Harley Haughton continued his impressive start to his endurance racing career with another standout performance during round two of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) this past Saturday (1st April).
Haughton returned to Nordschleife aiming to build on an impressive debut showing during the opening round two weeks prior, having spearheaded a brilliant charge from 14th on the class grid to seventh in the WS Racing prepared VW Scirocco.
Reuniting with Ulrich Schmidt alongside a new team-mate in Max Malinowski for the second event in the Scirocco, the 18-year-old faced a new challenge as the typically unpredictable Nürburgring weather served up two days of ever-changing conditions.
Haughton clocked up some more crucial mileage during official testing on Friday, continuing to build speed and confidence with every lap completed of the iconic 15-mile circuit, which set him up for another strong performance come race day.
Starting the race from ninth in class on the grid, the Stockport-based driver had to overcome some early mechanical issues with the car before being able to make his mark. Another eye-catching combination of speed, consistency and racecraft saw him shoot up the class order.
Running as high as fourth at one stage, he handed the car over to his team-mates in a strong place and they went on to secure a second consecutive top ten class finish. That result, combined with his laps completed, means Haughton has now successfully met the requirements to upgrade to a Permit A for the Nordschleife, which will allow him to race on the circuit in more powerful classes of car.
Harley Haughton: “The whole purpose of these first NLS rounds were to gain experience on the circuit and complete the targets needed to upgrade my permit. To successfully achieve that with two clean races and strong results so far is a great feeling.
“WS Racing once again put out a good, reliable car and my team-mates put in great drives. It was a trickier challenge this time out with the changing weather conditions, often having to go off the dry line onto the slippery surface to let the faster cars through, but I enjoyed getting to grips with it.
“The continued support and advice of James and the Breakell Racing team has been invaluable and I’m excited to see how the next steps of our Nordschleife journey shape up as we get closer to the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in May.”
James Breakell, Team Principal: “Mission accomplished for Harley, ticking the boxes to upgrade his permit. It was difficult conditions across the two days, but he made no mistakes and continued to show great speed throughout. There’s lots to look forward to now in the coming weeks.”
The third round of the 2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series is coming up in two weeks’ time (15th April), with another four-hour race.
Image from SWOOSH Motorsport Communications.