It was announced last month that Breakell Racing will be entering professional GT4 racing for the first time this season in a newly-acquired Mercedes-AMG GT4 with New Zealand driving duo Grant Dalton and Grant Woolford.
A major strand of the racing plans this season is centered around the world-famous Nürburgring Nordschleife, with the intention of racing the Mercedes on the hallowed tarmac during a round of the Nürburgring Endurance Series later this year.
To make that possible though, both Dalton and Woolford need to gain the necessary licenses on the Nordschleife. This journey began last month when they travelled to Germany to complete their Deutscher Motor Sport Bund (DMSB) licence, which is designed to ensure newcomers are trained and prepared for the particular circumstances of the Nordschleife, therefore raising safety standards for races on the circuit.
With that process completed, it was time for their race debut at the Nürburgring as they contested a pair of three hour races as part of the ‘Qualifiers’ weekend (07/08 May) for the prestigious ADAC TotalEnergies 24 Hours of Nürburgring event.
The duo would race a Porsche Cayman run by WS Racing, a long-time friend of the Breakell Racing team, with James Breakell joining them in the driver line-up as he utilised his eight years of experience racing on the Nordschleife to offer support to his team-mates.
With 170 corners on the 15.8 mile circuit, which is nicknamed the ‘Green Hell’ for its challenging and unforgiving nature, the sole focus for the weekend was on getting Dalton and Woolford as much track time as possible to aid their learning experience.
In that regard, the weekend was a success. Both drivers gained speed and confidence around the circuit through two qualifying sessions on Friday, before gaining crucial experience in the races with traffic management and the Nürburgring’s renowned changing weather conditions and light levels.
With clean runs en-route to fifth place class finishes in both races, Dalton and Woolford were both about to get 12 racing laps under their belts to go towards upgrading their licenses. Their Nürburgring education continues on Saturday 25 June as they race the Cayman in the next round of the Endurance Series.
James Breakell: “It was very exciting to get our GT racing journey with the two Grant’s underway at the Nürburgring. Learning the Nordschleife must be one of the hardest challenges in motorsport, so the event was all about giving them as much track time as possible to get up to speed.
“Thank you to our friends at WS Racing for supplying the Cayman, which was an ideal car for their first Nürburgring experience. Both of them kept out of trouble, completed the laps required and showed great progress with their speed and confidence levels, so it was mission accomplished.”
If any drivers are interested in racing at the Nürburgring, Breakell Racing are able to support customers with obtaining their DMSB race permit and provide full trackside support and transport.