Pittard: Second Non-German N24 Win “Absolutely” Possible

David Pittard believes it is “absolutely” possible for non-German brands to score consecutive victories in the Nürburgring 24, as the British driver aims to defend his crown with Walkenhorst Motorsport and Aston Martin.

Last year, Pittard joined Frikadelli Racing Team to take a breakthrough victory aboard the team’s Ferrari 296 GT3, teaming up with Earl Bamber, Nicky Catsburg and Felipe Fernandez Laser.

Not only did the Klaus Abbelen-led squad deliver Ferrari’s first overall win in the Eifel endurance classic, it also brought an end a two-decade undefeated streak for German manufacturers at their home event.

From 2003 to 2022, Porsche, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-AMG and Opel shared 20 wins between them before Pittard drove the Frikadelli 296 GT3 to victory in the event’s 51st running last year.

Since his breakthrough win, which also served as his first 24-hour race victory in his career, Pittard has signed on as an Aston Martin factory driver and will share the No. 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport entry with Nicki Thiim, Kuba Giermaziak and Christian Krognes.

Speaking to Sportscar365, Pittard indicated that he “would love” to add a second consecutive victory to his record.

“That would be fantastic,” he said.

“That is what I’ve been sort of hyping around on my social media, the back-to-back campaign.

“I’d love to. The English expression is if you wait for a bus to come, then two come along at once. If that happens, I’ll more than take it.”

Pittard said he is confident about the odds of a repeat victory, noting that consecutive N24 wins for non-German manufacturers can “absolutely” be achieved and pointing to Aston Martin’s previous N24 showing as an example.

“I mean, look at 2022,” he said

“The TF Sport car that Aston Martin entered, we were leading the race seven hours in, the Nordschleife bit us and we DNF’d.

“But now with the improved package, now we’re arguably one of the most experienced teams on the Nordschleife grid as well.

“And not sort of belittling my previous line-ups, but probably with the most experienced line-up at this track here.

“I’ve been kind of saying that all the other big teams have superstar drivers, international drivers from around the world, but I would argue that our line-up is like a superstar line-up here, basically.”

This year’s edition of the N24 will be the debut event outing for the Evo-spec Vantage GT3, which was rolled out to customer teams at the beginning of this year.

Despite the Nordschleife’s reputation as a demanding circuit and a car breaker, Pittard described the new car as a “pretty safe bet” for its first N24 outing when it comes to reliability.

“The driveline is completely unchanged,” he said.

“A lot of the major chassis components are maintained. So the only big overhaul has been on the suspension geometry. It’s not like a redesign of the suspension. It’s purely the pickup points and how they’re mounted and moved, et cetera.

“Then the bodywork, obviously it’s improved downforce and drag efficiency and in line with the facelift Aston Martin road car from this year.

“So when you think of a new car, it’s like, ‘Oh, is the gearbox going to last? Is the differential going to last? Is the hub going to fall off?’

“But I think with confidence, I’d say a lot of the major components are tried and tested since the Vantage was new in 2019. So actually, it’s a pretty safe bet for a new car.”