Smudo has meanwhile become an integral and much-loved part of the VLN. Since 15 years, the rapper of the hip hop group “Fantastische Vier” has been competing at the legendary Nordschleife with environmentally friendly race cars. The musician and the Team Care for Climate will be at the start of this years VLN races with a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, purely driven by eco-power. Like the previous Cayman GT4, the 485 HS strong race car is also running on recycled oil and 20 percent bio-ethanol (E20). Parts of the bodywork are made of plant fibres. Within his participation at the second VLN race, VLN.de has asked Smudo some questions regarding his impressions about the new car.
Smudo, your new single record has just been introduced at the market, the new album “Captain Fantastic” will be released end of this month. You manage nevertheless to find the time to compete in VLN races…
The single will do it without me. It’s running great. The whole work with my band Fantas has been completed. Right after the race end, I will however jump into a plane to travel to Wiesbaden where we will receive the Media Award for Language Culture by the Association for German Language tonight. We will then get prepared for the opening concert in Dortmund.
Let us talk about racing. You have a new car, what has changed for you for the VLN season 2018?
Three points. The engine is more powerful, even though we have to drive with a restrictor. We have nevertheless about 50HP more. That is one thing. Apart from ABS and power steering, the car has no other driving aids. Such a strong rear-wheel driven car is however always a little bit scaring for amateur drivers. You do not want to have an accident, that would after all be embarrassing and awkward. I hope that it will be raining continuously on the first day of the 24h Race practice. I have no experience so far with the car in such conditions. That would be a good opportunity for testing. The GT4 is based on the series-production version. The GT3 is derived from the 911 but it is a true race car with genuine competition parts. So you can really be confident that the car will not loose any parts even if you go full speed at the Nordschleife.
You have just now marked yourself as an amateur …
I have been competing in motorsport events since a while now, but I can try as hard as I wish, I will never be as fast as the professional drivers, that is what I meant by that. I am already quite happy if I can now and then keep up with the mid-fields of the Sprint-Cup. I have of course some experience and know the Nordschleife quite well, I don’t cause any damages to the car and I am quite quick. But I will never be that quick like the works drivers in the big cars. Within the group of privateers, I would say that we belong to the fastest teams meanwhile.
More power, is this linked for you with more fun out on the track?
Yes, it is very exciting. As you know, we have been competing with the GT4 in the last two years. That was already quite an upgrade after the Scirocco. But now, we have arrived a completely new dimension again in terms of speed. And also with regard the aerodynamics. The rear spoiler is really big. Also in relation to the tyres compared to the GT4. You need to find the courage to drive this kind of car. The faster you drive, the more grip you get at the rear. Schwedenkreuz, the courage-testing corner, the fast bends, you have to tackle those with the perfect racing line. It was a bit easier with the GT4, it always worked out somehow. Specifically at the fast points of the track, such as ’Flugplatz’, I realize that I could go faster, but I don’t have the heart yet. We want to get faster. At VLN race 1, we have tested everything with our professional amateurism, including getting in and getting out easily for men at my age. Starting the car with the racing clutch in the sequential gearbox also requires a special skill. The 300 pages manual includes not less than about 50 pages on the electronics. I am looking forward to a cool motorsport season.
