Nissan is taking the Nürburgring 24 Hours very seriously, with a total of three Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 entered for the race. Nick Heidfeld and Florian Strauss are part of the driver line-up, the two sharing a long bond as Heidfeld was part of the jury that selected Strauss as the German GT Academy winner in 2013. The former F1 driver is certainly no stranger to the Nürburgring-Nordschleife – just remember his demo run in a BMW Sauber F1 car in 2007 – and he was also part of the Gemballa Racing driver line-up in 2012. That year his McLaren was out of the race fairly early, so Quick Nick is keen to make a strong impression on this year’s edition.
For Florian Strauss 2014 has been a steep learning curve, having contested the Dubai 24 Hours and also racing in the Blancpain Endurance Series. In preparation for his attack on the Nürburgring 24 Hours, he has contested two VLN rounds in the GT-R plus the Nürburgring 24 Hours Qualifying race aboard a BMW 1-series. “The BMW was good to learn the track in, but comparing it to the Nissan is almost impossible.
“First of all there is a size difference between the cars and than there’s an obvious speed gap, almost 100 kph,” admitted Strauss. When asked how he felt having Nick Heidfeld as his teammate, his face brightened up. “Nick has so much experience in motorsport – F1, Le Mans, etc. – so I can learn so much from him. First of all I can see how he approaches a race weekend. I think our knowledge of the track and the car is pretty much on par right now, and in Alex Buncombe and Lucas Ordóñez we have two strong team mates.”
Heidfeld is still very much a fan favourite in Germany and he is relishing the chance of competing once again in the German motorsport highlight. “Two years ago, the Gemballa McLaren was a new car and very much unproven, but the Nissan has been racing for quite some time now,” he said. “In addition to my VLN outing, I’ve also tested the car for a day in Silverstone. I don’t know the Nordschleife by heart, as I’ve not driven it as much as other tracks, so the VLN outing helped a lot. I’m sure that our car has the potential for a good result, but at this race first you’ll need to finish and then see where you are in the standings.”
“My personal goal is to stay out of any trouble and after each stint bring the car back in the state I’ve taken it over” added Strauss. “Dealing with the traffic is something new to me, but I’m getting used to it. At this race, you’ll certainly need a good portion of luck and if we have that we might have a chance to score a very good result for Nissan.”
Actually, the Nürburgring 24 Hours won’t be Florian’s first 24 hour race through the Green Hell. “For the past two years I’ve taken part in the 24 hour bike race, which was quite an experience. Getting up in the middle of the night and onto your bike to pedal a lap of the Nordschleife is quite hard, but its good fun – especially if you do it with some of your friends. This year I can’t make the race as I’m at the Spa 24 Hours, but I hope to be back at the bike race in the future.”
The Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 of Strauss, Heidfeld, Ordóñez and Buncombe has already shown its potential, scoring a VLN pole at the third round. In so doing, the car is also already signed up for the Top 30 qualifying.
Sören Herweg
