The Nürburgring Norschleife is a challenge for one lap, let alone 24 hours, but it’s made even tougher when the pressure is on for qualifying. WRT have released this video of on-board footage from Edward Sandström’s Top 40 qualifying lap in the WRT Audi R8 LMS Ultra on Friday, where he put the car 11th on the grid, just four seconds off pole. That’s four seconds over a 25km lap, after eight and half minutes of the most difficult track on the planet. In some shots the car looks like it’s running at double-speed: the tunnel-like, narrow, sinuous track demands a no-compromise, all-out approach – and luckily that’s how Edward drives, as you can see here. The Audi looks obscenely quick at times, despite the bumps, jumps and turns that constantly try to throw the car off line.

One of the highlights is when Edward drops into the Karussell at 5:45s – the banked mid-section is rough concrete, and the car looks like it’s driving over cobbles as it thumps down into the entrance, crabs round the banking and then flies out of the exit. Is the yellow marker tape on the steering wheel ever in the vertical, going-straight position for more than a fraction of a second round the track? Even on the ‘straight’ Döttinger Höhe Edward is having to make constant small corrections. All 170-plus driver crews deserve the highest respect for their incredible efforts over the weekend.

The WRT crew have also put together a second video to complement the on-board, showing more of the behind the scenes activity during qualifying, plus our lovely Speedhunters spokesmodels, Camille and Julie.

Jonathan Moore

Speedhunters at the 2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours

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