Oschersleben Race Recap: Power Issues in NATC Endurance Rd.4
My race recap from NATC Endurance Round 4 at Oschersleben with JAS Rennsport. A broken catalytic converter ensured that our day wouldn’t live up to potential, but fortunate to be able to race one last time before Germany’s November lockdown. Onto 2021!
Oschersleben, DE - November 1st, 2020
For the second consecutive weekend, myself and JAS Rennsport headed to Motorsport Arena Oschersleben to race in the NATC Endurance series. We didn’t originally plan to compete in NATC again, but with the news of Germany’s lockdown beginning on November 2nd we made a swift decision to go race one last time this year. The chances of our final BMW 318ti Cup race in mid-November happening became very slim, so we had to take this opportunity!
With NATC races often being a Sunday-only event, Luca and myself drove to Oschersleben midday on Saturday. We meant to get there sooner but got rightfully distracted by a landmark on our route! October 31st is Halloween each year for Americans, and this is the same in Germany (but not as big). This day represents a more important holiday here called ‘Reformation Day’. It commemorates Martin Luther’s efforts toward religious and social reform in Germany during the 16th century. People here will spend the day sightseeing or with family and friends.
When Luca and I came upon on the former East/West border town of Hötensleben, there was a local club of classic DDR vehicles like the Trabant, Barkas, and Wartburg. No choice but to stop and go take a look. The meeting point was inside the former Inner German Border and I got to see part of the old wall, a guard tower, and read fascinating history!
Eventually we did arrive in Oschersleben. The paddock and circuit was opened earlier than last Saturday, so we got to complete a track walk in daylight. After racing here the prior weekend, part of Ross Bentley’s ‘Speed Secrets’ book now makes more sense to me. The benefit of walking a circuit after you’ve already driven it helps a lot more than walking it before. It’s easier to focus on the bits you know are important and learn why they are important. More rubber here? Track limits? Off-camber banking? It makes more sense! We finished our walk three carbon fiber pieces and two BMW logo’s richer with Luca collecting discarded race car treasure.
The drive into Oschersleben early Sunday was one of the prettier drives I’ve had. We stopped at a bakery to grab some Brotchen (German rolls) because it isn’t breakfast here without that. While it had been dry up until this point, that soon changed. Rain came about 15 minutes ahead of practice. Luca started the 30 minute session and boxed just before halfway to driver change. With so many new circuits, conditions, and situations to quickly adjust with I feel my adaption skills have improved so much recently. Piecing together prior rain driving in the car and dry Oschersleben knowledge was a satisfying challenge. In those 5-6 laps, I matched Luca’s best from earlier in the session and felt good!
We next had the important discussion over who would qualify. Was it more beneficial to use Luca’s experience here to potentially get a quick lap early or give myself more time to learn Oschersleben in mixed conditions? We decided the latter would be best and it ultimately turned out to be. The circuit was in a state of drying and each lap I found large amounts of time. I also got the chance to tail Nürburgring 24h winner Christopher Rink for a few laps in his Smyrlis Racing 318ti Cup. I learned a lot about the chassis dynamics of our car and what inputs were required to eek out a better time in the damp. Luca and I had a fantastic discussion after the session and I felt like I unlocked more potential with this package.
Rather unexpectedly the clouds soon cleared and the race was completely dry. I was honestly looking forward to the rain, but this meant a better comparison to last weekend’s race could be made. The only difference was Luca would be the starting driver this time. Having a couple experiences now of apprehensively watching timing screens and doing jumping jacks fully suited waiting for my stint has made me appreciate the simplicity of being a starting driver! Luca got a fine start and engaged himself in a three-car battle for 2nd place. After 20 or so minutes, his pace started to fall off. Seeing his times on the monitor gradually slow meant something wasn’t right. A disparity of a couple tenths is normal, but loosing seconds often means issues. We driver swapped at half-distance and he gave his synopsis.
“The car is loosing power worse than last week. Just bring it home and have fun.” It seemed to loose power the hotter it became, so a close eye had to be kept on the temperature and the fan switches. Last week’s average times of 1:50’s weren’t possible. I was doing 1:53’s and soon 1:55’s flat out. It’s a shame considering how energized, confident, and ready I felt when I burst out of the pit lane. Having prior track knowledge (the first time for me in Europe) made a massive difference and I was instantly comfortable. Alas, all I could do was the best the car could that day! We finished ways off the podium. The team understands the issue not to be engine, gearbox, or traction related. Closer inspection on the catalytic converter (used on European race cars for noise restriction) proved that it was broken and the exhaust wasn’t functioning properly. We hope it’ll solve our immediate problems but we’ll have to wait until next year to get back on track. It’s not unexpected for a first-year team to any motorsport series to come across issues and fixes. With myself a newcomer to European motorsport, it’s fair to say we all had lots to gain by racing in the condensed 2020 season. I’m glad we collected data and experiences for the next time!
After JAS Rennsport had packed and left, there was still a sprint race to come into the fading daylight in Oschersleben. Likely the last time at a race circuit in Germany this year, I made my way deep into the infield terraces and hills. What a stunning location, time of day, and set of vehicles for a motor race! The sky turned purplish-blue as I watched overlooking the Shell-S corners.
It was a race to forget, but a day I’ll remember. Regardless if the outcome was a true reflection of your abilities or not, more is learned from lackluster days than outstanding ones most times. I’ll have plenty of offseason time to reflect and prepare better, and the same goes for JAS Rennsport. Still unsure of what my 2021 race plans will look like, I can’t wait to start preparing for whatever comes next.
Sometime in the final days of November, I’ll be publishing a complete look into my 2020 German racing endeavor that’ll go into more detail of my thoughts and specific experiences. Expect a good couple of paragraphs talking about the people, food, and cultural immersion! Though it’s likely I will ramble on about the food for too long.
Thank you to Luca, Lars, Kai and the rest of JAS Rennsport for your support and passion. I wouldn’t have made this first leap to Europe without you. And to my family with special thanks to Karen and Deana. This isn’t possible without all of you.
Cheers, Matt Million