Finishing the season in style, and in P1!
This last event of the 2025 season had it all: uncertain weather, performance anxiety, technical inspection-fueled nervous breakdown, and last minute strategy discussions for which 3 combined Masters degrees did not seem to be enough.
It was with (too) much confidence that the drivers pulled into the dedicated pit box of the Nürburgring Grand-Prix track for technical inspection. The emotional roller coaster of the early season inspections still had a couple of corners and loops in stock for H2R as the marshal pointed out an inconsistency between the car’s document and the wheels that were mounted onto it.
Panic transformed Driver #1’s face in this all-too-familiar situation (it would have transformed Driver #2’s face as well, but there is still a long way to go with Duolingo for this to happen)…
Fortunately, this reaction was enough to satisfy the marshal’s sadistic appetite, as he eventually advised to have the documents adjusted and cleared the Mighty E46 316i for takeoff.
One of the many hurdles had been overcome, but it was now time to step into the unknown, for this last event took place exclusively on the (tiny) 5.148km Grand Prix track layout.
This also meant that instead of 1 “set lap” followed by 3 consecutive “confirm laps”, the challenge was now based on blocks of 3 laps counting as the “set lap”.
These then had to be confirmed by 4 blocks of 3 “confirm laps” by Driver #1, and “only” 3 blocks for Driver #2 who saw this as an ultimate attempt to stop him from turning the Michelin Pilot Sport tyres into slicks.
The drivers’ briefing that followed echoed the hours of preparation and meticulous planning that took place behind the scenes in H2R’s secret headquarters, a Teamspeak server hosted in an undisclosed location and password protected to ensure the confidentiality of what would be a winning strategy.
But haunting thoughts started to invade the drivers’ minds, would this be enough? Would there be enough time to compute the holy deltas? How should those 3 laps be handled in terms of pace…?
This triggered a last minute discussion (which in all fairness should have been the core focus of Teamspeak calls, rather than computing all the possible ways in which H2R could finish the season in P1). It quickly became clear that Driver #2 lacked the basic Maths skills required to drive this operation, as he attempted to convince the team to include a 0-sum operation in the calculations (yes, apparently if you add a number to a total and then substract it from that total, you might as well do nothing at all!).
Fortunately, the great minds at H1R came up with a modus operandi and the discussion came to a close. Good that Driver #2 brought sandwiches to compensate for this embarrassing contribution.
Eager to impress the VIP guest representative from their sponsor Therapy Lift, both drivers sat in silence waiting for the traditionally delayed start, ironically announced with the waving of the German flag.
Following the rather chaotic event (although miraculously there were no actual incidents), the drivers regained the pits where the sponsors over-delivered again and greeted them with refreshments and sandwiches while waiting for the results.
It was announced at the start of this article, but once again, H2R made P1 in class, and with that, managed to steal victory in the Rookie class for the season overall by a very thin margin! Congratulations to all other participants who fought hard throughout the season, without suspecting that the drivers who celebrated a P10 trophy in the first event as if it was a World Title would become their Nemesis.
The most hardcore fans will have noticed already, but in an attempt to spread confusion among the competition and diversify risk, Driver #1 was impersonated by our dear TherapyLift sponsor representative to collect the trophy for this event!
As the season results ceremony approaches, it is time to reflect on all the great achievements of this year. The off-season will be a busy one, but H2R will continue to focus on delivering results for its sponsors, its fans, and the family and friends that supported the team during this amazing journey!
Photo credits: Tatjana Schmidt