Peter Lovett, the Chairman of Dick Lovett, has an impressive history of motor racing, especially about which parts they would need to keep, which would need repairing, and which they would in Porsches. The Boxster has been liveried as a replica of Peter Lovett’s Porsche 935 F6 be getting rid of altogether. 3200cc Turbo PL which he raced in 1981 with Bob Akin (USA) and Bobby Rahal (USA) at the 6 Hours of Silverstone World Championship. Sponsors featured on the red Porsche were Coca- The Engine Cola, Dick Lovett, Hudson Wire and Manns. The engine was in good condition when we purchased it, so after it was removed from the car, routine engine maintenance was undertaken to ensure that everything was in working order and that it would withstand the demands of racing. As the Boxster had been used as an everyday road car, to transform it into a fit-for-purpose racing car, modifications had to be made to get it race ready. Modifications included alterations to the engine which had to comply with the guidelines set by the Porsche Club Championship. The main modification to the engine was to fit baffles into the sump to prevent oil surge/starvation. 56. 57. Final Race Modifications THE RESTORATION Now the car was ready to rebuild, the team started by fitting upgraded Porsche sports suspension. The engine and gearbox were put back into the Boxster first, with the fuel lines and brake lines following shortly after and finally the radiators. Modifications to the car for the races were then made. The structural modification for the race seat mounting was made and then the passenger seat with harnesses was fitted to balance the car and bring the weight up to comply with guidelines. The safety equipment for racing was installed including the harness, fire extinguisher and cut-off switch. Tow eyes and bonnet pins were also fitted and the dashboard was flocked to stop the glare from the sun when racing. The replica BBS coloured rims were fitted last to complete the race car before the livery was applied. Race Modifications Before the Boxster S went to Spraymaster to have an external respray, the car was sent to Custom Cages to have a full roll cage fitted suitable for racing. Bodyshop The paintwork on the car was carried out at Spraymaster, Dick Lovett’s state-of-the-art Porsche Recommended Repairer in Swindon. The Boxster S had a complete external respray in Guards Red to mirror the Porsche raced by Peter Lovett at Silverstone. Dominic Smith, Porsche Centre Swindon’s Apprentice Technician accompanied the car to Spraymaster to learn how the process of repainting a car works. Once the Porsche was resprayed with the roll cage fitted, the car was ready to return to Porsche Swindon to have the rest of the race modifications made. Looking at the car with these updates, it was already hard to remember the silver road car it once was. 58. 59. SUMMARY OF 2019. Porsche Centre Swindon finished in 12th place overall in the 2019 Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship. The race series has been an exciting experience for the team from start to finish. The resilience and determination from both our driver and our pit crew when facing new tracks, tricky conditions, long drives and car troubles, has been truly amazing. We thank every team member for making this race series a success and we look forward to what 2020 will bring for the Porsche Classic Restoracing Championship. 60. 61.