GAZOO Racing has entered its LF-A in the Nürburgring 4-Hour Race (VLN series) three times as part of its practice since April and has been a higher-ranking winner with first, second, and third-place finishes so far. In addition, the LF-A took part in the RCN endurance race before the qualifying on Thursday to go through final checks and was fully prepared for the official schedule of the 24-Hour Race.

The 90-minute free practice session started in dry conditions on Thursday, May 21,at 1:30 p.m. local time, with the No. 14 and No. 15 LF-A’s showing a reasonable start to place second and third in the SP8 (4000~6200cc) class, respectively, and 18th and 19th overall. The first qualifying followed in wet conditions with a heavy rain just before the 7:30 evening start. The drivers took the wheel by turn in the following order: No. 14 - Takayuki Kinoshita, Javier Quiros, Akira Iida and Morizo; No. 15 - Armin Harhe, Jochen Krumbach, Andre Lotterer and Hiromu Naruse.
Meanwhile, the young mechanics tried their best and exerted all their strength in conditions made all the more intense by the unexpected weather. It was apparent to everyone that everything they experienced during this race would be a great asset to them in the long run.

It stopped raining around 11 p.m., with 30 minutes remaining till the end, and the qualifying ended up being difficult due to the frequently changing rainfall. Although the track was still wet and the temperature low, Iida made a final attack with the No. 14 car and finished first in class and 10th overall at 10:08.955. Lotterer, meanwhile, drove the No. 15 to second in class, 12th overall. As they exited the machines, every driver expressed the same sentiment: “We were in difficult conditions, but it was a good test for the race.” This indeed described the atmosphere of the team.

The second qualifying started under a clear sky on Friday, May 22, at 2 p.m. As this qualifying determines the starting order of the race, the teams aiming for high rankings were pervaded by an unusual tension. Though it is very hard to achieve a qualifying time on a track crowded with as many as 170 machines, each of the GAZOO Racing drivers gave their best effort. Lotterer’s No. 15 finished second in class at 8:57.712, 23rd overall, and Iida’s No. 14 came in third in class, 24th overall, at 8:58.024. The No. 16 IS F was seventh in class and 113th overall. The No. 12 Chevrolet Corvette, which had vied for a better position with GAZOO Racing machines since the free practice run, was first in class and 21st overall at 8:55.661. A close race was predicted following these results.

The project focused not merely on the pursuit of rankings, but on “using a race as an opportunity to further enhance the machine’s performance, as well as fostering young mechanics.” Though all were well aware, they still couldn’t help keeping an eye on the lap monitor with bated breath. This experience helped us rediscover the fact that there is something special that can be achieved only by attending the race.

The 24-hour race started under the gaze of 240,000 spectators on Saturday, May 23, at 4 p.m. The whole team staff was closely watching the live broadcast monitors for the opening lap when startling information suddenly came in. “No.15 has stopped!” The joint of the drive shaft broke and the LF-A, driven by the experienced Hahne, stopped just ahead of the carousel corner. Judging that an on-the-spot repair was possible, a team of mechanics gathered into a van with their equipment and headed to the scene.

Meanwhile, No. 14, driven by Kinoshita, overtook ten cars on the first lap, coming up to 14th overall, the car racing hard as if straining on behalf of the damaged No. 15. Kinoshita finished his run in 15th before changing out for Morizo, followed by Quiros.

Four hours after the start, No. 15, having changed parts course-side, made a pit-in. The sweaty, dust-covered mechanic’s suit told how strenuous the repair was at the unpaved slope. They spent an hour performing a full-scale repair and check-up of each part, and re-entered the race five hours from the start to warm shower of applause from the team of in-class rival Aston Martin, which had been working at the same pit. Everyone was moved by the scene, which is particularly common to the Nürburgring 24-Hour Race. Krumbach drove the car to a series of good splits, each around 9:10, which finally gave the staff some sense of relief.

Though running without problems, the No. 14 car was also carefully checked, especially around the suspensions and brakes, to make sure nothing at all was out of order. With the check, the car dropped to 106th, but each driver steadily caught up, and at around 7 a.m. it had risen back to 27th overall and second in class. But some charging trouble occurred, which cost the team three and a half hours while awaiting recovery. The car finally returned to the course 101st overall. With about five and a half hours left to the conclusion, the drivers worked hard to continue making up ground.

While the No. 14 was pitted, the live camera drew in close on the gallant image of the No. 15. Driven by Lotterer, the true ability of the LF-A shown through with continuously good times, including a team-best 8:50.458. Near the end of the race, both the No. 14 and No. 15 cars kept a steady pace. But with less than 90 minutes remaining, a shocking image came over the live broadcast as the mechanic screamed, “No. 15 has stopped!” Due to mechanical trouble, the No. 15 car was regrettably forced to retire.

With 30 minutes remaining, the steering wheel of the No. 14 was handed to Morizo, while Naruse took over the No. 16 IS F. The test drivers Minoru Takaki, Nobuyoshi Katsumata, Morizo and Naruse (regulations allow for one driver to enter two machines), had made a constant run and gone from the qualifying position of seventh in class up to third. Both GAZOO Racing machines rendezvoused at the end to finish one behind the other. At 4 p.m., among cries of joy, the checkered flag was waved. GAZOO Racing finished with the No. 16 car third in class, 81st overall, and No. 14 fourth in class, 87th overall. A long 24-hour battle was finally over.

After the race, Morizo summed up the full experience of the team’s third year challenging Nürburgring: “We sometimes felt frustrated, but I’m sure each moment was a priceless experience that brings hope for tomorrow and can’t be traded for anything. We also came away from these 24 hours with a lot of important homework.”

“Training up both machines and people - this is where new car manufacturing begins.” This is the philosophy of the GAZOO Racing project. It’s been three years since I started following the struggles of GAZOO Racing at Nürburgring. After this year’s race, I think I finally found the words which complete this concept, and which must be in the mind of anybody who cheered for the team all through the night during the race.

Training up both machines and people - this is where new car manufacturing begins. That is to fascinate and impress people by creating machines with real “seasoning.”