Thomas Erdos and the RML MG Lola were back in action again last weekend for Round 3 of the 2004 Le Mans Endurance Series. Taking place at Silverstone, the 1000-kilometer event was the first opportunity for British motorsport enthusiasts to witness the sights and sounds of this major new international series at close quarters.

A sizeable crowd converged on the Northamptonshire circuit to watch a compelling six-hour race that included some of the world’s top drivers and cars, including the Le Mans-winning Audis. As we’ve come to expect from Erdos, he made the most of the circumstances to wring another fine performance out of the pretty little MG prototype, but his race was not without incident.

Co-driving with regular partner Mike Newton and fellow RML signing Miguel Ramos, Erdos had been comfortably inside the top six during free practice. In qualifying, however, the team could only manage eighth. “We missed the window,” explained the Brazilian, referring to that narrow band of laps when conditions, tyres and circumstances coincide to offer the best chance of a quick time. “There was rain at the bottom of the circuit, and by the time it dried up I was no longer in the car.” Sharing the car with two other drivers, both acknowledged to be slightly less rapid than Erdos, occasionally leads to such happenings. “The others did their best,” he suggested, “but we could have been fifth or sixth.”