Rotek Racing is shooting for victory in the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours in its own backyard on the legendary Nordschleife, as it boasts a stellar cast of tin-top stars, including Robb Holland, Rob Huff, Kevin Gleason and Darryl O’Young (21-22 June).
For the Nürburgring and Silverstone-based Rotek Racing team, April’s ADAC Nürburgring 6 Hours acted as a non-compulsory qualifier for the headlining twice-around-the-clock endurance race, while offering an opportunity to fettle its machinery and acclimatise to the circuit.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is without doubt the most challenging and merciless racetrack in the world.
Aptly nicknamed “The Green Hell”, it stretches for 14 miles through Germany’s Eifel Mountains and encompasses a heady mix of uncompromising corners, treacherous crests and steep gradients that place the emphasis on driver skill.
Rotek will field a sole Audi TTRS Special in this weekend’s 24 Hours for four top-level tin-top stars – American BTCC newcomer Holland, former World Touring Car Champion Huff, US hotshot Gleason and Canadian-born Chinese WTCC and sportscar ace O’Young.
The TTRS, which Rotek Racing took to victory in the 2013 edition of the 25 Hours of Thunderhill super-enduro in California, is a front-wheel-driven, 400bhp, ultra-high downforce racer, purpose-built for the Nürburgring 24 Hours by Audi Customer Racing.
Holland subsequently believes that his Rotek Racing team will not only be in a position to vie for top honours in the SP4T class, but also take on the more powerful GT runners for the outright race win, especially if the region’s notoriously changeable climate throws a curveball or two.
Holland said: “Rotek Racing’s driver line-up brings a wealth of touring car and sportscar experience and it’s fantastic to have Rob (Huff) and Kevin (Gleason) back in the Audi TTRS, which they took to victory at Thunderhill in December. The TTRS is a proven race-winner and I think the strength of Rotek’s driver line-up, reinforced by the recent addition of Darryl O’Young, shows our intent to win.
“The team has gained so much experience over the past year, attracting several top-class drivers to its various GT racing programmes right across the globe, and I hope to use the lessons we’ve all learned to challenge for victory in the ADAC Zurich Nürburgring 24 Hours. We’ll certainly be targeting the SP4T win, but I think with a bit of luck we’re more than capable of getting in among the fight for the overall victory, particularly if the weather takes a turn for the worse. That’s when the high-downforce TTRS comes into its own against the bigger, more powerful GT cars.”
For more information on Rotek Racing, visit the official www.rotekracing.com website, ‘like’ the team’s Facebook page or follow @rotekracing on Twitter.