On September 10th, 2022, DriftShop took part in the 500 Nocturnes, a 4 hours night endurance race on the Anneau du Rhin track (Haut-Rhin, France) gathering the most prestigious car brands. A great event punctuated by the sound of engines but also by non-stop animations to entertain the 4000 guests present on this seventh edition.
The DriftShop team is composed of Marc Boithiot and Nicolas Koenig behind the wheel of a 480 hp Porsche 997.2 GT3 Cup. The two amateur drivers quickly got to grips with the car during Friday’s practice sessions, testing different tire compounds to cover all eventualities. At the end of the qualifying session the next day, the team finished 5th (out of a total of 26 cars) with a great lap time of 1’29″4, just behind two Caterhams and a little further behind two Lamborghinis, including that of the reigning world champion Yann Ehrlacher.
The start of the race is given at 8:30 pm, at nightfall on the track plunged in the dark. It’s off for a 500 km race, the first relay disturbed under safety car during nearly 20 minutes is assured by Marc. Nicolas then takes the wheel after a refuelling stop, for about 1 hour, a stint that will run smoothly at a steady pace while maintaining the team’s position. We lost a few places during the refuelling because, unlike the teams in the lead, we were obliged to make the race with 3 pit stops (the Porsche’s tank does not allow us to cover 500 km with 3 full tanks).
Marc climbed back up to 6th place, then handed the wheel over to Nicolas to finish the race. In addition to refuelling, we also changed the wheels before the last stint to switch back to softer tyres. As the night progressed (it was after 11pm), the temperature dropped considerably: this strategy paid off as we overtook the 5th placed Ligier JS2R a few seconds before the end, to regain the position we had 500 km earlier.
After having completed more than 130 laps, our two drivers finished 5th overall in this 2022 edition of the 500 Nocturnes, 3rd in the GT class and first in the GT3 class. An intense endurance race, rich in emotions and grueling for our team, behind the wheel of a very demanding, exhausting but greatly efficient machine. To relive this event from the inside and get the full experience, don’t miss the video made by Burn and Shot below:
Photos sources: Rémy Delbarre / 500 Nocturnes