The 29th May will mark the one year anniversary of the sad and unexpected passing of British racing driver Stephen Day, a competitor in GT racing in the UK, Europe and beyond.
Stephen was drafted in to campaign the PK Sport Porsche GT3 at the 2001 Le Mans 24 hours alongside Mike Youles and David Warnock, when regular driver Robin Liddell was unable to fill the seat.
PK Sport, the small North London based team had started to make a name for itself in the inaugural ELMS fielding two cars, one for drivers Mike and Robin another driven by Piers Masarati and a number of different co-drivers. Mike and Robin would go on to take the GT Class drivers’ championship that year (seen here en route to the class win at Most).
Back to Le Mans and many were surprised that this team gained an entry in the 2001 race, such was the interest amongst the myriad of “customer” Porsche teams both in the UK and across the globe and as it transpired, PK Sport were the only UK team participants in the GT class, so quite a responsibility to the patriotic British spectators at the event. The ACO’s selection proved sound and PK Sport went on to participate and acquit itself well in future races at La Sarthe.
So of significant anniversaries, 2021 is the 20 year anniversary of PK Sport’s ELMS success and with the initial postponement of the Le Mans Classic from 2020 to 2021, Mike Youles approached the Classic Le Mans organisers with the proposal to try and gain a place on the grid to commemorate both the Team’s success and to mark Stephen’s passing in an appropriate manner. When the Classic was further postponed until 2022, but instead, an Endurance Legends Race was added to the main 24 Heures du Mans’ support programme, Mike submitted an entry in that race for the very same venerable Porsche GT3 he drove throughout 2001.
The entry remains with the organisers and Mike, and those others supporting this effort, wait to see if the organisers select the car to run. It must be said that this quest is only possible through the generosity of the car’s current owner John Clonis, who has maintained the car exactly as it looked in 2001 and has put the car at Mike’s disposal. Should that happen then the car’s original Team Owner, Mike Pickup, will be able to see his car race again, Mike is involved to this day in the sport, now as a valued and ever-present team member with TF Sport who will be responsible for a trio of Aston Martin Vantage GTEs in the Le Mans 24 Hours proper.
It is hoped they will be successful with the selection and would ask all of those hardy British spectators, who braved the monsoon conditions of the 2001 race to support the team, might express their support for this enterprise this year. It would be a fitting tribute to the much missed Stephen Day.
Finally, given the likely continued restrictions on mass travel to Europe, a UK based commemoration of PK Sport’s first foray to Le Mans, will be hosted in the UK later in the summer at a venue yet to be determined and Stephen Day will again be at the forefront of our memories.
Pics courtesy and copyright John Brooks and racingsportscars.com
