Shane Lewis Returns to N�rburgring to Defend 24 Hour Victory
Shane Lewis Returns to Nürburgring to Defend 24 Hour Victory
American Looks for Back-To-Back “Green Hell” Wins In Götz Audi
NÜRBURGRING, GERMANY - June 15, 2011 – Shane Lewis has done something few American race drivers have ever even attempted; he won the ADAC Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring. In 2010, the Jupiter, FL-resident captured the “Super Production” class of the world’s most demanding endurance race and returns to Nürburg, Germany June 25-26 to defend his title driving the No. 73 Götz Motorsports Audi RS-4. He’ll share the heavily modified, road car-based, twin-turbo Audi V8 in the 39th Running of the Zurich 24 Hours of Nürburgring with Vic Rice (San Rafael, CA) as well as Germans Axle Duffner and Christian Kolhaus. 2011 marks Lewis’s fourth career 24 Hours of Nürburgring start.
While the 24 hour race format is widely respected as the endurance race standard, the scope of Nürburgring is what has made it a legendary event since its inception in 1970. The overwhelming size of every aspect associated with the event makes winning the race a lifetime achievement. Up to 250 cars will be entered for over 750 drivers across five major classes creating the largest sports car grid in motorsports. Over 300,000 spectators will pack nearly every foot of the 15.753-mile (25.359 km) long course’s 73-turns. The Nordschleife, translated to English as the “North Swipe“, is one the longest, closed-circuit race courses in the world. The “Green Hell” truly earns its nickname as it passes through the beautiful, German countryside while putting the drivers through interminable stress. It is virtually impossible for a driver to memorize every turn of the “Green Hell” – so dubbed by Sir Jackie Stewart when Formula One still raced the full course – or every condition of the track which will rise-and-fall 1,500 feet in elevation over its length. This event has become an international proving ground for drivers, teams and auto manufacturers. One of the greatest racing challenges a driver can face, the iconic track separates pretenders from heroes. To win one’s class, forever places a driver on a different level than those who have not.
This event marks Lewis’s 30th career 24 hour race start – his second of 2011 after racing in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in January. Included are three starts at Le Mans and 14 at Daytona. Lewis won the first two 24 hour races he entered (Nelson Ledges, 1990, ’91). The native of California, who has lived in Florida for 17 years, is one of only 14 American drivers attempting to race the event in 2011. To show the magnitude of the challenge, only one US-born driver has ever taken overall victory here (Boris Said, 2005). Lewis finished third in his first attempt (2004) and returned the following year only to have a teammate crash out of the event early. In 2010, he took the Super Production class title with Götz. He has also raced the Six Hours of Nürburgring, winning his class in 2009.
Lewis is a multiple-time race winner in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Grand-Am Series. In 2010, he raced to runner-up in the ALMS GTC Championship. He has raced every major class of sports car in every major international series.
Quotes
Shane Lewis
About racing on Nürburgring circuit: “This is the greatest race course of all time. There is no other place like it in all of the world. It can never be replicated, copied or outdone. To drive here is the single greatest experience a racer could ever have. To win here is to be amongst the best that have ever driven.”
About returning to defend his Nürburgring 24 Hour victory: “The pressure is now off to win the 24 Hour. Once you have won it, it’s something no one can ever take away. Funny thing is, now that I have tasted victory, learned and experienced how incredibly difficult it is to win and everything it took for the team to win, I want that top step on the podium again more than I can stand!”
About Götz Motorsports and the No.73 Audi RS-4: “Götz Motorsports is a great team and organization. From the team principal, Dieter Götz, all the way down to the final crewmember and every one of my co-drivers, it is a terrific group to work with. You look your entire career for people with your like-mindedness of wanting to win, doing everything you can to be the very best and all the while doing it with a great attitude. It is a true pleasure to be a part of this team.”
For more on Shane Lewis, visit: www.ShaneLewis.com. Follow Shane Lewis on Twitter @GoShaneGo
To follow the 24 Hours of Nürburgring live timing and scoring, visit adac.24h-rennen.de
Use your tag reader to see great video of Shane Lewis’s Nürburgring program on YouTube!
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