Time was on their side with a huge gap in the schedule, but Dyson Racing still faced a race to be ready for qualifying today after a morning electrical fire.

Guy Smith was at the wheel of the No.16 Mazda-powered Lola when the cockpit filled with smoke and he was forced to pull off at the final hairpin.

Quick work from the marshalls extinguished the electrical fire, but the team was forced to change the engine for this afternoon’s qualifying session.

“The car was fast from the outset and we were P1 up until the waning minutes but we had a small electrical fire that thankfully we were able to catch in time,” Chris Dyson said.

“We’ve had time to repair but the amazing thing about this race team is they are remarkable about dealing with adversity. They are really unaffected by it. When you do have something unforeseen happen, the just spring into a faster pace.

“The most important thing is that the emotional component of the team is just like a metronome. The bodies are moving faster but they are just as focussed.”