British racing driver Phil Quaife registered his first-ever victory at the iconic Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany at the weekend, the perfect preparation for his debut at the annual 24-hour race held at the same venue later this month.
Having scored two podium finishes already this season, Quaife added his first win in the SP10 class at round 5 of the VLN Endurance Championship, a series of four-hour races which are exclusively staged at the ‘Green Hell’, the legendary 16.123-mile track in the Eifel Mountains which played host to the German Formula 1 Grand Prix from 1950 to 1976.
The Kent-born racer, who had never driven at the notoriously challenging venue until earlier this year, shared a Bonk Motorsport BMW M3 with co-drivers Adam Christodoulou and Andreas Montmann in the event, the trio qualifying on pole position after Saturday’s two-hour practice session.
Montmann took the start and kept the car in contention during a solid stint, handing over to Quaife with the BMW in second place in the competitive category.
Quaife continued to hold second behind the class-leading Aston Martin V8 Vantage after taking over from his German team-mate and was within striking distance of the Mathol Racing car as he pulled in at the end of his 90-minute stint to hand over to Christodoulou.
The Bonk Motorsport crew produced another seamless stop during the final driver change, leapfrogging Christodoulou into a lead that he wouldn’t lose, the Brit increasing the team’s advantage during his stint and taking the chequered flag first in class and 22nd overall in a field of over 150 cars.
The victory was perfect preparation for Quaife and the German Bonk Motorsport team ahead of the annual Nurburgring 24 Hours endurance race. The event, which takes place at the Nordschleife on 25-26 June, will see Quaife, Christodoulou and Montmann joined by former British GT champion Tim Mullen as the quartet look to score another memorable win.
Phil Quaife: “The team did a fantastic job again this weekend. We didn’t have a single problem with the car during the entire race and the victory is a credit to everyone at Bonk Motorsport. Andreas, Adam and I all contributed with consistent, error-free stints and I don’t think anything could have gone any smoother! Hopefully this is an encouraging sign for the Nurburgring 24 Hours in two weeks time.”
