From Spa-Francorchamps to the Nordschleife – just one week after competing in the European Le Mans Series, Giorgio Maggi took on the most famous racetrack in the world. And with notable success! The Swiss teenager won his class in the eighth round of the RCN Circuit Challenge this weekend. Sharing the cockpit of a BMW Z4 with team-mate Thomas Goetschl, he drove to a maiden victory on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Competing in the RS4 class, the duo prevailed over the opposition by a margin of more than four minutes.
“I’m totally happy about my first class victory on the Nordschleife,” said Maggi, who was driving a BMW entered by Hoffmann Motorsport. “I haven’t competed in all that many races on this fantastic track, so it’s all the more satisfying to have registered a victory here so soon. Now, of course, I’m hungry for more success. A big thank-you to the guys at Hoffmann Motorsport and to my team-mate Thomas for the great partnership throughout the weekend.”
As the name of the event implies, the race on the 20.83km circuit was indeed a challenge for Maggi. More than 140 racing cars lined up at the start in difficult wet weather conditions. The 18-year-old completed the first stint of the race on rain tyres and perfectly mastered the more than 70 corners on the Nordschleife. Maggi handed over the BMW Z4 to his co-driver in second place. With the track surface gradually drying out, Goetschl brought the car across the finish line in first place in the RS4 class.
Maggi: “For a driver, the Nordschleife is certainly the most demanding stretch of tarmac in the world. The RCN races are a great way for me to get better acquainted with this particular circuit. It’s just great to be racing through what looks like one big forest and to be taking all the corners on this 20-kilometre track at such high speeds. I am confident that I will be competing in other races on the Nordschleife in the future.”
Next up for Maggi is the European Le Mans Series. The grand finale to the season will take place at Estoril in Portugal on the weekend of 21st to 23rd October. It is a venue that used to host Formula 1, and Maggi will be looking to build on the good results achieved so far with his Swiss-based Race Performance team. In the European Le Mans Series, he drives a 420bhp LMP3 race car weighing in at only 900 kilos.
