Kiwi back at Nurburgring to chase class honours again
Wayne Moore is again returning to Germany to compete at the famous Nurburgring 24-Hour Race.
The intrepid Kiwi race car driver from Paekākāriki is returning for his 28th year, this year driving a BMW F30 328i in class V2T for production 2-litre turbo cars which he also entered last year in a VW Golf.
He again joins WS Racing who are based in Trierweiler, Germany and primarily sponsored by GITI Tires.
Being sponsored by a tyre company is a blessing Moore values.
“Last year the race was incredibly wet and visibility was further restricted by fog.
“We have a choice of eight tyre treads from slick race tyres to intermediate, wet and monsoon patterns and often in various compounds ranging through soft, medium and hard.
“That means a huge reliance on our technical chief and the German crew who service the car once the driver conveys the track condition.”
Moore also enthuses about the progression in communication between the race car and pits.
“We have GPS radio and are in constant contact despite the mountainous terrain. Race organisers now also use a GPS system with in-car warning of situations ahead which has significantly reduced racing cars compounding an existing incident.”
One lap of the Nurburgring is 25.3km and it is not feasible to use safety cars on such a lengthy circuit.
Current regulations restrict a driver from driving for more than three hours without a two-hour break.
Moore’s team-mates this year are Matthias Mo¨ ller, Fabian Pirrone and Detlef Steibrink, all from Hamburg, with the three of them giving the car a test drive in April.
This year is the 50th anniversary of the 24-hour event, with fans back after a two-year hiatus due to Covid19 restrictions.
“They are an integral part of the atmosphere with the pits and even the start grid freely accessible as the cars assemble on Saturday afternoon for two hours of pomp and pageantry before the race commences.”
In non-Covid times 230,000 fans camped throughout the forest beside the race track as it winds through the Eifel Mountains and another 40,000-plus encircle the stadium-like F1 Grand Prix circuit to view the cars as they return from the forest each lap.
Moore believes numbers this year may be even higher and recalls enjoying the smell of steaks barbecuing as he raced past hillside campsites, and looks forward to that again.
With the return of fans, manufacturer and supplier villages, and numerous fan zones will also reappear along with Adenauer Racing Day which is a street carnival closing the major village of Adenau one day in the preceding week.
Fan interaction is huge at the 24-hour race.
The race has a unique flair as it attracts ambitious amateurs and professional drivers employed by factory teams regularly including young Kiwis with Earl Bamber in the field again this year.
It’s believed these teams can spend €1m over race weekend when they run three cars and entertain thousands of existing and potential customers.
Moore raced for a Volkswagen factory-supported team for 17 years and said their budget was minuscule compared with today’s figures.
The motorsport adage of “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” runs true in the Eifel Mountains with fierce competition at the front of the field.
“It’s not uncommon to see race cars stuck in a gravel trap after leaving the circuit on turn one at the very start of the race in the intense battle to dominate television coverage at the front of the field.”
The 20.4 kilometre Nordschleife or North Loop is largely the same as that raced by Formula One until 1976
It’s not uncommon to see race cars stuck in a gravel trap after leaving the circuit on turn one at the very start of the race. Wayne Moore
when Niki Lauda experienced a fiery crash and the race track was then deemed too dangerous.
Sir Jackie Stewart dubbed it ‘The Green Hell’ and Formula One now uses a more modern circuit at Nu¨rburgring which is also part of what Moore races on.
He said roadworks often take place between snow falls during the winter months and this year has been no exception with major resealing and the trial installation of a further GPS safety system on Dottinger Hohe which is a highspeed 3km straight.
Since first entering the race in 1994 Moore has raced 32,000km on the Nu¨rburgring which is an extraordinary achievement for an offshore driver and, other than German nationals, no race driver in the world has entered the race more times.
His team have frequently been on the race podium for success in their class and won twice.
One of Moore’s personal ambitions is a third class win and time will tell whether he, his BMW F30 and 2022 team can deliver that.