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Icom support Rapid Chariots successful performance at Britcar 24 endurance race

Bob Stockley, Sales and Marketing Director of Herne Bay based company Icom UK has recently taken part in a gruelling 24 hour endurance race at Silverstone. Bob is one of three drivers for the Canterbury based motorsports team Rapid Chariots. This was the first time Bob took part in such a race and the team achieved a highly respectable 21st overall and 6th in their production class.

Icom provided Rapid Chariots with 6 IC-F22SR licence free handheld radios with noise cancelling headsets, which were used by the pit crew for communications. This equipment was supplemented by 2 IC-F25 handheld radios, which were used for secure communications and greater output power. An IC-F110S mobile radio was installed into the lotus for in-vehicle communications between the driver and the pit crew. Icom dealer Talking Headsets provided high quality earpieces & noise cancelling mics for the drivers’ helmets.

'In car noise creates real problems when you are trying to communicate between car and pits, said Bob, 'The talking headsets helmet kits ensured we had clear and reliable communications between driver and pit crew at all times'.

Talking Headsets also supplied the team with noise cancelling headsets for the pit crews. Their dual radio comms headsets allowed the pit crews to communicate with two radios on different channels at the same time.The high ambient noise levels present within Motorsport as well as in Industry can cause many communication and health & safety issues. This can lead to unsafe working conditions. Increased awareness and new Health and Safety legislation surrounding 'Noise Induced Hearing Loss and Noise Pollution within the Working Environment' has led to the combination of products from Icom and Talking Headsets overcoming these issues.

Conditions for the weekend were less than perfect with torrential downpours and low visibility for most of the 24 hours. This made driving very difficult and dangerous. Rapid Chariots started in 40th and continuously moved up the field throughout the 24 hours to finish in 21st place overall.

Bob said, 'Considering we would’ve been happy just to complete the race the whole team were delighted to finish so high up the table. The weather was appalling and driving was extremely difficult, at times you could barely see in front of you with all the spray coming up from the track. I think if the weather had been a little better we would have finished even higher. Hopefully the conditions will be better when we race at Snetterton in November.The team was supported by friends, family and work colleagues. Bob found support from many of the Icom employees who made the journey from Kent to Northampton to watch the racing over the weekend.

Bob said, 'I was thrilled at the number of supporters from Icom who came up for the weekend, especially since the weather was so bad. I’d like to say a huge thank you to all of them'.

Icom UK Marketing - marketing@icomuk.co.uk