Day for Night - Part Two

June 6, 2013
Story By
John Brooks

After gaining a clear understanding of the major players who arrived to compete in the 2013 Nürburgring 24 Hours (See Part One), on to the fanfare and racing!

While the race is perhaps the least well known internationally of the three great 24 Hour races, it is very big news in Germany. As if to illustrate the point, the undisputed Kaiser of Motorsport, Michael Schumacher, made an appearance as part of the pre-race ballyhoo that seems to drag on and on and on.

The cunning plan was to have him complete a lap of the Nordschleife in a 2012 spec Formula One Mercedes. While I'm sure it sounded like a good idea in a marketing strategy meeting, the reality is a bit underwhelming, as the track and car are no longer compatible. Anything approaching the speeds that this car is capable of would be extremely dangerous, so a relatively slow pace was chosen. Still, fair play to Schumi, for he climbed aboard and gave the huge crowd something to cheer.

The grid then assembled and it seemed that the whole crowd was down there amongst the cars. A most UnGerman mess, but somehow the multitudes dispersed and we were ready to go racing.

In order to make the start manageable, the grid is split into three with the quick boys at the front. So as the pack made their way along Döttinger Höhe towards the stadium and starting line, they behaved themselves for the last time during the 24 hour endurance race.

Once racing had begun, and by the time the pack had reached me at the Flugplatz, the Audi was long gone and the factory Aston Martin was leading the charge.

The Nürburgring is a place where all four seasons can be experienced in one day, and the 2013's 24 Hours is certainly proof of that. Admittedly, we missed much of the summer but that is frequently in short supply for this region. Storms were initially forecast to coincide with the opening laps, so all were relieved when this prophesy proved premature. However, we all knew that the rain would come - when was the question, as conflicting fronts kept it at bay. It was business as usual at the sharp end with the leaders lapping slower cars by the second tour of the track.

While the fast cars attract most of the attention, in reality this race is about the small teams, a surprising number of whom are locals that just love racing on the Nordschleife. One of the more eccentric entries is the Opel Manta of Kissling Motorsport. Dating from the mid-80's, this car is really popular with the crowd, ending up 100th overall and managing to break the ten minute barrier on its fastest lap. (Editors Note: All while rocking a 'coon tail trailing off it's antennae!)

Another golden oldie that comes to the race each year is the Intax Motorsport Mercedes-AMG 190E 2.6-16, which was wowing us drivers way back in the early '90's. These guys managed a respectable fourth in class this year.

Another bunch of locals were brought out the Black Falcon Porsche to play. They were regularly the highest of high flyers at Flugplatz...

While we all know factory teams are the big boys, some factory efforts are also to be found in the slower classes. Peugeot brought a trio of their new 208 GTIs and, having a pretty good day at the office, finished 1-2-3 in class.

More factory goodness in the smaller classes, the Hyundai Veloster Turbo, was another finisher. It appears that the Koreans are coming, just as the Japanese have, adding even more international lustre to the event.

However, looking at the numbers, the field is dominated by the German automotive industry. BMW having some 45 examples on call...

And as one might expect, Porsche were well represented with 36 entries.

Amidst all the fanfare, the whole event was conducted under somewhat of a black cloud. Everywhere you looked there were banners and slogan pleading to "Save the Ring". What is happening? Well Savethering.org summarize the position thus: From 2007 - 2009 the German government built a huge Leisure Park at the Nürburgring. It was based on fake visitor numbers, oversized and badly executed. Most of the time it is an empty ghost town. Once promised as private investment, it is now based on a debt of €350,000,000, all public money. Instead of pulling the plug the government rented the park - including both race tracks - to exactly the same privateers (Kai Richter, Jörg Lindner), who were driving forces behind the Leisure Park's initial private setup. Without Racing experience they are since experimenting with events completely unrelated to Motorsport (German Volksmusik for example, another one here) - all under the iconic "Nürburgring" brand name. They now want Nordschleife to pay for the huge losses of "NüroDisney": record prices and bundled packages for tourist drives plus a 5 times increase for the automotive industry in rent for their prototype testing sessions. The latest position is that the lease with NAG Richter / Lindner was terminated Nov 2012. Insolvency practitioners are now trying to sell off the whole enterprise to get some of the taxpayers' money back." No wonder there are a lot of worried people. This will rumble on I am afraid.

Back to the race and the usual problem everyone complained about, with 180 cars competing, traffic and more traffic.

For the most part folks kept out of each other's way, still a little forbearance was required

Then the rain arrived as promised, just three hours late...added to the gathering gloom. It was a dispiriting time, and many of the fans, already cold and tired, chose not to add a soaking to their day. The roads around the circuit jammed with those heading home.

Back on the track, visibility waned as rain intensified and patches of fog rolled in.

Racing became all but impossible in the worsening conditions. The Race Director frankly had no alternative but to throw a red flag and summon all the cars back to the pits.

And there the cars would remain till morning. Racing resumed at 08.30 with the rain still falling, but at least the fog had gone.

Gingerly, the race started, though for those not at the front, visibility was zero.

As for the spectators that stuck around, the abating rain revealed those hardy few who had braved the storm. Campsites looked like something Tolstoy had imagined when describing the aftermath of Borodino, wounded were everywhere.

Still, evidence of medicine was plenty, though most of it had been used...

This army must have its rations...

Though even in the gloom, the Nürburgring is a majestic place.

Making it all the harder to imagine that this could be the last 24 Hours..............

As the clocked ticked on, traffic remained constant.

All the while the #9 Black Falcon Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of Bernd Schneider, Sean Edwards, Nicki Thiim and Jeron Bleekemolen maintained a constant advantage over the chasing pack. Veteran driver Schneider being especially mighty when the conditions were at their worst.

Celebrations were already beginning in the stands as the last lap was rolled off.

A great victory for Black Falcon and Mercedes-Benz AMG - their first at this classic race, and hopefully not the last. Next up, the 90th anniversary Les Vingt-Quatre Heures du Mans........................... -John Brooks

Day for Night - Part Two

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