Ready for the Green Hell: Tom Coronel and teammates looking forward to Nürburgring 24 Hours
805With 130 cars on the grid, over 450 drivers and an expected crowd of around 200,000 spectators, the Nürburgring 24 Hours ranks among Europe’s largest motorsport events. “You simply can’t compare that race to anything else, so unbelievably cool,” Tom Coronel says. For the Dutch driver, participating in the German classic for the 15th time, the race on the Nordschleife is the highlight of his season. Coronel will be racing the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup with starting number 127, run by the renowned Max Kruse Racing team, owned by the former player of the German national football team. Coronel’s teammates are fellow Dutchmen Jan Jaap van Roon and Paul Meijer as wel as Portuguese Tiago Monteiro.
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The 24-hour race will be run on the 25.378 kilometres long combination of the Nordschleife and the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. “The most beautiful track on planet Earth,” as Tom Coronel puts it. “Everything there is just ten times more intense than on other circuits. Also because you have to deal with a lot of factors. The weather is often changeable and because of the length of the circuit, it can just happen that it is bone dry on one side and pouring down on the other. Snow, hail, we have experienced it all! And then of course driving in the dark, but also the dense traffic with 130 cars on track and big differences in speed between them, from powerful GT3 machinery to a nimble Dacia.”
The fans are another special aspect of the Nürburgring 24-hour race, making an important contribution to the unique atmosphere. “These are often present days in advance and come with the most fantastic set-ups around the track. Complete scaffolding, swimming pools, refrigerators, televisions, sofas, they really bring everything with them,” Coronel gives an impression. “And I can’t even image the hectolitres of beer that are consumed, and the barbecues sometimes stay on day and night. It's also nice to see that more and more Dutch motorsport fans are coming. Unfortunately, there is no parade to Adenau this time because of roadworks, but there is a big autograph session, for which we have also had special autograph cards made.”
Coronel's teammates Jan Jaap van Roon, Paul Meijer and Tiago Monteiro are equally looking forward to the event. “I have experienced it a few times now, but I am still impressed every time. The 24-hour race cannot be compared to anything else,” van Roon says. For Paul Meijer, it will be his first participation. “Of course I have heard a lot of stories, but I find it incredibly cool that I will now experience it myself,” he says. Tiago Monteiro is looking forward to the race just as much. “I think we have done everything we can to be as good as possible for it. Count on it being beautiful,” the Portuguese says.
Tom Coronel emphasises that nothing was left to chance in the preparation. “The car is virtually new: engine, gearbox, everything has been checked,” he says. “Last week we did a shakedown on the Zolder circuit, and everything has been run in for 300 kilometres. The team has been fitted with Mascot Workwear clothing, so everyone looks the part. Eurol also made an important contribution with the high-quality lubricants from the Eurol Racing Line. A lot of clients and guests of Mascot Workwear and Eurol will also be present to experience the event live.”
Activities start on Thursday, 30 May, with qualifying sessions from 13:00 to 14:00 and from 20:00 to 23:30. On Friday, there will be another qualifying session from 13:30 to 14:45pm. The race starts at 4pm on Saturday, preceded by a formation lap from 3.40pm and the starting grid activities from 2.45pm. “That starting grid in particular is really incredible, you don't see so many people together at any other race,” Coronel says. The team is competing in the class for Porsche Cup cars that has a strong entry. “Those cars are slightly slower than the full-blown GT3s, but we can definitely run in the top 30 overall with our car. It's mainly about functioning well as a team, being smart. Then we can come a long way!” All activities can be followed in full via the livestream on the event website www.24h-rennen.de. For the Dutch, the race can be followed live on Viaplay TV on Saturday 1 June from 15:30 to 18:00 and on Sunday 2 June from 14:00 until the prize-giving ceremony at 16:30. The whole race can be watched live on Viaplay. Coronel will also share plenty of photos and videos on his social media channels.
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