Fresh off a string of podiums in America, the Nurburgring 24 Hours provided me with an unforgettable experience – for the right reasons this time.
Had it not been for a choice of tyres that proved to be the wrong one during a rain shower, I think that race might’ve been ours. We fought back from outside the top twenty to take second place.
During the night I got a chance to really bond with the car and together we all made some strong gains on the leading cars, moving into a position to challenge for victory. I feel really comfortable in the Z4, it’s so strong around the Nurburgring, and I’m gob-smacked with the high-level at which Marc VDS work.
In the end, though, we were just unable to overcome the strong challenge from Audi and ended second, having swapped the lead for more than eight hours. It was a truly fantastic race with some great duels. You can obviously look for reasons why we narrowly missed out on the win, but on the whole we should be proud of the second place we achieved there. Appearing at the N24 with BMW, with a magnificent team and fantastic team-mates was an awesome experience for me, and one I’d be keen to repeat.
Returning home, I’ve got back into my running. I managed a few runs in Germany through the campsites to soak up the atmosphere and have carried it on now I’m back in the UK.
When I’m back home I do like to run a lot, it’s good training for racing, and I really enjoy doing marathons, but with two children there’s just no way I could contemplate it. I don’t know how Olly Gavin does it – he must have a very understanding wife!
I’d definitely like to do the London Marathon again, and it’s great for helping you focus your training over the winter. It’s one of the best feelings in the world crossing that line – you feel invincible!
But, over the past few weeks I’ve been able to sample that feeling through my racing, which has been a real buzz, and I’m looking forward to the next few races in America, starting next weekend in Detroit.
Richard
