VLN Specials class start.
We've got another crop of shots from Chris Frays at a VLN race, and they're even better than Round 1. Chris used the weather to capture the look most-associated with the mother of race circuits--gloomy, damp, and filled with drama.
Spectators all along the fencing at the 12-mile Nordschleife dressed to keep warm.
With nearly 200 photos culled down from what was probably a memory card-busting amount, Chris shows us a little more of the magic associated with being at the Nürburgring. We have curated that down to about 40, but still...this is a photo dump. So put your helmet on and strap in.
Here are some of the behind-the-scenes heroes of these races. Thousands of man-hours go into prepping a car every season, and thousands more are spent just keeping it in shape throughout.
The man, the myth, the legend, James Glickenhaus. Chris even got a chance to chat with the visionary movie director and financier turned car manufacturer.
Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG003
Only the Nürburgring could regularly host 100+ entry car races. In just a few glimpses, one can see how crowded and exciting this makes the paddocks. There isn't an inch of wasted space as the teams make final preparations to go out amidst the pit walk.
BMW and Mercedes are both battling it out in the GT3 class with brand new cars. But it's Audi that's taken the class twice in a row now.
Multi-class racing is very difficult, no matter what the track. Navigating the speed differential between an SCG003, a Renault Clio, and BMW M235i on the 'Ring is an elevated form of the craft.
Chris has photos that masterfully show the massive elevation changes along the Nordschleife.
That is, elevation changes both for the road surface and the cars. BMW started in airplanes, after all.
It's a LONG way back to the paddocks after a mid-lap excursion.
Parc Fermé: The survivors.
Chris Frays is our German correspondent on hand for his fantastic coverage of events from a country with deep roots in motorsport. A Canon shooter with a paternally-inherited love for motorsport, his work and contact information can be found at Frays Imaging.
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