PETN 3, another great 2nd place!
It’s that time again, I get to go racing once more. After we had a very good weekend as a team during the previous race, I head into this race weekend with a lot of confidence. Because it is time for NLS-PETN3! It promises to be another great weekend with good weather.
We also have a number of guests again this weekend. Making the trip to Germany are Christian and his wife from Tom’s Model Cars, and Wouter van der Voort from Autoservice Enkhuizen with some colleagues. It’s great to welcome them here.
The day starts early with 2 laps in the new BMW M2 Cup car from cn2racing.com. With this, I can help them by setting some reference lap times so they know what is possible with the car. After that, I jump into the BMW330 for a taxi lap to give someone an amazing experience. And of course, it is also great fun for me to get some laps in myself.
As usual, free practice starts on Friday afternoon at 3:00 PM. I begin with a taxi lap with Christian and then with his wife in the GT4 Cayman. It’s fantastic to give them an insight in this way. This way, they truly understand what racing on the Nürburgring-Nordschleife is all about and at the same time, give them an unforgettable experience!
After these 3 laps, I hand the car over to Heiko and chat a bit about the laps we just completed. You only really know what it’s like once you’ve experienced it yourself. Afterwards, I discuss the laps I drove with my engineer. The car felt really good, so the start is excellent. When Heiko comes in, it’s my turn again. Now, without guests beside me, I can really push hard. Even though I encounter some traffic, I manage to put in some good laps and I’m already faster than the previous weekend. All in all, a good practice session.
Immediately after practice, it is time once again for the Porsche Talent Pool programme. This time, Olaf Manthey joins us at the table. “Olaf Manthey (born on April 21, 1955, in Bonn) is a former German racing driver and the founder of the renowned Manthey Racing GmbH, a team inseparably linked with Porsche’s success in motorsport. He is considered a ‘Nordschleife legend,’ and his team has grown into one of the most successful Porsche racing teams in the world.”
It is amazing to experience such an icon up close and be able to ask questions. Once the session ends, we continue where we left off last time with Porsche physiotherapist Dennis Kauth and go through some exercises for an effective warm-up before getting into the car.
Once this session is finished, we head to the drivers’ briefing. By the time the briefing ends, it is already 8:15 PM. Time to go through the data with Nico, the chief engineer, and then get some proper sleep.
Saturday:
Saturday starts early again. In the pit box at 7:45 AM, followed by qualifying at 8:20 AM. Starting the day well-rested is therefore important!
As mentioned, the morning starts early with qualifying at 8:20 AM. Once again, I get to start qualifying, so I have to get to work early. My first lap goes quite well. Despite running into a fair amount of traffic, the time is pretty decent, P2. In my second lap, when I really push hard, things are going super well. I am on a very strong lap, but in the final part of the lap, I encounter some frustrating traffic. I lose some time but still improve my lap time. I’m still in P2. Once I come in, the long wait begins.
With this lap time, we are 1.5 seconds behind P1, but comfortably ahead of P3. There are yellow flags and Code 60 situations at various places around the track. It seems nobody can improve anymore. With 10 minutes to go, the track clears up and several teams head back out for one final attempt at the fastest times. We also consider going for another push lap, but when we check the timing screens, there is already another Code 60 situation, so we decide not to go back out.
That means it gets exciting, keeping an eye on the timing, knowing there is nothing more you can do except wait. When the flag falls, we are still in P2!!! But wow, it was tense. Together with P3 and P4, we are within 0.330 seconds of each other. On a lap of 24.358 km!! Now that is proper cup racing... A fantastic starting position for the race, but it is going to be an exciting start and opening laps when it is this close.
After qualifying, the pit lane fills up with spectators. Both the pit lane and the grid are open to visitors here. And all racing fans are more than happy to take advantage of that. There are so many people, you can barely move through the crowd. Even without Max Verstappen, it is busy here — it is always busy. In the pit lane, on the grandstands, and alongside the track at the various parking areas. The NLS Nürburgring-Nordschleife has been capturing the imagination of Germany and the world for many years!
After discussing strategy together with Domi, Heiko and Nico, I also have time for our guests and fans this weekend. It is fantastic to feel the enthusiasm and support.
The Race:
The start is impressive once again. This time even more so because I am behind the wheel myself. In our group, 50 cars are starting, with the majority being GT4s. For the Porsche Endurance Trophy Nürburgring (PETN), there are 22 cars starting in Cup3. That means we start 2nd in our class and also 2nd in the starting group.
We begin the formation lap, 24 long kilometres weaving around to keep temperature in the tyres. Just before we arrive at the GP circuit, all cars line up and we roll in rows of two towards the starting area. Unlike Formula 1, for example, we do a rolling start here, where everyone approaches at around 60 km/h. As soon as the lights turn green, the field is unleashed and we are racing.
During my first stint, it is extremely busy, with the entire top 5 right on each other’s bumper while I am in P2. It feels like only a matter of time before I take the lead. Unfortunately, I lose a position to P3, who quickly moves up to P1, but shortly afterwards I also manage to overtake the car ahead of me and reclaim P2.
The rest of the stint is fairly straightforward. The gap to the car ahead stays the same and the gap behind me gets bigger. When I hand the car over to Heiko, I am still in P2 and we have built a solid gap to P3.
After Heiko’s stint, we are still in P2 and have a gap both to the front and to the cars behind us. So, we focus our efforts on chasing the number 1 car. Even though I manage to reduce the gap, unfortunately I cannot quite close in enough to make the move, and the race ends in a fantastic P2 with the highlight: the fastest race lap!!
All in all, it has been an incredibly educational weekend and once again a great step in my development as a racing driver! Now, there are more exciting race weekends on the schedule and I’m getting ready for even more success!