Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus (SCG) has succeeded in its objective of ensuring that it is prepared for the epic Nurburgring 24 Hours, which is due to take place at the end of May, after entering three cars for the first time.
The team also took the opportunity to test some new components, and allow the crews – including two new guest drivers – to familiarise themselves with the machinery.
For the first time in nearly three years, the famous P4/5C was entered, now in Mk III specification. This latest version benefits from a modified energy recuperation system and other revisions, and it will be driven at the Nurburgring 24 Hours by Top Gear television presenter Chris Harris and Evo journalist Jethro Bovingdon as part of the line-up.
The experienced Manuel Lauck was the first driver to give the car an outing and concluded: “For a first race after nearly three years, it was really positive. We’re still only at the beginning of this story.”
Also entered for the Nurburgring qualifying race were the two SCG003Cs numbered Macchinauno and Macchinadue, driven by SCG’s regular driver line-up. All nine drivers, including Harris and Bovingdon on their P4/5C debut, were on the pace, while the cars completed some useful preparation work, with the SCG003Cs both running easily in the top 10 during the race.
Some technical issues prevented the cars from finishing, but this was not a major concern as a key part of this weekend was evaluation of new components. The main priority was to ensure that all the drivers were match-fit.
Jeroen Bleekemolen, who started the race in Macchinauno, said: “The car felt very quick: it was fun to keep up with the top guys. With this sort of pace, I’d say we’re in a strong position.”
Jeff Westphal was the starting driver for Macchinadue, and concluded: “It was a lot of fun. The weather conditions were really variable, but this at least gave us an opportunity to experience everything.”
SCG Programme Director Paolo Garella concluded: “We have a clear direction as we finalise our preparations for the 24-hour race, but the problems that affected us today were human factors – not on the part of the drivers – that were avoidable. Of course we will take those as a learning experience.”
Jim Glickenhaus, who created the SCG brand, commented: “Racing is tough and it was a tough day for us today. We elected to retire the P4/5C due to a water pump cooling issue that affected the KERS unit, but it's not a problem for the N24, where we will be back even stronger. The SCG003C cars showed top-five pace, which is very encouraging for the races ahead.”
SCG’s next outing will be the second round of the VLN Series in two weeks’ time, when the team will conclude its testing programme for the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
The team’s race at the endurance classic this year will be dedicated to the memory of Jim Glickenhaus’s father, who passed away last night. All three cars carried ‘Honoring Seth Glickenhaus, 1914-2016’ decals today, as a tribute.
