When you’re on the spanners until 2am night after night, odds are there’s a massive event just around the corner. Ben Keeley and his team at Keeley Motorsport are running on limited sleep and massive days in the shop as the looming deadline approaches. With four cars from his stable all competing at World Time Attack Challenge 2016, this local shop is certainly making a name for itself. The Opti-Coat Evo owned and driven by Rob Gooley is on the hoist for the last time before the trip to Sydney Motorsport Park.
Having completed a test at Queensland Raceway last Thursday, the team are back making final adjustments from information gathered at the final shakedown.
Every inch of the car is being checked in final preparation and everywhere you look, there are creative engineering solutions. If you get a chance, have a look at the interior at WTAC and pay particular attention to the reinforcement for the wing.
Ben laughed as he pointed to the cart next to the car. “That’s the Rob trolley” filled with the final parts waiting to be fitted in this busy workshop.
With the front end having to be updated, there are plenty of surprises under the surface.
From the drivers seat, there’s nothing left to be done but get in and drive.
From the outside, you can see the final work still to be done. There are some massive days ahead for the team and the next time I see the car will be in Sydney.
This will be a familiar sight in workshops around the country, as those 12 months since the last event have passed so quickly. It’s time to make one last push before they head out to chase that one perfect lap. Through the exhaustion, you can see the excitement from the team. I’m certainly excited to see how it performs. With only 7 days to go, it’s not long to wait now!