Story and Photography by J.G. Pasterjak
Pit stops during the Nürburgring 24 Hour can be a bit more complex than those of some other enduros, mostly due to the sheer number of competitors trying to do the same thing at the same time. We hung around the Hyundai pits to watch the process unfold.
1. Before any driver gets into a car, they have to confirm their identity with a pit marshal and sign off on their entry card that they are next behind the wheel. Sometimes this means the literal showing of a picture ID. That pit marshal will then stick around through the stop to confirm that the right person actually hops into the driver's seat.
2. The preparation for the stop begins well before the car is even called in. Parts are retrieved from shelves and specific tool trays are arranged for each team member involved in the stop. Not all of these parts will necessarily be used for each stop, but they are ready to go just in case.
3. The countdown to the stop begins with chats between the teams members in the garage. Everyone confirms their role and outlines their plan for the stop. This process ensures that multiple crewmembers aren't going to try to do the same job at the same time or, perhaps worse, that a task is overlooked.
4. The next chat involves the neighbors. Teams closely monitor the pit situations of neighboring garages and coordinate schedules closely so they can manage the 150-plus cars that must use the tight confines of a pit lane designed for a fraction of that. This way, everyone has the best chance for success.
5. When the car is on its way in, the team is ready to pounce, as are the marshals. Pit stops at the N24 are closely monitored for safety, logistics and rules compliance.
6. All cars must refuel through standard commercial-style, pistol-grip fuel pumps. No high-speed gravity rigs here. That means the actual stops tend to be lengthy affairs, during which the crew performs copious inspections as wells as necessary maintenance and repairs.
7. Despite thorough coordination, the occasional unscheduled stop ends with a car pointed in a less-than-ideal direction because that was the only place the driver could fit the vehicle into the service area. Luckily there's always plenty of folks around to help push cars back to the right angle for exit.
would love to see a full blown article on an endurance race team's pit stops. we endurance race and one of the things we'd very much like to get better at is the pit stops. ours appear to be quite similar to the 24 at the ring so what does a"fuel only" stop look like, a tire change, a brake change etc.
russelljones48 said:would love to see a full blown article on an endurance race team's pit stops. we endurance race and one of the things we'd very much like to get better at is the pit stops. ours appear to be quite similar to the 24 at the ring so what does a"fuel only" stop look like, a tire change, a brake change etc.
Guess what we're doing at the Roar? :)
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