Kāpiti race driver Wayne Moore completes 30th Nürburgring 24 Hours race

At 72 years old Wayne Moore’s racing spirit has stayed strong, having just completed a milestone race despite many challenges.

This was the Paekākāriki man’s 30th time competing in the Nürburgring 24 Hours – a race that takes place in Nürburg, western Germany.

Moore, who was a part of the WS Racing team, had big goals for this year’s race – but the weather was not on his side.

His weekend started on a high, qualifying his team’s BMW 330i car with just one lap of the qualifying session.

“Some argued it was talent, as qualifying on the very first lap in the first session in a new car is not common.”

However, with the weather declining, things went downhill quickly.

Moore had to pit after six laps, rather than his scheduled seven, due to the track becoming wetter and causing numerous incidents.

Not long after that, the race was flagged due to fog becoming impenetrable.

When the race finally restarted drivers and crew had been resting for 15 hours but, due to the fog still being thick, the race was shortened.

“So, the 52nd 24 Hour race was run for seven hours 22 minutes – and was the shortest race yet.”

Moore’s team also lost an hour due to having a fuel issue and having to stop in the forest – which would not have been such a game-changer had the race not been shortened.

“Losing an hour in a 24-hour race will not always destroy your chances of a good result in class as others will also experience challenges. Losing one in a seven-hour race is a different situation and disappointing, as without that incident we would have been second or third in class and much higher up the overall order at race-end.”

The team finished eighth in class and 101st overall – and Moore said he would head back to Nürburgring next year for his 31st race to try to achieve some of the goals he had set for himself.

Looking back on his 30 years of endurance racing at Nürburgring, Moore said he had noticed quite a few changes.

A big one was the connection between drivers and fans, which had been changed by safety regulations.

Moore said there were 240,000 fans at this year’s race – but they were behind a three-metre safety fence and further away than they used to be.

“Drivers used to clap hands with the fans,” he recalled.

The race still had an open pit, open start grid and autograph signing sessions, which Moore said attracted tens of thousands of fans each year.

Another thing that had changed was his attitude towards the race.

Moore recalled his first race in 1994 which he said was both frightening and exciting.

It took him three years to master the racetrack, and he said since then he had no fear of it and it had been more enjoyable to drive.

“I often find myself grinning while racing.”

He said it was a lot easier for new drivers to learn the racetrack now as they could practice on simulators and learn the turns before even stepping foot in Germany.

Moore will return to New Zealand on June 11.