Race-week for the penultimate round of the 2018 FIA accredited Pure McLaren GT Series season is here and sees the drivers head to the historic Hockenheim circuit in Germany’s Rhine Valley.
Last time out during the fourth event of the season at Paul Ricard, Mia Flewitt extended her championship points lead to 30 points over Stewart Proctor and Issam Charrouf and secured a 23-point lead over Sultan Ojjeh who is in the Bruce McLaren Cup class after he scored his first overall win on the Saturday.
While many consider the Nürburgring as the home of motorsport in Germany due to the allure of the Nordschleife, Hockenheim has a deep-rooted motorsport history of its own. A regular host of the German Grand Prix, the Hockenheimring often produces spectacular racing.
From its opening in 1932 through to 2002, it featured long straights broken up by tight chicanes, a 6.8km low-drag circuit which rewarded bravery and punished conservatism. Since its redesign, it has a more compact 4.7km circuit.
Tough to master, it still incorporates the iconic stadium section at the end of the lap, as well as part of the long straights which made it such a popular track with drivers and fans.
The Hockenheimring is located in Baden-Württemberg, a state in South West Germany with real automotive pedigree. It is home to just over 10 million citizens and has become a popular destination for travellers. The terrain in much of the state is undulating, littered with historical sites, castles, lush forests as well as a mix of small towns and sprawling cites. For many, it boasts an ideal location during winter for skiing, being close to Switzerland and Alsace and overlooking parts of the Black Forest.
The drivers will hit the track during the weekend for two 25-minute free practice sessions, two 20-minute qualifying sessions and a pair of 30-minute races, one of each on Saturday and Sunday.
“Motorsport and Germany go hand in hand. The upcoming trip to Hockenheim will prove to be a popular one with our field of Pure McLaren GT drivers, as its location and challenge should make for an enjoyable weekend. On track, with the end of the season fast approaching, the racing should be fierce on such an iconic circuit, as scoring as many points as possible is now paramount for our championship challengers,” said Vikki Ford, Pure McLaren GT Series Coordinator and Head of McLaren Automotive Experience Programmes.
