Christoffer:

“I expected that this race would be very hard, but I didn’t expect it to be this hard. If you race with 300 km/h on a French public road you need full concentration which is not always easy if you get tired some hours into the race. But there is definitely no room for mistakes. Especially in the night it was very difficult for me, because in the darkness you miss all the usual reference points for breaking. You have to pay a lot of attention to keep the car on the road. I will never forget the podium ceremony in front of so many fans and of course the last lap. This was the first time I looked left and right and recognised how many Danish fans were lined up with Danish flags all along the track, it was a great feeling.”

Young Driver AMR experienced a successful debut at the 24h of Le Mans. In the first start of the German team at the French endurance classic, Christoffer Nygaard (DK), Tomas Enge (CZ) and Peter Kox (NL) brought the Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9 home in third position of the GT1-class in front of 238.150 spectators. In total, the three Young Driver AMR-drivers raced 4238 km (311 laps) on the epic track in Le Mans in 24 hours, a combination of public roads and permanent racetrack.

In their first 24h of Le Mans, the Young Driver AMR team got to know all facets of a 24h race. From the limitless cheering when leading in the first hours of the race or after seeing the chequered flag, through the disappointment when two technical defects hit the Aston Martin during the race, the team experienced a whole ladder of feelings. Right at the beginning of the race, starting driver Peter Kox took the lead in GT1-class from the pole, and lead the first hour of the race. During the first three hours, Nygaard, Enge and Kox fought for the class lead from second position, then suddenly a broken drive shaft brought the Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin to a halt. The repair took sixty minutes, the Aston Martin dropped down the order to sixth position.

From almost the back of the pack, the Young Driver AMR-squad fought back during the evening and the night. With a trouble free running car and constant lap times, Nygaard, Enge and Kox retook second place Sunday morning after 18 hours into the race. The trouble free run continued until Sunday noon, but then with only 90 Minutes to go, Le Mans showed his cruel face. Another drive shaft broke, just 15 minutes after „Young Driver“ Christoffer Nygaard took the car for the final stint of the race. The Young Driver had to replace the driveshaft for second time, Nygaard went out on the track after the repair with 15 minutes to go, and crossed the chequered flag at 15:00 o’clock just behind the race winning Audi-Prototypes. Nygaard, Enge and Kox lost one position due to the repairs late in the race, but finished third and took a podium spot in the very first 24h race of Young Driver AMR.