VICTORY IN GERMANY!

By motorsport technology group driver, Michael Auriemma

What more should I say? This past weekend, I started a three week trip to Europe. A weekend of racing at the Nurburgring, followed by a week of work in London, and culminating in the highlight of my racing year- the 24 hours of Nurburgring.

There has been a lot of work going on to get ready for the 24 hour race- much of which has centered on finalizing our driver lineup. In the end, it has been decided that last year’s Team America will disband and join three separate cars. Jimmy Locke will join Germans Emin Akata, Jurgen Dinstuhler, and Niclas Konigbauer in a BMW 130i. In their very competitive class, they will work hard to reach the podium. Marc Bronzel will round out an all-German squad including Peter Posavac, Andreas Winkler, and Alfred Becker. They will compete in a BMW 120d, the same car Team America drove last year. They will be gunning for the podium and possibly a win in the diesel class.

Meanwhile, John Mayes and I will move into a BMW 320d with Norwegians Nils Tronrud and Anders Buchardt. The 320d has the same power-train as the 120d, but the Schubert Motorsports crew has worked hard to make this car light and fast. Many components have been changed to carbon fiber. The dash has been completely redesigned. And, the windshield has been replaced with polycarbonate. All of this (and much more) has combined to create a seriously competitive car. With drivers that finished 2nd and 3rd last year, we too will be targeting a class win for the 24 hour race.

My current trip to Germany was intended for me to get some time in the new car. Although the car has started several races this year (with other drivers), the results have not been as good as hoped. For this 4-hour race (called a VLN), I would be teamed with Jorg Vieban of Norway. Jorg has been racing at the Ring for well over a decade and is considered to be one of the fastest amateurs on the circuit.

There is limited practice time for VLNs, so I only got 3 laps in Friday night’s practice session. This car takes quite a bit of getting used to. The diesel engine makes power from about 3000 rpm, and redlines at only 4800 rpm. There is very little engine noise. And, the seating position is quite low in the cockpit. Fortunately, getting accustomed to the new car was not encumbered by working on setup. This car arrived at the track with a nearly perfect setup. Two minor adjustments eliminated a bit of understeer, and we were ready to race.

Jorg hit the track early in Saturday’s qualifying session. With nearly 200 cars needing to qualify, getting on-track early would be critical to finding a gap. The Schubert crew had us 3rd in line when the track went green. In his first flying lap, Jorg put in a 9min 8sec lap. This would prove to be good enough for pole in class. In fact, it was 15 seconds (or about 1 second per mile) faster than Marc, Peter and Andreas in P2.

Once the green flag flew at noon, Jorg was off and running. With clear track ahead, he was able to pull a large gap over the competition. Just before the two hour mark, Jorg pitted the 320 for tires, fuel and a driver change. It was my turn to drive.

If you are a Formula 1 fan, you know that those teams use tire warmers to get their tires up to temperature before the car hits the track. Always jealous of that luxury, I finally had the chance to experience it myself. How cool? Or should I say ‘How warm?!’ With tires up to temperature, your first lap doesn’t suffer from the typical lack of grip most racers have come to expect. The car is ready from the first corner! The only question now, is whether the driver is up to speed on lap 1! I’ll admit, my first lap wasn’t my fastest as my learning curve continued throughout my session. By the end, my times were pretty competitive. The team and I were happy with the performance.

So, what was the most eventful moment of my stint? Several things stand out. But, without a doubt, the one that will stay with me the longest is what I’m calling ‘Hoodie 3’. Yes, I’m serious! You may remember, that at the Daytona 24 in 2007, my hood flew open at 165mph… then during an exhibition leading up to the Nurburgring 24 in 2007, I was in another car when the hood opened at speed. Well, with three laps to go in this race, the left hood-pin of my racecar failed. The left side of the hood lifted up and started to flop around! Hey, no problem… I’ve had worse! To be honest, I was worried. I figured that the added stress would cause the right side to break soon as well… potentially ending our race so close to the finish. I called the team and told them what was happening, and reduced my speed dramatically. We decided that I would pit the car to have the hood duct-taped closed. We had enough of a gap that we shouldn’t have to worry.

Pulling into the pits, about 8 mechanics descended on the car- each with a roll of duct tape. They worked feverishly to tape the hood down. Within 15 seconds, I was on my way for the final laps! Phew!!

Approaching the finish line for what I suspected was cause for celebration; I was told that the leading car crossed the line 10 seconds before the 4-hour mark. That meant that the whole field would have to do another lap! Yikes… fingers crossed, breathe held… another 9+ minute lap means anything can go wrong!

Fortunately, it was uneventful. Turning onto the front straight for the last time, I radioed the crew…. ‘Here I come boys!’ Stefan, the team leader, replied ‘WE’RE WAITING FOR YOU, MICHAEL!’… As I’ve always wanted to do, I left the racing line and skimmed the wall for the finish as the crew climbed the pit wall fence and Stefan’s voice shouted in my earphones… Victory Michael!  VICTORY!

‘Victory, Michael’… what better words can there be in motor racing? We had a great car, a great crew, and capable drivers. But so much can go wrong. This was my 5th VLN race, and only my first finish. We have run out of fuel, had mechanical issues, and been hit from behind by competitors. How sweet to make it through the gauntlet not just to finish, but to win.

183 cars started this race. Only 115 finished. The top 13 finishers included 2 BMW Z4’s, a Porsche RSR, 7 Porsche GT3s, and a V8 Astra. Our BMW 320 diesel (picture attached) was a remarkable 14th overall… a great sign for the 24 hour race.