For John's dad in particular, it was the stuff dreams are made of. The Nurburgring is without question the greatest and most famous racing venue in the world. The VLN course at 14.65 miles is an incredible test of man and machine, and for this 6 hour endurance race, 180 vehicles.
We employed 3 drivers - John Edwards, Michael Edwards, and the seasoned Nurburgring specialist, and 24 hour of the Nurburgring winner, Michael Auriemma. We went there to compete and win. And we did. Pat Daly, our friend from Skip Barber racing, drove up from his vacation in Stuttgart (racing guys do things like that) and joined in the fun. John Mayes (JFM) was there racing a BMW Z4 which ultimately, and unfortunately, succumbed to a major crash, leaving his teammate transported to the hospital where fortunately no serious injuries were encountered.
We arrived on Thursday. We took "tourist laps" to experience the camber and elevation changes in the track which are not readily apparent in simulation. Many hours had been spent in preparation using video simulation analyzing each turn and referring to prior notes between the three drivers. On Friday we qualified. Michael Auriemma put in a great lap only to be eclipsed for the pole by the qualifying effort of the old man, Michael Edwards, at 9:45 sec. This time stood until John put in his first lap and took pole for good by a margin over his dad which will not be disclosed (this article written by John's dad).
The following day the team dominated the race from the start. Michael Auriemma put in consistent fast laps and brought the car into the pits after 1 1/2 hours with the lead. Michael Edwards likewise put in a solid hour of quick driving and brought the car to the "box" in the lead for John to take over and pull away - and did he ever, putting in a fastest lap of 9:14 sec – (the track was fast his dad said) !
With 34 minutes to go John was called to the pits for his dad Michael to finish the race. It was a momentous celebration as the car crossed the finish line first in class, an event in a dad and son's life that very few are fortunate to experience - the stuff of dreams !
