The Roman Student: Oschersleben WEC

By Will Gruy
I just got back to Rome from the World Endurance Round 2 eight-hour race in Oschersleben, Germany. We finished in second place, the best result ever for our team. After many podium finishes in the Sport Production class, this is our first podium in the EWC class since we made the step up last year.

The Oschersleben 8 Hour was cut about an hour short because of heavy lightning. I overheard some FIM officials saying that a television camera at the final corner got toasted, but I couldn’t get confirmation from anybody. We led the race for about 20 minutes during the first hour when Ayrton Badovini, an ex-PSG-1 World Superbike rider, started for us. From that point on, we bounced between second and seventh places, depending on pit-stop times, etc. As the race continued, we managed to climb up the latter, bouncing from second to fifth, then second to fourth. Then after about five hours, we secured a one-lap lead over third, so we wouldn’t lose our position during pit stops.

I rode the sunset stint and got caught in heavy rain with slick tires. Coming down the back straight, you ride up a little hill, and you can see over the German plain for miles. What I saw was a bit worrisome. There were some rain clouds approaching, and not friendly, spring rain-shower clouds, but more like the kind we get sometimes in Texas: a perfect line of fast-approaching, black, nasty-looking clouds that arrive suddenly with heavy wind and fat raindrops. It was a bit dark when the wall of clouds got really close, and coming into the back chicane, I could never tell if it would be wet or not. When the sky opened up, the rain came down heavy, and I went to the pits immediately: I was more willing to lose a bit of time if the team wasn’t ready than to take a lap on slicks in a heavy thunderstorm.

Luckily, the pit crew had seen the clouds coming and anticipated an early pit without a signal to the box (under usual circumstances, our rider isn’t suppose to pit unless he gets permission from the box; he asks to come in by lifting a foot off the peg, and is granted or rejected permission the following lap via the pit board). Paolo Tessari, ex-500cc GP rider, took over in the rain, and before he could even get upset about not having time to put his rain gear on, the race was called.

My team went wild. The Italians are famous for exaggerated joyful celebration, and this was no exception: everyone singing, hugging, kissing the pavement on pit lane, grabbing random girls walking by for a little dance, and our French mechanic even showed up with a bottle of whiskey and passed it around.

After the podium ceremony, we got back to our hospitality, where our cook had prepared a huge Italian dinner of Carbonara with plenty Chianti and cake for desert. Before we knew it, it was midnight, and we had missed the prize-giving ceremony at the concert hall! We all ran to get there, only to find that another team had accepted our trophies for us! No one seemed to care or be the least bit bothered.

Now the bikes are back in the shop, just outside of Florence. The mechanics are tearing down the motors. The team manager is balancing the accounts. I’m back to University and training. Paolo is back to his restaurant and training. And now all the focus is on the next race.

Will Gruy is a Texan road racer who is riding for the Amadeus X-One team in the World Endurance Championship while he attends university in Rome.