Photo: Audi R8 of Allan McNish and Pierre Kaffer (thanks to Motorsport.com)
Although the 6 Hours of Nürburgring is only in its second year, many of the current FIA World Endurance Championship competitors have extensive experience of competing at the former German Grand Prix venue in the WEC and ELMS’s predecessor, the Le Mans Series.
Held between 2004 and 2009, the Nürburgring 1000km was a 6 hour endurance race which saw the premier LMP1 and LMP2 classes joined by GT1 and GT2 (now GTE) machinery.
The event’s first running was won by an Audi R8 driven by 2013 WEC champion Allan McNish and Pierre Kaffer, who remains in LMP1 today with the ByKolles Racing Team.
Completing the podium that day was the Creation Autosportif prototype of Jamie Campbell-Walter and Nicolas Minassian, the latter now part of the SMP Racing line-up in LMP2. Minassian had a formidable record in the 1000km race, finishing on the outright podium every year he entered, including three consecutive second place finishes between 2006 and 2008.
However, Minassian’s record pales in comparison with his former Peugeot team-mate Pedro Lamy, who will join Paul Dalla Lana and Mathias Lauda in the No. 98 LMGTE Am Aston Martin Vantage. The Portuguese, also the most successful driver in the history of the Nürburgring 24 Hour race, holds a remarkable 100% record in the 1000km, having won his class on every one of his four appearances.
In 2004 and 2006, Lamy prevailed with Jack Leconte’s Larbre Compétition team in the GTS and GT1 classes, before adding back-to-back outright victories in 2007 and 2008 with Peugeot alongside current Toyota driver Stéphane Sarrazin.
Le Mans 24 Hours winner Marc Lieb is another to have enjoyed success in the 1000km and will relish the chance of adding an outright victory to his GT2 class wins alongside Xavier Pompidou in 2005 and defending LMGTE Pro winner Richard Lietz in 2009.
However, Lietz will have a battle on his hands to repeat the feat this year, with Aston Martin, Ferrari and Ford all fielding drivers with 1000km victories on their CVs. Darren Turner (GT1, 2005), Gianmaria Bruni (GT2, 2008), Stefan Mucke (LMP1, 2009) and Olivier Pla (LMP2, 2009) will not only be vying for class honours, but hoping to join Lietz in the exclusive club for drivers that have won in both eras.
By James Newbold
