NLS 2: Battle, Chaos, Speed and Another Podium at the Nordschleife!
Race 2 is around the corner — a race that once again shows just how special racing at the Nordschleife really is! It will be a race with virtually no preparation, a very short qualifying session, and ultimately a place on the podium. After our second place during my debut, our team is ready and highly motivated to fight for the win.
Friday – Waiting and… Waiting
In the morning we first dive into the data together. It’s always about searching for improvement, and what better way to start than with data? Then it’s time for action — or so we think. In the morning my teammate Piet‑Jan drives the first free practice session. It had rained a large part of the night and the track is wet. Piet‑Jan wanted to train on a wet track, so he gets to work.
To get a bit of feel for the car, I drive one lap. At the end of the day, that turns out to be an important lap. The day feels long and, despite that one lap, feels like more waiting than driving. But my own training time comes later in the afternoon.
The afternoon practice session is from 15:00 to 18:00. We split driving time evenly: Marius goes first, I drive the middle portion, and Piet‑Jan closes. But it plays out differently. Early in the session the red flag appears. After some delay it looks like the session will restart… until the red flag is waved again. And this time it’s final. Because there are too many crashes and too much damage to the track, the session is canceled. Without having completed a single proper lap, the day is over.
Saturday:
The day begins with qualifying. As agreed, I start qualifying. Because it’s very busy on track, it’s important to get a good track position. With 140 cars all seeking space, this is no easy task. And sure enough: in my first flying lap, a Porsche crashes and triggers a Code 60 at that spot. My first lap is unfortunately not very good, but fortunately nobody else manages to record a faster time, except — unsurprisingly — our biggest competitors from Adrenalin Motorsport in the BMW with number 500.
After that one lap, I return to the team in the pit lane and we wait for another opportunity to go back out and set a fast lap. Unfortunately, more crashes follow and there’s no chance to get back on track. Not an ideal qualifying session, but it is what it is. The positive aspect is that the time I did put on the board is good enough for P2. So for the race it’s actually a decent starting position.
The race:
Piet‑Jan starts the race. He has a mega start and comes through in P1, and immediately opens a gap to P2. Unfortunately he can’t hold P1, but it’s a strong start. Again, like in practice and qualifying, there are multiple crashes and many double‑yellow flag zones or even Code 60 zones. A ‘normal’ lap time is simply not possible.
When I get in the car, we are in 2nd place in the race and my job is to push full throttle so we can make up time. And that pushing — that works! After building a bit of confidence, the lap times come down lap after lap and I eventually manage to set the fastest race lap in our class! It feels great, especially because in my stint I was able to drive very consistently and make no mistakes.
It’s busy on the circuit with situations I’ve never experienced before… from overtaking an ambulance to being overtaken on both sides at the same time over the grass. It’s unbelievable what happens on the Ring — but that’s exactly why it’s called “The green hell”.
After my stint, Marius gets in for the final part of the race. He drives very strongly. With about 35 minutes to go, he’s in 1st place. But due to a different pit stop strategy from the car with number 500, we can’t hold the position. Unfortunately, we end up 2nd again. I say unfortunately because of course we’re aiming for the win, but we’re still extremely satisfied. The gap to number 1 is smaller than in the previous race. With just one week until the next round, we’re going to give it everything to conquer that 1st place!
More photos from this weekend can be found here, thanks to 1VIER.