 LATEST NEWS Click here for Nürburgring 2006 | 2005 for news about Nürburgring 2005. Britcar 24-hour race, September 2007
A last minute deal saw Rupert signed up to drive with CWS motor sport. The car was a BMW E46 3 litre, race prepared by Frank Nohring of Gambler Racing. Driver line up to include Matthew Truelove, Colin White & Frank Nohring. The car had a number of gremlins prior to the start and a last minute electrical failure meant we started from the pit lane. Colin White drove the first stint and within three laps we were back up to 31st overall. Colin's experience in oval racing paid huge dividends. The race had a new dimension with the Top gear car providing a mobile chicane whilst they explored areas of the track rarely visited. After 11 hours, we were lying in 5th position overall, 1st in class and two laps ahead of our nearest class rival who were racing a Porsche 964 rs. Our luck was to run out when the prop shaft gave up under the safety car. Forty minutes later, after sterling work from the CWS crew, we were back on track. Whilst pushing to the limit and trying to conserve the tyres, we slipped back to 11th overall. Two stop go penalties for speeding in the pit lane did not help our cause. As the chequered flag dropped, we crossed the line 11th overall and second in class. CWS had done a fantastic job everybody was elated with the result.
Nordschleife 2007 Crash during VLN Nordschleife 2007 - driver's viewpoint Behind the scenes with Team Moore International Motorsport at Nordschleife 2007
Team Moore International Motorsport: Nordschleife 2007 24 hour race The Car: BMW M3 E46, 420 bhp, six speed flat shift, Hewland gear box, Class SP6, 20 in class
Nordschleife 2007 was set to be the race of all races. We committed to Moore International Motorsport last September so had six months to prepare ourselves. I had my first race in the car in 2006; then we pressed ahead with a full test programme starting at Silverstone. This resulted in an early bath - thanks to the greasy track, the car exited the pits with too much vigour and ploughed head first into the barrier! First qualifying session:
Second session:
Test Programmes
Rupert said: "At the beginning of the tree-lined Wipperman section, there is a small ridge. I believe I was slightly off line and, as I was coming over the ridge with car underload, the back suddenly stepped out. My mistake was to have too much lock on and using too much throttle. Once the car broke away, I was a passenger totally out of control. The brutal and unforgiving Armco, 5 ft from the edge of the track, was soon found. The end result being a smashed rear corner, broken defuser front and back. The car ricocheted back across the track and hit the other side. Luckily the competition was so far behind that I did not get collected by another car. A valuable lesson better learned in the VLN than in the main 24-hour race." The 24-hour Race
As usual the event provided drama aplenty, with even those with the strongest resolve being pushed beyond the limit. Entry numbers were at a record level this year, with 278 cars. The international and eclectic teams are becoming ever more competitive every year. The field included four Aston Martins and the now infamous DBRS9 - numbered 007. This car - on its first outing at this event - laid down the gauntlet by qualifying on pole in the first session and being in the lead at the first corner. Our race:
The car arrived back in the pits at 23.03 and was back out at 23.59. But the car was undriveable and came back in again where the tracking was done and a further 25 minutes lost. 2006 VLN Nordschleife October 28, 2006
VLN Nordschleife October 28th: Rupert was invited to drive with Willie Moore in his sensational BMW GTR. Willie has more racing laps to his credit round the Nordschleife than any other Brit alive. For me to drive this car was a highlight of my racing career resulting in an all-time personal best time of 9.27. The results speak volumes - fourth in class and 21st out of 161 starters. This was despite a defuser problem and missing the sweat spot (dry laps) during qualifying. The Nordschleife provided drama a plenty with a red flag after an eight-car pile up at Bergwerk; variable weather sorted out the men from the boys! Britcar 24 hour Silverstone September, 2006
Top Cat Racing provided a first-class Marcos Mantis car and driver line up for this year's event. Rupert drove with Domonic Lesneiwski, Gerry Taylor and Jon Harrison. The car was substantially improved from 2005. A gruelling race in very high temperatures never once proved too much of a challenge for the drivers. Despite numerous punctures, the 4.6 litre Mantis finished fourth in class and eighth overall out of 52 starters. Both Top Cats cars finished in the top ten - a great tribute to Warren Gilbert's dedication to racing these British Monsters. Other 2006 highlights Aston Martin DB5 raced at Snetterton and Racing a Subaru Impreza at the Nordschleife ( VLN) with ex touring car ace Phil Bennett. Race training with the infamous "Rob Wilson" Nürburgring / Nordschleife 24-hour race 2006 
Rupert raced with the German team Car collection in this year's 24 hour Nordschleife race. The weapon of choice was the 500BHP Porsche 996 GT3 RS. This car was 7th overall in 2005. Rupert's team mates were Peter Schmidt, Nick Jacobs and Jan- Erik Slooten. As usual the formidable circuit providing drama a plenty, with the first engine seizing on the first qualifying lap. This was not to be the end of a very tough weekend as the clutch exploded on the start. This meant that Team Car Collection did not enter the frey until two hours after the race had started. A further one hour stop during the night was necessary to repair a leaking oil pipe. Despite all this, they finished a very respectable 81st (37 laps behind the winner), fastest racing lap by Jan set at 9.37.422 (average lap speed 158.22 kmph). Rupert's fastest lap coming in at 10.02.075. Not bad considering one lap is 26km long with a altitude change of over 950ft. One hundred cars failed to finish the race - and even the world's most famous race driver, Hans Stuck, took an early bath when he lost control and his BMW hit the barrier. The Eifel Mountains were bathed in sunshine all weekend and staying hydrated was one of the many challenges to be overcome. The crowds swelled to in excess of 250,000 and as usual the atmosphere was second to none. Pre-race excitement was enhanced by the Elvis impersonator singing his heart out in the pits. There was glamour a plenty, a thoroughly welcomed distraction for the drivers.
