After a 2 month summer
break, the World Endurance Championship is getting ready for the
fourth round of the season. It's off to Germany and the Nürburgring
this time, the first visit of the WEC to this legendary track, and
the first time since 2009 an endurance world championship is visiting
the Eiffel. Although the race will take place on the GP Strecke, the
spirit of the legendary Green Hell will be all around the track next
week.
Last month, the race
was presented at the Nürburgring, together with a two day test session with 20 teams present. In this first part
we'll focus on the top contenders with Audi and Porsche getting ready
for an epic battle for the 2015 championship.
Everyone present at the
press conference agreed that racing at the Nürburgring means
endurance racing is coming home again. The 1000 km races at the
Nordschleife in the past always saw epic racing and huge crowds,
let's hope the fans come out to the track again for the home race of
Porsche, Audi and also Toyota who have their workshops nearby in Cologne.
Hans Joachim Stuck,
twice winner of the 24 hours of Le Mans, sportscars world champion
and a Nürburgring legend (driving his first lap at the Green hell at
the age of 9) has been appointed Grand Marshal of this race. “During
history, endurance racing belongs on the Nürburgring” said Stuck
during the presentation of the race last month. “After my career in
Formula 1, I've booked my greatest successes in endurance racing.
Racing at the Nordschleife 1000 km in front of 150.000 to 200.000 fans will
always be in my memory and with the return of the WEC, the spirit of
endurance racing is coming home again”.
The whole Porsche team
is still on a high after their historic victory at Le Mans in june.
“The excitement in the Porsche headquarters after winning Le Mans
was amazing. Everyone wants to be part of the winning team and the
legendary race in France” says Andreas Seidl, head of Porsche's
LMP1 program. “The Nürburgring is a track where history has been
written and we want to do it again this year. Winning Le Mans after
17 years, gave the whole team an incredible boost and we will do all
we can to win also at our home race in Germany. We're also pushing
hard to win the WEC championship and scored good points for that with
our second car at Le Mans, so having a good result over here will be
key for the rest of the championship.
Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich,
head of Audi Motorsport hasn't forgotten the 2009 race and is keen on
revenge for the defeat at Le Mans. “It's been 6 years since we've
raced here in the Le Mans Series, and we weren't able to win it back
then. We didn't win Le Mans this year, so we want to get back
what is ours; the top spot of the podium”. “Audi will be pushing
hard to claim the WEC title at the end of the season and is eager to
win here at their home race on a legendary track. Asking Dr Ullrich
why people should come to the WEC, his answer was very clear : “The WEC
championship offers exciting and fair racing in all different
classes, with new technology that will go through to road cars.
There's no artificial overtaking down here but real racing with
drivers fighting for speed and position. Since this is a home race
for Audi and Porsche, I expect a good crowd for the race.”
Olaf Manthey, who is
running the Porsche GTE-Pro factory cars probably has the most
experience with racing on the Nurburgring. “The Nürburgring is
our home track, it's basically in the backyard of our workshop, so we
should be well prepared for a good result out here. On Monday we
were able to do some testing in wet conditions, which is always
helpful when you've got a race coming up in the Eiffel.” The
pressure will be on at Manthey Racing for a top result in their
backyard, but it's clear Porsche will be ready to fight for the win
in LMP1 and GTE-Pro with their factory teams.
In 2009, Aston Martin
had a clean sweep on the podium and took a dominating victory with
their Lola V12 after an eventful race. With the unpredictable Eiffel
weather, it's hard to tell what kind of race we'll have next weekend
but it will be an exciting one, that's for sure. This is a new race
on the calendar, but with a massive potential and fan base. Let's
hope the fans will find their way on to the 'Ring, and make it a
great weekend for endurance racing. They should be in for a treat
with a full race program and entertainment around the track.
All information about
the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring can be found here.
