N24 – Selecting the Team

The Nordeschliefe has a way of messing with your best laid plans…

After 75 years of state ownership, the finances around maintaining & operating the Nordeschliefe got to be too much. GetSpeed & Capricorn formed a joint venture to buy the facility for $77m EUD only to default on the 2nd payment. A Russsian bio-pharmaceutical mogul stepped into the breach and saved both the facility and day.

Race sanctioning bodies VLN & ADAC have also embarked on a reconstitution of their rule package for drivers. The two organizations work hand in hand on permitting & licensing as it relates to the 24hr race. The process they outline puts emphasis on process, which in the end, likely makes the most sense given the complexity of the track.

Our original team structure for the 24hr was dashed while checking in to the 6hr qualification race. Intended teammate Kurt Strube was dis-allowed as his Gold Nordeschliefe permit emanated from a National Class B license vs. an International Class B license…meaning he had followed an incorrect process.

The short term problem was that we we’re down a driver for the 6hr race. The bigger problem is that our 24h team of four was now cut to three.

Three days later, our 4th driver, Dale Lomas, Ring Taxi wheelman and owner of the heavily trafficked Bridge to Gantry website had his sponsor pull out. This left David Quinlan and I as two vs. the planned 4 and 12 days to figure it out.

Oh, and by the way – the $8900 EUD entry fee we had already paid is non-refundable.

Together with Matech owner Sascha Fassbender, the three of us literally scoured the globe for drivers that fit a TIGHT box of parameters. The parameters to be met were:

• Having an FIA International Class B license or a Nordeschliefe Permit in hand.
• An interest in driving the 24h @ The Nurburgring.
• The flexibility in schedule to commit just 10 days before the race.
• Ability to pay the associated costs of driving the race.
• Someone with a reasonable enough racing resume that gave us the confidence to bet our race outcome upon.

We were looking for a needle in a hay stack.

Schedule conflicts, license snafu’s, budget constraints and scary racing resumes plagued all we could find as potential teammates. There was seemingly little hope we’d find a solution. It was 5 days from race day, 3 days from plane flight and we hadn’t even packed our bags. Grim was a kind description of the outlook.

Then Sascha sent the text.

HE had single handedly solved the riddle. He found a tremendous driver through his racing friends in Argentina which he combined with his local Ring Rat friend to complete with our team. Three of the four drivers had more than five 24h races under their belts. Half of the team had done more than four of those 24h races at the Ring – with Podium finishes.

We were thrilled – and started packing our bags for a flight that left in just 72 hours.

In case you missed episode 1 of GAM TAKES THE RING, click here.