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It’s an exciting day here at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, as an FIA World Championship prepares to return to the tarmac of our hallowed Nordschleife.
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It’s the official WTCC test day, and my adopted hometown of Adenau is echoing to the sounds of high-revving turbo touring cars.
It’s so exciting that I can’t even wait to upload my first photos of the day from the Karussell. So here goes….
The factory Hondas of Tarquini and Monteiro were going well!
The Citroens were really banging the laps in, running almost none-stop this morning!
Not every car on the track today was a WTCC machine. Some other well-connected teams are also testing and training ahead of the N24.
Sabine’s also got a guest entry into the race, and she’ll be keen to use her local knowledge to good effect. In a recent video she already said she was praying for rain!
As I left the Karussell, even more cars began to join the track.
Think it looks good? Then listen to this:
The next stop was the pitlane for a chat with Robb about WTCC cars and the Nürburgring.
Robb’s experience in tin-tops all around the world, combined with his love for the old Nordschleife puts him in a unique position to comment on today’s events. Over the last few weeks he’s had a hand in preparing many of the WTCC stars for their first Nordschleife race. Names like Chilton, Tarquini, Thompson, etc…
“It’s the Formula One of Front-wheel-drive,” he explains. “These cars are so high-tech. A 1600 turbo that makes nearly 400hp. Anti-lag that works, throttle-response like an N/A motor and a chassis like nothing else. I got our Audi TTRS SP4T (one of the fastest FWD cars ever to lap in VLN) car up to 8th on the time sheet at one point, but you can’t believe what these WTCC machines can do…”
Today’s test session was held on the longer N24 layout of the track, the same as the drivers will face next month. And check out the times:
Amazing. Seriously, These Citroens are maybe 20 seconds off a GT3… or less than 1-second per kilometre!
But Citroen aren’t the only factory entry… Nürburgring regular and Robb’s VLN team-mate Huffy was out in James Thompson’s car (after his own Lada was destroyed at the Morocco race).
Of course, Sabine is the regular we’re all hoping could upset the result. As a one-off entry, she’s competing in this Chevy Cruze. Sadly, it only completed a few laps before being sidelined by an unknown issue.
The Chevrolet seems to be a popular choice in WTCC:
Though the two Hondas look lovely too:
Today’s preview didn’t just open my eyes to the sheer speed of a WTCC car on the Nordschleife, it made me want to see more. I’m sure the double-header (2 race) event supporting this year’s N24 event will be a huge success.
But imagine if we could see these cars racing regularly here? Maybe some VLN teams might re-consider an old touring car for regular use? I’d love to see more.
Don’t forget, the WTCC race will be streamed over the ADAC 24-hour feed and available to watch on Eurosport and Eurosport Online.
