Interview: Strasse on a Championship Season, Late Nights, and Life with Millers Oils

It’s been a packed season for Strasse, with success across both Historic Rallying and Porsche Motorsport. Between building race cars, running teams, and taking home a Championship title, the Leeds-based crew has had their hands full, and Millers Oils has been along for every mile.

We caught up with the Strasse team to talk about their year on (and off) the stages, their prep for the legendary Roger Albert Clark Rally, and how their partnership with Millers Oils keeps everything running smoothly.

Can you give us a quick rundown of Strasse’s racing season?

It’s definitely been one of our busiest yet! We’ve been flat out between the Historic Rally Team and the Porsche Motorsport Team. On the Porsche side, we’ve been running the PMC Midlands Porsche 997, the Millers Oils/Dragon Soop Porsche Cayman, and welcoming rookie driver Eva Nolan in her Porsche Boxster, all competing in the Porsche Club Motorsport Championships.

Every single race car has been built in-house by our workshop team in Leeds. That means a lot of late nights, and plenty of weekends spent in the workshop, but that’s what it takes. The thing that wins a Championship is not only down to the drivers and co –drivers, but is a testament to the whole team keeping the cars well prepared and well maintained before, during, and after all rounds of racing and rallying.

Were there any moments that didn’t go as planned?

The Galloway Hills Rally was a proper test, it pushed the Escort and the whole team to the limits. The terrain was dry and very rough, and the old Escort LLP 161P took a real battering. We had a few clutch issues, so finishing felt like a victory in itself! This was probably the only round where we were relieved to make it to the end with a good finish, picking up the crucial points we needed.

What were the peaks of the season?

Seeing the Escort flying this season has been incredible. The 2.0-litre Pinto engine has been right up there with the much more powerful BDA engines, and in some cases, beating them. They’re totally different animals, so that’s a big achievement. Its proof that all the hard work in the workshop pays off, and you can still run at the front if the prep and setup are spot on.

Tell us more about securing the championship.

Our goal for the season was to get through the season with enough points to secure the Championship before the final round, allowing time to prepare for the gruelling 5 day Roger Albert Clark (RAC) Rally. With that in mind, we headed to Filey for the Trackrod Rally Yorkshire, ready to push and hopefully wrap up the season.

Setting off into Dalby Forest for the 11.5-mile opener at 8 pm, it was perfect conditions for a blast through “God’s own forests.” Unfortunately, there were delays at the start due to an incident on the stage, and the car suffered a slight misfire caused by a warm engine and fuel vaporisation. Thankfully, the issue cleared before junction 3, resulting in a reasonable time, despite a couple of over shoots when the car wouldn’t turn in.

The morning loop went smoothly, aside from slowing for a few crews who had incidents at the usual tricky spots. Back at service at Filey Brigg, we swapped tyres side to side and refuelled. Friday night’s Dalby stage was repeated, followed by a rerun of Staindale as the final stages. Aside from another minor overshoot in Dalby, we committed fully on the last stage, pushing hard to the finish. Crossing the line on Filey seafront, we secured 1st in class in the Northern Historic Championship, claiming the 2025 championship title! Achieving the main goal of the season made all the preparation, hard work, and determination worthwhile.

What’s your preparation plan ahead of the Roger Albert Clark Rally?

The RAC Rally is something else, five days, 365 stage miles, and some of the toughest roads across England, Scotland, and Wales. Jamie, our co-driver, spends hours going through the pacenotes. It would usually take a week to go through a single rally of about 45 stage miles, so you can imagine the scale of this one! That amount of time just isn’t available for the RAC, so its head down, and going over each stage 3-4 times, so he has expert knowledge when giving instructions in the stages.

Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of planning for the crew which involves Jamie collating and prepping schedules, map, and service crew logistics, as this is the only event a chase car is allowed. They will follow the road sections to await instructions at the end of the stages.

How has Millers Oils contributed to your success?

As far as the Historic Rallying, the Porsche Motorsport, and the workshop is concerned, we honestly see Millers Oils as an extra member of the team, our “additional mechanic.” Millers Oils lubricants are used throughout, and have been for many years. The quality of the products, the technical expertise, and customer service is second to none. Their lab is also quick and reliable with oil analysis.

It’s satisfying to drain a clear oil from an engine that’s been pushed to its absolute limits (something we do regularly) as it proves the product is doing its job. As we say, the oil is the additional mechanic, and the condition of our motorsport engines proves to us that the oil does everything it claims.

How has motorsport helped you in the workshop?

Lessons learned in the building and racing of engines is invaluable when dealing with the cars in our Porsche workshop. Things we learn when pushing cars to their limits means a confidence in the workshop that the vehicles there are well protected and well maintained. We know that if something can survive rallying and racing, it’s going to handle the daily road with ease. Our advice to customer is always change your oil every 12 months, regardless of mileage – your car will thank you for it.

Any final reflections?

As we prepare to close out another successful motorsport season with a Championship win for the historic rally team, there leaves only the 2025 RAC Rally to conquer. We are overwhelmed to see so many of our customers, friends, and colleagues making the journey to watch some of the rounds, and to the hundreds of spectators who brave the cold, dark nights in the forests to experience the sights and sounds of the 70s and 80s rally era brought back to life.

Thanks to every single person who sends good luck and good wishes via our social media pages, it’s where we will hopefully continue to keep you updated throughout the event. So for now, it’s crew ready, chase car ready, car LLP 161P ready, and it’s time for David and Jamie to do their bit again and prove their Championship Status. And of course, thanks Millers Oils – you guys rock.