N24 in an Aston: PH Liveblog

Kerpen, 17:15 CET
That’s it! The chequered flag has fallen and a long, hard 24 hours of racing (well, actually around 15 hours, if you take into account the weather-enforced overnight hiatus) and N24 is over for another year. The rain eased off toward the end of the race, but unfortunately it didn’t help the Aston Martin team, which ended up with a 10th overall finish. Impressively, though, all the factory-supported Astons were still running at the end, with the hydrogen hybrid Rapide S doing well to haul itself back up to 115th place after falling to 165th early in the race. And the two Test Centre Vantages managed creditable finishes of 79th and 105th overall – or third and fifth in class – so it hasn’t been all bad for the boys from Gaydon.

The win, however, was taken by the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS AMG of Bernd Schneider, Jeroen Bleekmolen, Sean Edwards and Nikki Thiim, with the BMW Z4 of Team Marc VDS in second and ROWE Racing’s SLS AMG in third. And before I left the track, I nipped up to Quiddelbacher Hohe to see the battered, bruised field doing some of their final laps. Alongside the high-spec modern race machinery, it was superb to see some retro kit still going around. This is one of the joys of the N24 – its class structure is designed so that pretty much anyone and anything can enter. Hence the Merc 190E of Intax Motorsport and the Opel Manta of Kissling Motorsport, both well-known cars around here and both a real thrill to watch sparring with much newer metal. Apologies, by the way, for the shaky snaps - all the gear, no idea.

It’s been an astonishing few days, all things considered, and it’s not quite over yet. A schlep back to the UK in the Rapide S awaits. Onward...

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Nurburgring, 11:20 CET
The rain’s still falling here at the ’ring, but we’re racing! The green flag was waved at 8:00 this morning, and since then the continuing wet weather has ensured thrills, several spills, and a change of lead. The Vantage has slipped back to 10th – no surprise, really, as according to Pedro Lamy, one of its drivers, “We haven’t expected to be in this position and I have to admit that the rain won’t be helpful for us as our experiences in these conditions are extremely limited.” Oh dear. Fingers crossed for a recovery, chaps!

Instead, it’s the BMW Works-supported Trophy Team Marc VDS Z4 that’s grabbed the lead, with the G-Drive Racing R8 LMS running around two minutes behind in second place. Back in third, the ROWE Mercedes SLS AMG is coming under pressure from another Merc, this time the Black Falcon car.

On the way in I stopped by at the Dunlop tyre fitting area to have a nose around, and found the staff there busily removing, re-fitting, and even modifying tyres for their teams. Dunlop alone brings somewhere in the region of 3,000 tyres to the ’ring, and each team gets the choice of five dry weather tyres, depending on temperature, as well as cut slicks, wets and heavy wets. Of course, it’s the wet tyres that are in highest demand; some are being converted to deal with the extra water by means of carving extra sipes into the tread blocks, while some slicks are being converted to an intermediate by cutting grooves into the shoulders. These are still pretty tricky tyres in the conditions we’re experiencing now, but they’ll come into their own if the track dries out. With a track of this length, Dunlop’s people tell me, it’s very easy to find dry patches emerging, which then tear the wet tyres up. Often, therefore, drivers prefer to opt for a cut slick for the best traction on the dry sections, and then just take it easy on the wet bits. It’s a gamble, but if it pays off it saves time in the pits later.

Right, I’ve been inside in the dry for around half an hour, which is at least half an hour too long, so it’s time to head back out into the countryside to try and get up close and personal with the Green Hell.

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Kerpen, 04:30 CET
OK, so I might have got it wrong when I said it was going to be an interesting night's racing. In fact, about an hour after my last update, the red flag was waved and the race was stopped as a result of too much fog and rain. I can see why. My drive to the circuit was pretty tricky due to a combination of huge puddles and very little visibility - not ideal for piloting someone else’s very long, very wide, £150,000 car, but nigh-on lethal in a GT3 machine at full race pace.

In the absence of any racing I decided not to head for the trackside, but instead to aim for one of the campsites to see if there were any signs of life. I picked Schwalbenschwanz as it was fairly close by, and after a 10-minute walk up a pitch black trail I found the entrance and went for a wander.

