Just days since his excellent maiden appearance in the Nurburgring Endurance Series, British racing driver Brett Lidsey is preparing to return to the fearsome Nurburgring-Nordschleife this weekend, for the only double-header race meeting of the 2020 season.
With a brace of four-hour contests awaiting the Northfleet driver and Sorg Rennsport team-mates Ivan Berets and Kevin Wolters, 28-year-old Lidsey says confidence is very high indeed for Saturday and Sunday’s action – especially after challenging so strongly for a class podium finish last time out.
Frustratingly it was a case of so near yet so far for the trio when, having carved their way into contention for Cup5 class silverware, VVT sensor failure meant an enforced retirement 15 laps into the race. Having run as high as second position, the non-finish was bitterly disappointing.
Even so, Lidsey was absolutely delighted with the performance of the entire team and thrilled with his own competitiveness in the No.694 Gerri Limonade BMW M240i. Having spent his entire racing career to this point in front-wheel drive action, the Liftout and Dornack-backed racer’s transition to rear-wheel drive has been absolutely seamless.
“Our first weekend in the Nurburgring Endurance Series really was fantastic, I can’t speak highly enough of the incredible job the Sorg Rennsport guys did and the BMW was so good to drive”, said Lidsey, “After so long out of the car, and eight long months since I last raced because of the COVID lockdown, it was mega to just be back on track in a competitive environment to be honest.
“I really enjoyed working with Ivan and Kevin, I think all three of us are well matched and we showed how strong we can be in this series. To challenge so well for the podium on our first weekend was exactly what we wanted to achieve. In the end the sensor problem ended those hopes, but our performance was the important thing.”
With motor racing schedules and calendars right across the globe badly affected by the lockdown enforced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nurburgring Endurance Series will take place over a condensed five-month window with the season set to conclude in November.
As a result of the required compression of the 2020 season, this coming weekend’s back-to-back races at the 24-kilometre Nurburgring-Nordschleife mark new territory for the category. With two opportunities to impress on only his second weekend, Lidsey is determined to make the most of it.
“It’s going to be great having double the track time, after such a strong start to the season I’m confident we can take the momentum forward into rounds two and three”, Lidsey added, “It’s an incredibly tough series, especially with so many cars on track and such a high standard of drivers and teams. The track alone is like no other challenge in the world, I absolutely love racing there.”