After the turmoil of the third VLN event at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, it was
with some relief that the Aston Martin Motorsport drivers could take to the
track on Monday 10th May, ahead of the flagship event of the year, the Nurburgring 24 hours.
This test day would be crucial, as it presented the opportunity to run a number
of aerodynamic configurations on the new V12 Vantage, having determined the car
was too "draggy" at the previous race. However, it was with some frustration
that the entire morning was lost to a foggy Nordschleife, clearing only after
midday. All four of the 24 hour driver squad were present, this being Chris
Porritt, Richard Meaden, Oliver Mathai and Pete. It was immediately obvious to
all that the car had taken a step forward, despite the track being somewhat
"green" and slippery.
"I felt much more at ease with the car, particularly with the revisions to the rear suspension," Pete commented. "I can get on the power with more certainty. The different wing designs also have had a significant effect and we have selected what we believe to be the best compromise between stability and top speed. It's a shame to lose so much running to the fog. I now just need a good sequence of laps to get the most out of the car, particularly the high speed curves where at the moment Oliver is able to carry more speed than the rest of us."
Over the next days, the wonders of modern telemetry helped Pete to identify the changes in driving style necessary to maximise the car's performance around the 25.378km lap, before he would take to the track again on Thursday for the official qualifying sessions of the 2010 Nurburgring 24 hours race. Qualifying day dawned wet and four degrees Celsius, with gloves and hats in evidence up and down the pitlane to combat the unbelievable cold . A short free practice session in the early afternoon allowed the team to make some systems checks but the serious stuff would start at 7:30pm with the first qualifying session, which would run for four hours into the late evening.
"Normally the night qualifying is the faster of the two qualifying sessions, due to the cool temperatures helping the engines, but this session is wet, with a crazy amount of mud on the track where cars have gone off. If the second qualifying tomorrow is dry, it will be pretty frantic as it's a shorter session and likely to be setting the final starting grid positions."
With each driver having to complete a mandatory two laps as a minimum, there was little to be gained by pushing too hard in such poor conditions, and the Vantage came home having achieved 49th overall and 4th in the SP8 class with a 10:43.181 lap time. The leading SP8 car was the Lexus LFA driven by Armin Hahne, Jochen Krumbach and Andre Lotterer who posted an impressive 8th overall (9:40.193), setting down a marker for our team to chase. Meanwhile the sister works Aston Martin Rapide, piloted by Dr Ulrich Bez, Wolfgang Schuhbauer and Chris Porritt, recorded an 11:23.886 time, good enough for 8th in class at its first 24 hours.
Friday would indeed prove to be a more critical day, the dry track being only slightly compromised by the oil laid down from the earlier classic race car qualifying session. Due to the 120 minute time limit there would only be time for each driver to run two flying laps, with Oliver taking the first run and recording a 9:24 lap before handing over to Chris, then Richard and finally Pete who had to cope with the rear tyres then being at the end of their life. Despite this the lap times were all within a few seconds of each other. The team then elected to give Oliver another run on new tyres, and he did not disappoint, turning in an incredible 9:11.909 lap thanks to a good slipstream on the main straight and "many oversteer moments!", good enough for third in class.
With no mechanical issues to resolve prior to the race, the team retired to the Dorint track-side hotel for some important rest and a careful choice of evening meal prior to the forthcoming twenty-four hour race. Race-day dawned bright and even sunny, with the cars pushed out to the grid shortly after midday in anticipation of the 3pm start. Walking the grid of the 24 hours is always a fantastic experience for team guests and sponsors alike, and this was no exception, the team enjoying a visit from chairman of Aston Martin Racing, David Richards, to wish the team luck. After numerous team photos with the V12 Vantage, Chris Porritt then climbed aboard for the first stint, the cars setting off on the slow and crowded warm-up lap (the 200,000 fans lining the edge of the track to cheer their favourite cars).
Green lights shortly after saw the first group of cars take the rolling start, Chris keeping out of trouble and diving in for an early fuel stop after three laps to ensure the team was out of sync with the other teams sharing the same mandatory pitlane refuelling facility. Despite the extra stop, Chris brought the car in nudging the top thirty, and handed over to Richard who put in a consistent stint despite numerous yellow flags, taking over the SP8 class lead as both works Lexus LFAs ran into mechanical troubles. Pete was next in, contending with the same yellow flags on all but two clear laps, his times remaining close to daylight laps as evening turned to darkness. "I very much like driving the Nordschleife at night, especially in the Aston Martin, as the headlights are superb. The tunnel of light actually helps concentration and with a dry track, I could push on very comfortably."