This amount of rain, combined with a biting wind and, of course, the lateness of the hour meant that many had retired to bed. But of course, there were still a few hardcore nutters still out and about determined to have a good time. From beneath big gazebos and within the mad temporary structures people erect trackside here, the sound of techno music still issued forth, and there were still the flickers of gas stoves and oil barrel bonfires spread between the sodden tents. That pervasive smell of firelighters and burned meat still filled the air, too, even at this time and in this weather. There’s just no getting the ’ring crowd down.

On the way back I went for a wander around the paddock. It was a surreal experience and a bit of a contrast to the ‘fun at all costs’ spirit over at Schwalbenschwanz; what was a hive of activity last time I was there, just before the race, was now desolate and forlorn, with nought but a few bedraggled souls wandering around with little to do, or propping themselves up at the only cafe still open. In the media centre, the unfortunate journos and snappers who had nowhere else to go lay curled up beneath the tables, grabbing an uncomfortable few hours’ sleep, and everywhere lay crumpled copies of the release from Race Control: “No possibility of re-start before 7:30, further updates at 6:00.”

Whether the race will indeed get underway again then remains to be seen; there’s no sign of the rain easing yet, though daylight might bring us a reprieve. Either way, positions have been reset to Lap 32's, so the 007 Aston is still in the lead. Hurrah! I’ll be back at the track mid-morning to find out what the score is.

[Main image: Frozenspeed]

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Kerpen, 21:40 CET
By jove, the Aston Martin’s in the lead! And indeed, it has been for some time, too. So much for sparing the horses to make sure the car gets to the end – the Vantage GT3 is turning into the car to beat in the opening stages of this race! And whether it’s blind patriotism kicking in, whether I'm hoping for a good result as a fitting 100th birthday present, or whether the wicked wiles of the PR machine are having the desired effect, I can't be sure, but I’m finding myself cheering it on!

As you’ll be able to tell by the dateline above, though, I’ve left the track and returned to the castle (and how often does one get to say that, by the way?) Early, I know, but I’m hoping to be up in the middle of the night to go back down to the track and sample the... ahem... atmosphere in and around the campsites. With that in mind, I’ve decided a few hours’ kip beforehand wouldn’t be such a bad idea.

I did actually hope to go and wander through the campsites on my way back, but sheer gridlock prevented me from getting anywhere near. So instead I pulled over and grabbed the above shot of the Aston in the middle of Herschbroich, one of the little villages that nestles in the bosom (ahem) of the unutterably picturesque countryside in the centre of the ’ring. It got me to wondering what it must be like to actually live here, spending your days just a couple of miles from arguably Europe’s greatest motoring mecca and surrounded by astonishing natural beauty, but equally having to deal with the payoff of intolerable traffic in every direction – not to mention scruffy Englishmen in embarrassingly flash cars stopping to take pictures next to the lamp post outside your house just because it looks a bit twee – whenever a big event like this comes to town. I couldn’t decide whether I’d love it or loathe it.

However, I know I’m going to loathe my 2am alarm, as that rain I mentioned earlier has arrived in full force. And it’s set in for the night, too, according to the forecast, so when I go out tramping through the woods, it’s going to be a wet, muddy affair. If you don’t find an update here by the time you wake up tomorrow, I’ve probably fallen down a gully and been eaten by wolves. Don't worry about me, though - just keep an eye on the live stream I posted below, because it’s set to be an interesting night’s racing.

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Nurburgring, 18:00 CET
And they’re off! And it’s go, go, go! And any other start-of-a-motor-race-related cliches you may care to throw into the equation. Yes, after all that build-up, the Nurburgring 24-hour race is underway.

In theory, the start of the N24 could be dull. After that initial spurt of noise and adrenaline as the safety cars peel away and the drivers mash their feet through their respective floors, the prospect of seeing nothing return for the next eight or nine minutes is something of an anticlimax. But then a couple of minutes later, the sound of a fresh column of racing machinery heralds the arrival of the next classes to launch, and then the process is repeated a minute or so after that, until eventually the leading SP9 cars come around again, and the chain is complete. This staggered process makes the start a cracking thing to watch.

So, we’re an hour into the race now. What’s been going on? Well, the Phoenix Racing R8’s still in the lead, while the Aston’s dropped from second to third, having been overtaken by the G-Drive R8 LMS, and is looking under pressure from the Black Falcon Mercedes SLS AMG. Mind you, with 23 hours of racing left, the key objective for every team, not least the Aston team with only one car in the race, will be setting into a rhythm and looking after the car; track position is less important, as lots can change between now and tomorrow evening. Talking of which, what about that weather? Well, with the exception of a few light spots during the warm-up lap, it seems to have held off. For the time being, of course. Let’s see what the score is later on tonight.

