Verstappen “staying out of trouble” in GT exploits for Nurburgring GT3 licence
Having received the necessary licence to to race GT3 cars at the Nurburgring Nordschleife, Max Verstappen is plotting an entry into the Nurburgring 24 Hours.Â
Verstappen raced a Porsche Cayman 718 GT4 CS at last weekend’s four-hour ADAC ACAS Cup, in a car that was detuned as the four-time world champion was yet to earn a Permit A that is required to race with high-powered GT3 or GT4 machinery.
Due to damage to one of the two cars he was supposed to drive to earn a permit in just one single race, Verstappen did not fully meet the conditions to be awarded the DMSB Permit A. However, the relevant committee reviewed the case and ultimately decided to grant Verstappen the licence anyway.
“I mean, I know that I needed to get my permit, so I had to do that race in in a GT4 car. Of course the car itself is not the most exciting to drive, but on the other hand, you still learn a lot from a day like that. It rained a bit but it was dry, so you know you get more experience on the track – dealing with traffic as a slower car, is not always the easiest.
“And the rest, I was just staying out of trouble, really. At the end of the day, I think any kind of lap that you drive around there in any kind of car is always fun. When you try to push it a bit, you see a lot of what is happening around you.”
On the experience of being in a different paddock: “The atmosphere is really good, a lot of passionate, endurance fans are always there anyway. And it’s kind of my hobby as well, racing in other kinds of motorsport. Of course, my dream is eventually to do the 24-hour race, so I knew that that license needed to come. It was the perfect opportunity to do so.”
#980 Lionspeed GP, Porsche Cayman GT4 – Max Verstappen
Photo by: Jan Brucke/VLN