Takona Racing Division Returns to Race of Remembrance 2025, Not Without a Story to Tell
Takona Racing Division returned to Race of Remembrance for 2025, and it was never going to be a simple “turn up and race” weekend.
2024 was my first trip to Race of Remembrance, having been invited to head along by the Mission Motorsport team, and encouraged further by friends asking if they could use Takona Racing Division as their team name. The E36 sporting the Takona name managed to complete the race without any real difficulties to battle through, something that couldn’t be said for the 2025 effort.
Five weeks out: the rebuild nobody wanted
Roughly five weeks before this year’s race, last year’s car had a small incident during testing for the event. The damage was substantial enough to effectively write the car off. With the clock already ticking, the team needed a replacement car, fast.
A replacement E36 was sourced that made for a strong starting point, and then the real work began: transferring usable parts across and preparing the new car to survive 12 hours of hard driving.
Every job felt like it was followed by “this isn’t going to happen”, and then somehow we’d find a way to keep moving forward.
The livery: motorsport style with something to say
One of the last minute jobs was the design of the car. The Rothmans livery style had already been mocked up, but no Rothmans-inspired Takona logo existed to go with it. That was something I could actually play a part in sorting.
With three weeks to go, a new logo was designed and sent to Matts Wraps to be added to the rest of the livery design.
The livery features nods to overcoming challenges, from the ITS OK TO TLK message on the wings, to the Lucky Saint main logos on the doors (an alcohol free beer). The messaging is about health, awareness, and getting through difficult times.
Many members of the motorsport and forces communities have faced challenges with mental health, addiction, and adversity. This livery represents that idea in a motorsport themed way: pushing on, staying present, and turning up for the people around you.
Race of Remembrance supports Mission Motorsport, a charity helping veterans transition into civilian life using the automotive world as a gateway. Learn more at missionmotorsport.org and raceofremembrance.com.
Why Race of Remembrance keeps pulling people back
Race of Remembrance has become an annual pilgrimage for many of the motorsport community, supporting an amazing charity and a cause that genuinely changes lives. Mission Motorsport works closely with companies across the automotive and motorsport world to help those leaving the military find their feet in civilian life, partnering them with people who understand the mindset and the culture.
Thanks to Mission’s strong connections, the grid is packed with multiple classes. It makes for fantastic battles, constant traffic management, and non stop action across 12 hours of racing.
The team, and why I keep showing up
The Takona Racing Division team is made up of former military personnel, automotive business owners, race mechanics, and for the last couple of years, me and my camera. The military world is one I have no personal connection to other than meeting and working with incredible people through Mission Motorsport and now Takona Racing Division.
I’m new to both motorsport and military, so RoR is the perfect place for me to get involved in both. Both times it’s been hugely rewarding for the soul.
The Biathlon of Foolishness: the perfect start line
Before the race starts at 3pm there is the Biathlon of Foolishness. Participants, usually in some form of fancy dress, run from the start finish line down to the very fresh Irish Sea, perform a short loop around a marker (a guy with an inflatable flamingo), and return back to the track.
It’s wonderfully silly, it’s a fantastic way to kick off the event, and it represents the soul of this community: not taking itself too seriously when the opportunity for fun arises, and taking things very seriously when it’s been needed.
Qualifying: sixth overall, first in class
We qualified sixth overall and first in class, starting near the front. A great position to kick things off, and a true testament to how well the guys had put the car together in such a short time frame.
We started well, sitting comfortably towards the front of the pack with only the properly quick cars ahead. The sort of cars we would only be able to beat through longevity and luck. As we headed into the night, that started to play out as cars were sporadically having to stop for various reasons, while our E36 continued to plug away at the laps. We climbed to second overall for a substantial amount of time.
Disaster at Rocket
With a little over an hour left of the night session we were met with another challenge. Whilst entering Rocket, a particularly sharp left after the longest section of the track, an MX-5 came down our inside and connected heavily with our passenger side rear wheel.
The force of the impact cracked our trailing arm. It’s cast steel, so it isn’t weldable. We needed a replacement and we needed it fast.
Fortunately we had the arm from the original car. Unfortunately, that part was five hours drive away.
We got lucky with Paul Wooding’s family relaying across the country to get the part to us. The part arrived at 3am.
Back in the fight by Sunday morning
The team put in a Herculean effort. Back to the paddock at 5am to get started. New trailing arm fitted, alignment roughly done with what I can only assume was sorcery, and the car was ready to tackle the Welsh weather once again.
By 9am Sunday morning the car was back in one piece and ready for the next session to begin.
With the time lost there wasn’t much hope to get back up the rankings, but we had a target. We were only a few laps behind the car that had been the cause of the original arm cracking. Given how difficult it had been just to get to the race, finishing was going to be a huge accomplishment.
A finish that matched the message
Hope renewed, car running strong once again, and the race was back on. With a couple of minor issues resolved quickly, we were trading places with our new rivals right until the finish, ultimately coming out in front.
A triumph to finish after all hope felt lost in the middle of the night. The team were jumping for joy on the pit wall as the Rothmans style livery flashed by.
It was a real story of everything the car stood for: overcoming seemingly endless challenges, battling through when hope felt lost, and ultimately making it to the end when we thought it wouldn’t be possible. The spirit of motorsport playing out around us.
FAQ
What is Race of Remembrance?
Race of Remembrance is an endurance racing event and remembrance weekend organised by Mission Motorsport, built around fundraising, community, and motorsport.
Why was a replacement E36 needed for 2025?
The previous car suffered substantial damage during testing around five weeks before the event, meaning a replacement car was required to make the grid.
What did the livery represent?
The livery carried messaging around health, awareness, and resilience, including the ITS OK TO TLK message and other nods to overcoming adversity.
What happened during the night session?
Contact at Rocket cracked the trailing arm, forcing an overnight part relay and repair so the car could return for Sunday running.
1 comment
Great write up Lewis. Thank you. Listening to Chris Harris and friends podcast, its clear that ROR has firmly won its place amongst the very best motor racing events the calendar has to offer. The only catch is that its not a race, its a movement. The event moves people to do incredible selfless acts of kindness and represents the true spirit of motor racing, where respectful competition trumps the result. The spectacle is a testimony to every element of the British Motor Racing scene working together to celebrate the human condition in a way that no other race does. As Chris H says, “The most important event of the year”.