You can keep an eye on the race by tuning into the live stream here.

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Nurburgring, 15:30 CET
It's been a while since my last update - apologies for that - but a huge amount's been going on since I last had a chance to sit down and put pen to paper (or rather, fingers to keyboard).

First up, after a briefing we were ushered out to the compound, where in our absence the hundred Astons had amassed. Quite a sight. Then, after an extended period of doing not a lot had passed, word reached us that a special guest had turned up. Bond was here.

I have to take my hat off to Aston for keeping this one so quiet. Daniel Craig, no less, arrived in a flurry of camera snapping - and, yes, he'd be out on the parade lap with us, driving the Skyfall DB5 we saw Dr Bez in earlier. Exceptional. What's more, Dr Bez himself would be leading the lap in the freshly revealed CC100 concept, with Sir Stirling Moss alongside in the DBR1 that inspired it. An astonishing day just got even better.

So to the lap itself. Time is short so I won't go into too much detail right now, but suffice to say it was every bit as good as it sounds. We might have been led around by a pace car at around 40mph, but as the circuit dipped and wound its way through the greenery, beneath a fug of barbecue smoke, I still found ways to enjoy myself, holding back from the cars ahead before dropping the Rapide S down into second, or even first, and giving the crowd a glorious burst of V12 noise. Or, when the convoy came to a halt in front of a big spectator camp, pulling both paddles to slip it into neutral before giving it some revs. And our sun-pink, beer-infused audience lapped up every second, hollering and whooping back through the fences, tooting air horns and giving us endless thumbs up. Who can blame them? For my part, I had a grin the size of the Karussell on my face throughout the whole thing. And at the end of the lap we drew back into the Aston Martin compound, where a photo op with Sir Stirling put the seal on a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. As first laps of the Nurburgring go, then, this was pretty spectacular.

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Nurburgring, 09:45 CET
Well, that wasn’t a bad way to start the morning. The skies are remarkably clear, the sun is shining and it’s already warm enough outside for T-shirts and shorts. We’re not expecting it to last, mind – the forecast is for it to cloud over later this morning, followed by rain, at first light and then torrential, for the duration of the race. This should be interesting, then.

For now, though, the weather couldn’t be better, and the drive down to the ’ring was something to savour. Blatting through the Eifel hills in convoy with a V12 Vantage and a Vanquish (the DB9 pictured is coming along later), it was impossible to imagine a more idyllic scene. It was interesting to note the differences between the two in terms of noise level; under full-bore acceleration, the Rapide is just as loud as the other two, but the difference is that even with the ‘Sport’ button depressed, there’s a touch more moderation at lower revs, where the others crackle and spit more readily. Not by much, but it's there.

The Eifel villages might feel tranquil and sleepy on this Sunday morning (or, rather, they did before a trio of Astons thundered through), but by contrast, the Nurburgring is abuzz. There’s a constant flow of cars past the track entrance, most of them looking interesting and probably along just for a bit of a pose and a mooch around before the race kicks off. A gorgeous Porsche 930 Carrera squirts past, half roll cage just visible in the rear window, and followed by a faded red E30 325i Sport, a true ring weapon by the look of things. We grab our fair share of attention, of course, race fans in team jackets and caps standing line abreast to snap the Aston convoy. It seems rude not to drop a cog and give them a blast of the V12’s pipes. So we do.

Once parked in the Aston compound, already filling with cars in preparation for the parade lap later today, we wander over to the Dorint Hotel, our base for the day. On the steps we meet Dr Ulrich Bez, no less – Aston Martin’s CEO, and buzzing ahead of his stints in the hydrogen Rapide later today. And probably because he’s about to have a go in the very DB5 that appeared in Skyfall, too. Perks of running the company, eh? As we stand there chatting to him, it rolls up in front of us, sparkling in the morning sun, and Dr Bez jumps in. They couldn’t have timed it better if they’d tried.

As Dr Bez drives away, I turn my attention to the race. Aston’s people are pleased; the Vantage GT3 has placed second on the grid behind the Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS. It’s a solid result after Pedro Lamy seemingly drove the doors off it. It’s also apparently the only non-German car in the top 25. Not bad at all. But as they tell us cautiously, it's their only car in the race. And that weather forecast isn't going to make things easy...

