Nürburgring 24 Hours – Notes 1
Eight Crazy Hours Amazing how quickly eight hours can pass. One minute you’re watching 202 cars start a race, and seemingly the next it’s dark and we’re a third of the way through it. Actually, the interim period has been pretty full on, with numerous lengths of the circuit walked (and yes, for any photographers reading this, I have been outside). After an unbelievably rammed grid walk – which took DSC (your scribe and Marcel ten Caat) some 30 minutes to navigate two-thirds of, but during which we managed to grab a few moments with Jose Balbiani, Tim Mullen, Phil Quaife, Andrew Kirkaldy, Carlo van Dam, Calum Lockie and Bob Neville – the throng was somehow cleared and the first of the three groups set off for the formation lap; followed after the appropriate intervals by the remaining two groups. Allen Simonsen started from pole in the #2 Sp8 Hankook Team Farnbacher 458, but almost immediately lost the lead; “I started on inters, while all the others were on wets,” he explained at the end of his first two-hour stint, “but I was surprised that they were able to out-drag me like that, as I thought inters would be best on the GP circuit. I managed to get back past a couple of them before we got to the Nordschleife. “The circuit dried quickly; it always does - as soon as the drizzle stops.” Had we seen him going onto the grass to avoid a spinner later in the race, while leading? “I didn’t go onto the grass, but I did have to almost stop. I came up on two cars which were having a contest to see who could go the slowest and then one of them spun. I wasn’t sure which way he was going to go, so I slowed right down and waited for him to stop.” The Ferrari’s good run came to a halt after about four hours when right-rear suspension damage caused a very lengthy stop and the loss of several dozen places. After realising that the internet in the media centre was going to be as reliable as a politician after an election, we decided that a visit to the pitlane was in order. It turned out that, if anything, the insanity had been ramped up a level over that on display during qualifying; i.e. it was very, very busy down there. Even though the race was just a few minutes old, at least half-a-dozen cars were being worked on in the garages, while the rapidly drying track was sending more and more of the cars which hadn’t started the race on slicks to head in to take on treadless rubber. Getting from garage to garage is a bit like trying to dodge a sniper; you stick your head round the corner to quickly survey the scene – taking in as many of the potential dangers as you can – and then you run like hell when the opportunity presents itself. So far, nobody appears to have been run over, but it must surely only be a matter of time. And we haven't even mentioned the loose dog that was spotted later in the pitlane... One of the early pit-visits was to establish which of the Manthey Porsches had started on slicks (the #9 Hybrid and the #18 RSR), which on inters (#11 GT3 R) and which on wets (all the rest). But, on returning to the Radio Le Mans studio, we were immediately asked, “What’s happened to the #11?” A quick glance at the screen showed that it was in the pits, but it hadn’t been in the garage when we were there and Olaf Manthey had been watching the screens. We dutifully went back down and found the car parked up and unattended in the paddock awning; it having been retired in favour of the RSR. As time passed and the incidents piled up and cars hit trouble, it became harder and harder to keep up with proceedings; to the extent that being in the same room as the RLM chaps was by far the bets option. However, your scribe soon discovered that this has its disadvantages when Graham Goodwin decided to take the opportunity to ask me – on air – about my impressions of the circuit. I hope I didn’t sound like too much of a fool on my broadcasting debut – at least I managed to avoid ending each answer with “…you bastard!” However, where there is yin, there is yang, and the invitation to partake in the Aston Martin barbecue (the RLM studio being located in the marque's hospitality suite) was ample compensation for my enforced exposure. The two Peugeot RCZ HDIs were running well at the four-hour mark, with the #200 leading the D1T class. Bruce Jouanny explained that things were going well after a worrying build-up; “We had a few problems in free practice and qualifying, which was a bit weird as we hadn’t had any trouble at all in the VLN races before! So far, though, we’ve not had any issues in the race.” Jouanny had not yet been in the car at this point and would have to wait another hour before starting his race, so how did he cope with the wait? “It’s odd not starting. You just have to relax and watch how things are going. I’m sure the adrenalin will start to build as my time approaches.” And was he a fan of the circuit? “I like it, but it just takes so long to learn. I remember in the VLN races, I’d get held up by slow cars on the Grand Prix circuit; but as soon as I was on the Nordschleife those same cars would just shoot past me, because they know the place so well. I’ve done about 50 laps in total here, so I’m starting to get the hang of it!” At the other end of the pitlane was the VW Motorsport garage and it seemed like a good idea to find out how Mark Blundell was getting on. By happy coincidence, your scribe’s arrival at Garage 4 coincided with the imminent ending of the former Le Mans winner’s stint and it was time to stand in an inconspicuous place as Blundell handed the #235 Golf GTI over to Johnny Herbert. However, having vacated the car, Blundell stormed through the garage – not removing his helmet or speaking to anyone – and left via the rear door with a TV crew in hot pursuit. Clearly, something had angered him, but it would be a half-hour before the reason was revealed; "Well just done my stint and probably worst I have driven made huge mistake an cost my team and team mates alot of time, not impressed with ME" he tweeted. The trio of Golfs - here to celebrate the model's 35th anniversary - were reduced to a single car by midnight. The #35's front differential failed and the #135 was involved in a crash at the pit-entrance that took out it and the other car. The dramas continued on track – BMW #1 given a 3-minute stop/go penalty for driving the Karussell the wrong way some four hours earlier; Mini #152 bursting into flames at Aremberg; the #30 Mamerow/ROWE SLS crashing out while second; the Hybrid Porsche being virtually rebuilt in the pits following transmission problems – at such a rate that it was bewildering. As Sunday arrived, the #18 Manthey Porsche RSR had established itself in the overall lead. 16 hours to go! MH | 
