With a few exceptions only, team sport is the key issue at the BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring. Two up to four drivers, together with their mechanics and the race car, form a team. They experience sad moments and happy moments all together. A prime example is the team of Raeder Motorsport with the two regular drivers Dirk Adorf and Hermann Tilke. Adorf if the fast expert at the Nordschleife. At a young age already, he scored three titles in this most popular endurance racing championship in Europe. Tilke, on the contrary, is the typical hobby race driver. He can of course not go the speed of his team mate – for him, motor sport finally is mainly only hobby and passion. He nevertheless puts his heart and soul in it.
The first victory for the Raeder Ford GT was within reach at the 40th Adenauer ADAC Rundstrecken-Trophy. Adorf and guest driver Thomas Mutsch drove the car to the top of the field. Tilke took over the cockpit but then had to retire in the penultimate lap after a collision without any fault on his part when he was lapping a slower car. One might think now that the architect from Aachen would be confronted with a volley of reproaches when he returned to the pits, but that did not happen at all. “Never mind”, said team manager Niki Raeder. “This could have happened to a highly paid professional race driver, too.” And he continues with a smile: „Usually, Hermann is the driver in our team who hardly ever causes any damage …“
Adorf, too, comments with a wave of the hand on the question whether he sometimes would prefer to have a quicker team mate. “Nonsense! Hermann and I have been really good friends since years”, says Adorf. “It is more important to me to participate in races together with him rather than being on top of the podium. If we succeed in both, so much the better – and we already did.”
The duo is only one amongst many drivers’ teams demonstrating the true character of the BFGoodrich Langstreckenmeisterschaft Nürburgring: Popular racing sport on highest level. Anyone wishing to experience live the fascinating mixture of professional and hobby race drivers should not miss the 49th ADAC Reinoldus-Langstreckenrennen to take place on 27th June.