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Kerpen, Germany, 18:30 CET
We’ve arrived! And by ‘we’ I mean my Rapide and I. Yes, mine. They may have to prise the ‘Emotional Control Unit’... ahem... from my hands when this is over, you see, because we’ve already formed a bit of a bond. That last stretch through the Eifel countryside ensured that I had some time to get to know the car in full ‘Sport’ mode. And after a day spent on the motorway in utmost comfort and serenity, with power on tap whenever it was needed, the Rapide did a good job of turning into a big, brawny sports car for the last, flying stint.

The transformation was, on the whole, pretty convincing. And the noise! By golly, the noise! By happy coincidence, the final fraction of my journey was spent in convoy with Dave, one of Aston Martin’s PR chaps, piloting the latest Vanquish. Suffice to say the horses were not spared, and with the windows down, the sound produced by both V12s screaming in unison, echoing back from rock faces and through tunnels, sent shivers down the spine. What an experience.

I’ll talk more about the Rapide in my review next week, but for now, suffice to say it’s been a pretty enjoyable companion. And we’ve arrived tonight at the impossibly imposing Castle Kerpen, our overnight stop, where ‘my’ Rapide (ahem) will rest up among its stablemates. Tomorrow will be busy, but with that parade lap at its heart, it’s set to be pretty special too.

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Somewhere between Brussels and Liege, 15:10 CET
The odd fuel stop is, of course, always going to be a factor when crossing Europe in a car like this. And here’s my first. I’ve got around a quarter of a tank left and the Rapide takes £70 or so to the brim. She’ll do 25 to the gallon at a gentle cruise, so that should see me to the ’ring and then some.

One thing that isn’t in any doubt is the attention the long, low Aston gets. In the past 200 miles or so, I’ve seen grown men and women practically clawing at their passenger windows to get a better look. Pulling into the services where I’m sitting now, every head on the picnic benches turned, and as I write this a young couple is standing just behind the rear quarter, pointing at various bits of it and saying things in Flemish that I don’t understand. They could be telling each other how much they hate it, in fairness, but judging by the looks on their faces, I doubt it. And I don’t blame them for gawping. I have to admit, I’m a huge fan of the way the Rapide looks too. That front grille is a bit much at first, but it's growing on me, and I reckon the rest is just gorgeous. Those little glimpses you catch in the rear quarter of other cars as you pass them, no matter how distorted, are always a pleasure, as they remind you of just what a beautiful thing you’re travelling in. Speaking of which, time to get some more miles under my wheels.

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Channel Tunnel, 11:15 CET
There’s a certain excitement that comes whenever I’m sitting on a Channel Tunnel train. OK, so I accept that, bathed in yellow flourescent light and hemmed in by plastic walls, it’s hardly the most romantic environment. But the promise of what lies ahead – usually, a road trip through Europe – is always enough to make it a place inextricably linked in my mind with the idea that something fantastic is about to transpire.

This time, that something is beyond fantastic. Because I’m gazing out at those plastic walls from within the leather-lined cocoon of an AstonMartin Rapide S - the successor of the model we spied four years ago making this very same trip, in fact. Stretching ahead of me is the prodigious bonnet you’d expect, beneath which lies a 6.0-litre V12 with no less than 558hp. The tank is full of fuel, and I’ve got an iPhone loaded with music. And once I’m off the train, my route will deposit me later on this evening at the Nurburgring.

It’s going to be a good day.

As we’ve already mentioned, we’re heading out to join Aston Martin’s 100th birthday celebrations over at the Nurburgring 24-hour. A Rapide S like ours - well, a hydrogen-powered one, to be completely honest - will be taking part in this year's race, as well as two other Astons. What's more, ‘our’ Rapide S will be a part of the 100-car parade lap that’ll be held before the race tomorrow, an event that’s already awakened the giggling enthusiasm of my inner eight-year-old schoolchild. That’s not to mention the fact that, as a ’ring virgin, it’ll be the first lap I’ve ever done of the Nordschleife. What a way to start, eh? I may struggle to sleep tonight.

In the meantime, though, I’ll be keeping you abreast of my journey and the incredible weekend that lies ahead. I’ll be doing my best to see as much of the race as I can, and reporting back on both that and the Aston Martin celebration whenever I have a spare moment. For now, though, my ears are popping and the train’s slowing, which is a sure sign we’re about to emerge en France. Belgium’s next on the agenda, and while I usually find it a bit of a chore to drive across, today I don’t think I’ll be complaining.