Mercedes DTM drivers in Mercedes GT3 cars is nothing new, the prime example of course being 2013 Spa 24 Hours winner and five-time DTM champion Bernd Schneider. And one of his co-drivers in that race, Max Goetz, actually made the move from GTs to DTM for 2014, where he’s found a happy home since.
Until Spa this weekend, however, long-time McLaren-Mercedes F1 test driver and 13-season DTM veteran Gary Paffett hadn’t ever raced one of Stuttgart’s GT cars. He’s wanted to have a go since at least early last year, though, and his first taste came during the AMG GT’s development phase in 2015, when he was invited to take part in a 30-hour durability test at Portimao in Portugal.
“I think they just wanted a few drivers who would really give the car some punishment,” he said with a grin when DSC caught up with him during pre-qualifying on Thursday. “That and the Spa 24 test earlier this month is all I’ve done really, so I’m very much still learning and getting used to it.”
Although the bulk of his career has been spent in sprint racing, Paffett says adjusting to the extended timeframes of endurance racing won’t be an issue, as his time as a test driver means he’s well used to racking up the laps. “Keeping concentration isn’t a problem, for my whole career I’ve quite liked doing long runs and getting lots of laps in. One-lap qualifying is actually what I found the hardest, longer races I’m quite relaxed about and good at.”
Like all 24-hour newbies, Paffett will have to get used to racing in the dark, something he had a smidgen of experience of from the Portimao test. “Obviously I haven’t done it with so many cars on track, but then I haven’t driven in daylight with 64 other cars on track either,” he says. “The guys at the front are super-close, so it’s very like DTM in that respect.”
And what of that key endurace-racing skill, minimising time lost when negotiating lapped traffic? “I’ve always been someone who could overtake, so hopefully that shouldn’t be a problem,” he assures us. “Obviously a lot of the guys are amateurs, they’re by no means bad at what they’re doing, but they’re usually not as experienced as the pros, so you do get that moment of doubt when you wonder whether someone has seen you.”
So does a long and successful post-DTM career in GTs, similar to Schneider’s, beckon for the 35-year old? “Hopefully,” he says. “My main focus is still DTM, but as long as there are events like this that don’t conflict with that calendar then I’m very happy to do more.”