Pete brought the car back in 26th place overall, still leading the class, and handed over to Oliver before retiring to the hotel for a short sleep. His next stint would be the "graveyard shift" from 01:15am to 03:30am. "Maybe I shouldn't have said I liked driving at night!". Returning to the track in good time, Pete took over from Richard with the car now in 23rd position overall and running very smoothly. Pete's stint was full of drama, at least for several other competitors, with accidents all around the track meaning walking pace through Schwedenkreuz, Hohe Acht and Pflanzgarten. Nevertheless the V12 Vantage emerged unscathed and after a quick fuel stop (during which the mechanics noted a mysterious spattering of fluid under the car - more of that later), Pete completed the second stint in 21st position overall. "I felt pretty good after the double night stint but when I got out, David King informed me that Oliver had been taken ill in the night and would not be able to drive, meaning I would have a further double stint within a couple of hours!" A quick sleep in the hotel and Pete was back behind the wheel at 07:15am with a full tank of fuel and new tyres all round.
"It is always a treat to drive the Nordschleife in the early morning. The air is still cool, most of the maniacs have crashed out, and we can get on with the serious business of moving up the order." With the car running well, Pete was able to press on and set the fastest race lap up to that moment (9:19.318) on his second flying lap. Part way around the third, Pete felt an ominous vibration from the rear on the sixth gear run down to Fuchsrohre and immediately eased off. "My first thought was rear puncture, but I could see by adjusting the wing mirrors that the tyres were intact, so unless it was a lost wheel weight, it had to be something more serious." After a while Pete realised that the problem was evident on throttle, suspecting the problem might be driveshaft related and nursed the car back to the pits. As driveshaft replacement is a lengthy job, the team elected first to try a swift wheel change. Pete reported similar symptoms and so dived back into the pits after a short GP circuit lap and the team sprang into action to change both the driveshafts (taking the opportunity to also replace the front brake pads). It turned out that mystery fluid had been driveshaft grease, which had leaked through a debris-damaged gaiter, ultimately leading to a lack of lubrication.
The car returned to the track in just 16 minutes, an incredible team effort. Pete immediately reported all was well over the radio, and was straight back onto his previous pace, still in the class lead but only just ahead of the leading factory Lexus LFA of Kinoshita, Iida, Wakisaka and Ohshima (the other Lexus having fallen back with major engine problems). Unfortunately the joy would only last a further lap: "Existing the Mini-Karussel, I powered up the hill as usual and the engine just died! I radioed in and we tried all the usual routines to reset the ECU but it just would not fire. In the end I had to be towed off the track just beyond Dottinger Hohe and wait for the team to reach me." What Pete didn't realise was the superb reaction of the team, once it was clear the car would not return to the pit under its own steam. Aston Martin Head of Motorsport, David King, together with two mechanics, jumped into the brand new Cygnet display car and roared through the paddock to the VIP Parking area, where they transferred into Dr Bez's DBS, appearing at Dottinger Hohe within ten minutes of Pete being towed off track! "I couldn't believe how fast they arrived! They got stuck into all the electronics but nothing seemed to solve the problem. Then Dean dived arms length into the fuel tank to check the fuel pumps and found that was where the problem lay". Within minutes, the Vantage was being towed back to the paddock behind the DBS, not common practice for either car, and the team were able to concentrate on a fuel pump replacement in the relative calm of the truck awning.
With his work done, Pete could join the team on the pitwall whilst Chris Porritt roared through the garage and down the pitlane, rejoining in fifty seventh place overall and fourth in class behind the privately-entered Aston Martin of Barth, Moro and Hoffsummer. Chris then proceeded to drive an impressive double stint at near qualifying pace whenever a clear track presented itself, recording the teams overall fastest race lap of 9:18.398. By the time Richard took over for a fourth double stint, the car was verging on the top fifty and had recovered third position in class. Meanwhile, the sister factory car, the Rapide, was enjoying a superb trouble-free run, holding second in class and thirty-sixth overall!
As the finish approached at three o'clock, Richard didn't let up and even on the last lap was picking off cars ahead, his reward being a final result of 39th overall, and third in class behind the Lexus LFA (18th overall, fastest race lap 8:55.934) and the incredible Aston Martin Rapide (34th overall). The race was won by the works BMW M3 GT2 of Muller, Farfus, Alzen and Lamy (162 laps, fastest lap 8:32.644, and only four minutes ahead of the second placed Ferrari F430 GTC)
"The atmosphere on the pitwall at the finish was fantastic. A double podium is a great result, particularly as it proves the Rapide's true sportscar credentials, even if we would have liked it to include the Vantage class win the team deserved. I have to say the team was absolutely top notch, their dedication to doing the job right is confidence-inspiring to us drivers. I am really grateful to Dr Bez and to David King for giving me the chance to be part of the Vantage development and race program, and I very much look forward to the next opportunity with Aston Martin Motorsport. We share the same goal to win this race overall! I'd also like to thank John Muirhead in particular, who went out of his way to drive me home after the event, since the planes were not flying thanks to the volcanic ash cloud!"
