The fifth VLN race of the season also marked the first true test for the BMW Motorsport Juniors. Two of the four junior had the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities in the BMW M235i Racing at the Nordschleife. Despite the difficult conditions with light and repeated rainfalls throughout the entire race resulting in a slippery but never completely wet track, Jesse Krohn (Finland) and Jake Hughes (Great Britain) showed a flawless performance and brought the car to the finish without any problems in 58th place. The lap times of the two drivers were also very promising. “I am very proud of my boys”, said instructor Dirk Adorf (Germany). “We had two big objectives for the weekend, one was to bring the car safely into the finish and the other not to collect any penalty for breaches of the regulations. Both worked perfectly well and that despite the extremely difficult conditions.”
Three questions to Jake Hughes.
Jake, you have just finished your first race at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. How was it?
To say it in one word: crazy! That was a completely now experience for me. But I enjoyed it very much. In formula racing, we used to have cars with very similar performances and were fighting against each other. In this race, I had a comparatively slow car and had to spend about 80 percent of the time looking into the mirror with only 20 percent looking ahead.”
How did you like the Nordschleife?
Everybody says that this is the best race track of the world, and they are right. I cannot imagine a better one. The Nordschleife represents a challenge for your driving skills as well as for your mental strength. On several occasions in a lap you have all four wheels up in the air. You are constantly battling with understeering and oversteering. This circuit provides that permanent thrill which we racing drivers all love so much.
What is your opinion about the BMW Motorsport Junior programme so far?
It is impressive. I have now already learned more than I would have expected. My learning curves moves constantly upwards. Racing in a touring car is completely new for me. I have to get used to the higher weight, I have to brake earlier – and in addition I have to get used to a completely new track. There is such a lot to learn in a very short time. Dirk Adorf and the BMW engineers are incredibly helpful. We BMW juniors can be really happy that there is a manufacturer such as BMW which provides young drivers this chance without them having to pay much money. You won’t find that very often and I am all the more grateful for this opportunity. I hope that I will be able to demonstrate right at the next race what I have learned so far and to further improve my performance.
