PETN 5, a challenging race!
Another busy weekend is on the schedule. After a long break, it is time to fight on the Ring again. After my crash during PETN 4, I have fortunately already completed many kilometres before this 5th race. So I actually do not suffer from the crash when it comes to my confidence. Of course, that one corner will be a little more exciting than the others, but I am sure it will be fine. It promises to be a challenging race with unexpected moments, excitement and plenty of fighting!
The team has done an amazing job making sure that there is another car on the grid and that we can fight again! As always, we start Friday with the practice session. We have a number of taxi guests, Jens, Jort, Tjidde and Hans, who I get to take around the circuit for another unforgettable experience. It is always amazing to do and to give them an insight into the challenges that this circuit brings.
After the taxi laps have been completed, it is time for some serious laps on a good set of tyres. Both Heiko and I complete our laps, and we both have some comments about the setup of the car. It is good to notice that we are on the same page when it comes to the car's setup. After some discussion, there is a chance that the issue is in the tyres. So we decide not to change anything, but we do agree in advance on what we will adjust if it turns out during qualifying that the tyres are not the issue.
In the evening, I still have an activity with the PETN Talent Pool and we practise an interview. The interview goes well and after the weekend we will receive feedback on how we can improve this even further. Then it is time to join the BBQ organised by the organisation together with Porsche. A nice sausage sandwich and something to drink, and then it is time to go over some more data. Once that has been studied properly, it is time to get some good sleep. On to the race.
Saturday:
It is time for qualifying. When the lights turn green, everyone always wants to go out on track at the same time. So it is very busy, but it is the same for everyone. During the first run, I am not entirely lucky with the traffic and the second fastest time does not last. Unfortunately, we drop back to P8 because of this. If we had gone 0.8 seconds faster, we would have been in P4…. That is how small the gaps are. Because I am still not completely satisfied with the setup of the car, we decide after some discussion to make a few more adjustments. Because of this, we also choose to do a second run. To see if the adjustment has put us in a better position and perhaps we can also achieve a better starting position. It turns out to be a good choice because the run goes well. So well that we end up in third place, certainly not a bad position from which to start the race. Happy with the time and happy with the improved setup. Bring on the race!
Unlike usual, this is not a 4-hour race but a 6-hour race, so the strategy is as follows: I start, then Heiko takes over the car, I get back in, and then Heiko gets to finish the race. Unfortunately, things turn out a little differently during the race itself.
Race:
The race start goes well, although I unfortunately lose one position, meaning I have to slot into P4 as we head onto the Nordschleife. Because P1 to P6 remain close together, it is not a problem. The race is long and usually the race only really starts after the first series of pit stops. So for now, just stay with the group and drive steadily behind the rest. Unfortunately, this is only for a short time because at the end of the third lap, things go wrong. While driving directly behind another car, I suffer a left-front tyre blowout. Fortunately, it happens on the final straight and I am almost at the pit lane, but it still causes a lot of problems. The ABS fails because the wiring is damaged by the pieces of the blown tyre, and the cable of the GPS sensor is also damaged, meaning that the speedometer no longer works.
So it is going to be a long race…..
No ABS means that the car does not provide any assistance when your tyres lock up under heavy braking. Because these cars are set up softly for the Nordschleife, it is a huge challenge to drive safely around the circuit like this. But we have to, because we are not going to give up just like that. The team immediately reacts and makes sure that I can get back onto the track quickly. With new tyres and a full tank, the strategy has been adjusted! We resume the race and I take it easy at first so that I can build up my confidence properly. Unfortunately, after the first lap I immediately have to go through the pit lane again for a stop-and-go penalty. When entering the pit lane without a speedometer, I drove 2 km/h too fast, and that is not allowed. SO FRUSTRATING!
After serving the penalty, I resume my stint, and as if everything was not going badly enough already, I come into contact with another car shortly after leaving the pits. The other car goes into the wall and is out of the race. Fortunately, I only spin around and can continue my race. Luckily, this ended well and after that I am able to complete my stint without any further problems. By now, however, we are almost at the back of the field with all this trouble. Heiko takes over the car and drives a solid stint. We have to come back from P19 and our goal is to finish as high as possible. We are running “out of sync” and by driving some very strong stints, we will slowly move forward through the field. After his stint, we are reasonably back on schedule. P12.. Let’s go!!
When it is my turn again, the team has managed to repair the ABS very quickly. Really incredibly impressive considering how short the pit stops are. But now I can push flat out as much as possible. With a car that is functioning properly, I quickly get back into my rhythm and can set lap times equal to or faster than the top 3. With these times, we make big progress and move well into the top 10. Fortunately, nothing strange happens during the stint and I finish it in a relaxed way. By now, we are in P8 and have a top 5 finish in sight.
Now that Heiko gets into the car, unfortunately the ABS has failed again. The temporary fix was unfortunately just a little too temporary. But Heiko is doing a really great job. The lap times he is setting are highly competitive and it looks like we can gain a few more positions. With a very strong stint, completely without ABS, he brings the car home in P6. All in all, a very eventful race, in which we made very few mistakes from a sporting point of view. Unfortunately, luck was not on our side that day. We did not give up and kept fighting. This P6 is definitely deserved!
On to the next one, during the weekend of 12 and 13 September, when a double-header is on the schedule.
