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Peter Dumbreck and Europe's toughest motor race - special feature

By MJP Media | 7 May 2015

British driver Peter Dumbreck will be going for glory in Europe's toughest motor race - the Nürburgring 24 Hours - later this month with Falken Motorsports. Around 180 GT and touring cars take part in this annual event.

British racing star Peter Dumbreck will be gunning for his first win at the Nürburgring 24 Hours in Germany later this month with Falken Motorsports. Dumbreck and the team will be facing stiff competition from a plethora of other cars and from the gruelling circuit itself which, aside from being one of the biggest sporting events in Europe, is arguably one of the toughest. We will be following Peter's race weekend and bringing you the story straight after the event.

Around 180 GT and touring cars take to the monstrous 26km Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit each year, racing for 24 hours through various weather, temperature and light conditions. Much like the world famous Le Mans 24 Hours in France, the Nürburgring 24 Hours is also an endurance race featuring multi-class racing (different types of cars, with varying speeds) making it even more of a challenge for the drivers than standard disciplines. Being skilled in negotiating traffic and driving for extended periods of time is extremely important to prevent incidents and losing precious seconds each lap.

Unlike the big event at La Sarthe, the Nürburgring 24 Hours is lower key as an international event and its appeal to dedicated fans is as much about the venue as the event itself. The track is mind-bogglingly lengthy and features many high speed technical sections in the hilly forest surrounding the main Grand Prix track Formula One has used in the past. "The Nürburgring 24 hours is one of a kind," says Dumbreck. "Of all the big endurance races, I think this is the toughest challenge as a driver. As time has gone on, every modern day circuit has put in more safety measures, quite rightly, to move with the times and the speed of the cars. But the sheer nature of the Nordschleife's narrow characteristics mean there is very little that can be done. When you have 180 cars, competing together on one of the world's longest circuits and with the most unpredictable weather on the planet, you have a pretty tough race on your hands."

Beyond the spectacle of the cars on track, the atmosphere in the forest that surrounds the circuit is something to behold and has arguably become a main feature of the race. "Even as a driver, it's simply breathtaking," explains Dumbreck. "You can smell the barbecues by the circuit as you drive and can hear the loud music coming from the campsites. A different breed of fans attend the 'Ring 24, a different breed of drivers I suppose too as we all suffer the physical toll of staying up all night while the action unfolds. It's one big family at the Nürburgring, that's why I'm bringing my wife and kids along this year. It's an infectious event for everyone involved."

The 41-year-old Kirkcaldy native will once again be driving a Porsche 911 GT3-R in the SP9 category with Falken Motorsports. It's his tenth attempt at winning the big German race and his eighth with the Falken team, which predominately uses the race as a platform to develop its tyres. "I'm a big fan of the new Falken technology," expresses Dumbreck. "The current Porsches are great, so it's good to be driving one again this year. They're so fast and hugely predictable, with lots of driver aids that are key to competing on a track like the Nordschleife. It is very bumpy with constant camber changes, so having help from technology can reduce lap times significantly."

Last year at the race, Peter and his team-mates Wolf Henzler, Alexandre Imperatori and Martin Ragginger managed to finish fourth overall, narrowly missing out on a podium spot. It was the Falken team's best performance, which is partly why the squad will be back with the same car and quartet of drivers this year. Even after that result though, this year's event will not be any easier for Dumbreck and his team-mates. They will face tough competition in the form of blue-chip manufacturer-backed efforts from the likes of: Bentley, Aston Martin, Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, BMW and Nissan as well as the other private entries in the top class. It's always an unpredictable affair, so Peter and the Falken team have every chance; it's going to be quite a race.

Touring Car content supplied by MJP Media