24 hours. Time that often flies by. Or in which every second can feel like an eternity. In long-distance racing, it is often the latter. Especially in the world’s two most demanding long-distance races – the 24h of Le Mans and 24h of Nürburgring. Although these are equally tough, they pose very different challenges. Which is particularly noticeable when they take place in rapid succession. Like this June. During our weeks of endurance.
The first test is Le Mans. Held at the Circuit de la Sarthe. One of the world’s oldest and most historic race tracks. With 38 bends over 13,629 kilometres per lap, it is also one of the longest. What is special about it is that the course mainly consists of public roads that merge seamlessly into the race track. Which not only involves rapidly changing grip levels, but also difficulties that it is impossible to experience on race tracks alone: such as deep ruts, for example, created as a result of the roads being used all year long. Which at speeds of almost 300km/h, as achieved by our GT cars, can make the vehicle unstable. This requires the maximum concentration of all drivers, especially at night.