Nürburgring / Nordschleife 24-hour race May 5th-8th, 2005  Rupert was asked to drive at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in 2005 with international race Team Duller motor sport. The driver line up included Martin Short and Nick Jacobs. The vastly experienced and Deutsche Bank-sponsored driver Martin Short helped with the development of the BMW E36. Duller Motor Sport were hoping for an outright victory running the four times European touring car champion Dieter Quester. Prior to the event, an intensive training programme took place at the Nürburgring and in Jerez. This was not without drama with the pre-race test at the ring being cancelled due to freezing fog and snow. Whilst Martin and Nick had never raced in this event before they adapted quickly, the highly reliable and powerful M3 being the ideal weapon for this beautiful and brutal circuit. During qualifying after numerous set up and tyre compound changes, Martin managed to post a time of 10.37.8 putting us 83rd overall. An excellent start considering there were 223 other competitors. Come race day the adrenalin was coursing and tensions were rising. The Eifel Mountains were not going to let us down: torrential rain and squalls were the order of the day and for most of the race. Martin Short started the race on wets but within a handful of laps came in for intermediates. The attrition rate was high with the over-ambitious pushing far too hard, too soon. Even with high humidity and a rapidly-drying track, the inexperienced can easily be caught out by surface water. Once you lose the car, you have similar levels of grip akin to a dog on ice. The narrow track and even narrower grass verges take no prisoners. After ten hours, we were in 83rd position. The team (numbering thirty) operate like a well-oiled machine - hugely professional and totally dedicated - to get us over the line. Many cars come down the pit lane looking fit for the wrecker's yard. Our radio works intermittently; it can be a lonely place out there. We run stints of about two hours by which time you are drenched in sweat and your eyes are out on stalks. Martin Short sets our fastest racing lap at 6am at 10.36.7 - at which point we were in 64th place.
The excitement of driving round the Nordschleife at night is indescribable. You enter another world, where the need for acute concentration is paramount. Random fire works, 200,000 passionate fans, bonfire smoke, disco lights, invisible apexes, crash debris on the racing line and blinding lights tailing you are all part of its rich and hugely challenging tapestry. The track has to be treated with huge respect but is the most rewarding place to drive on earth. I had a brief off and a huge scare at Galenkopf when a car in front of me blew its turbo. Driving through dense white smoke I hit a large patch of oil, totally lost control of the car and - at about 80mph - headed straight for the barrier. Luckily someone was looking after me and within seconds I was back on the track heading towards the culprit who now had a flash fire in his engine compartment. The drama and excitement was almost too much but luck prevailed and I steered round the stricken vehicle, and drove up the main straight thanking my lucky stars. The result: we came in exhausted and elated. Even Martin Short, the professional amongst us, had found the event a huge challenge. We were 54th overall and first in class. We had a top team in every way.
Britcar 24 hours : Grand prix circuit, Silverstone : September 8-11, 2005
The driver line-up included Gerry Taylor, Jon Harrison and John Taylor. With 55 cars entered, the competition was going to be strong. During the night qualifying, we had fork lightning and a river running through our pits. We were to start in 19th place - a time of 2.09.09 had been set by the vastly experienced driver Gerry Taylor. After ten hours, the race was going our way (8th overall) until a spin resulted in the light pod coming off. This involved the car being abandoned and eventually coming back to the pits on a truck (losing us about an hour.) Quick repairs were carried out, only for further drama at dawn when the car was again spun but this time got collected by a hard-charging Mazda RX8. This could have been terminal, but amazingly the car limped back to the pits. One corner had been destroyed so our top mechanics - lead by Brian Howard - went to work. Astonishingly, within the hour, the car was back on track with no problems and posting good times. When the flag finally dropped, we lay 19th overall and fourth in class. Another excellent result and a brilliant finish for Topcats Racing. |
A last minute call up saw Rupert driving with Topcats Racing, run by the very capable and experienced owners Charlotte and Warren Gilbert. The tool of choice was the brutish and British Marcos Mantis. The car had a 4.6 litre Corvette engine very under-stressed and producing about 380bhp. Mate this to a six-speed sequential Holinger gear box with a rear spoiler the size of an aeroplane then you've got an extremely effective race car.