CFFC Race 5 Nurburgring 16 - 18 September 2005

Practices

A new track for me and a very difficult and technical one. Although the forcast predicted very poor weather for most of the weekend I didn't see any rain or water on the track. The first time out was on friday I lost it in the 3rd corner as you had to keep turning in and turning in. It toke me some time to get my times down and even had to let Hugo Willmars pass to see how he went over the track. I finally managed a 2:24.

First saturday qualifying mend early rising. 8 o'clock we were let lose on the track. I got my times down to 2:22 but as I was passed by Dietrich Wöllhardt I managed to follow him and take full advantage of his local knowledge and set a 2:20.09 which ment a provisional 7th place. In the second qualifying I didn't have the benifit of a pull from a local although my pitcrew franticly tried to indicate that there was somebody 5 s behind me. I understood what they were trying to tell me by 5 fingers down but as practice drew to an end I wanted to acheive a better time on my own. This didn't work out as I couldn't manage anything better than a 2:20.5. This ment I was now 8th as Paul Riemens past me.

Harald had offered the luxury of a garage an we jumped to it.

Race

I was optimistic for the race. I knew I would be able to go faster than during practice and that I might keep up with the top and end up somewhere in sixth or maybe fifth place.

Concentration before the start

The office in FF.

The start was a repeat of Dijon, i.e., the race was on long before the lights went out and after the NGK chicane it was full go. I was a bit caught out but behind me things were worse so I could concentrate on the thing, Paul Riemens, ahead. I tried to go round the outside in first bit of the Ford corner, but that was a bit optimistic. Paul got away and past Alan Crocker so he was my next target.

Here I was lining up to pass Alan after I got in his slipstream.

After I got passed Alan I was again setting my sights on Paul. I drove to him and after a good exit from the Bit corner with a bit of tow I could pass him before the NGK chicane. I was now in sixth place and I could see Dieter Wöllhardt and Roel Mulder ahead so they were my next target. However under braking for the Castrol S my car got very sideways, due to oil???. Alan Crocker saw his chance as I lost a lot of speed and dived on the inside where space was getting smaller as my car was pointing that way. He clipped my nose with his wheels and I was left without a nose and with very deformed radiator which was no longer fully connected to the cooling system. So my race ended after 2 laps and 200 m.

The damage done.

Nord schleiffe

Before the race at the early hour of 8 o'clock we had the opportunity to drive two laps on the old Nurburgring. Here below are some pictures that I toke while driving.