Software Glitch Prompts Glickenhaus Engine Change

Glickenhaus Racing spent Friday night installing a new engine into its SCG 004C ahead of the Nürburgring 24 after an issue took hold shortly before Top Qualifying 2.

Team owner Jim Glickenhaus said that a “software glitch” related to the electric water pump that helps to cool the car’s 6.2-liter naturally aspirated V8 engine prevented the American automaker from taking part in Friday evening’s Top Qualifying 2 shootout.

But he declared that the Podium Advanced Technologies-run Glickenhaus is now “ready to race” after the team worked until dawn on race day morning to complete the necessary changes and calibrations.

Glickenhaus competes in the SP-X class and is going up against two KTM X-Bow GT2s from True Racing, with further ambitions to challenge for overall places against the SP9 field.

“It was a bizarre glitch of the circuits to the electric water pump,” Glickenhaus told Sportscar365.

“We didn’t do a reset before we went out because we run the risk of losing telemetry and data.

“We basically worked through the night until 5:15 a.m. We found the software glitch, we wrote code and fixed it. It’s completely over.

“Because the engine got hot, for safety we swapped the engine.

“Then we replaced the uprights, which was planned maintenance, and the bolts to the brakes were defected. We had to get new bolts in.”

Laser’s inability to take part in Top Qualifying 2 means the Glickenhaus SCG 004C will start from the penultimate row of the first starting group which consists of 36 cars.

Laser will team up with Richard Westbrook, Thomas Mutsch and Franck Mailleux for the 50th edition of the Nordschleife enduro.

The Glickenhaus 004C took part in this morning’s one-hour warmup, with starting driver Mutsch shaking the car down ahead of its third N24 appearance.

“We’re starting near the Grello [Manthey Porsche],” said Glickenhaus.

“I think that’s going to be an exciting beginning to the race.

“We are easily two seconds a lap faster this year than we were last year. Who knows where we end up.

“We’re 100 percent ready to race. And there’s a blessing in disguise that we didn’t burn up a set of tires, and tires are short here. So who knows…”