iRacing Nürburgring 24H – More Than Just a Result
3 Teams. 24 Hours. Countless Stories.
The iRacing Nürburgring 24H has come and gone. For El Slow Mo’s, we fielded three teams, two in GT3 and one in TCR. And like any endurance race worth remembering, the results were a mix… but the memories? Unbeatable.
TCR Team – P3 with a Smile
This year, I raced in the Honda TCR team alongside two other teammates. From the very first lap, we knew this wouldn’t be an easy 24 hours. The Nürburgring never is. It demands focus, respect, and endurance — and even then, it throws chaos your way.
Traffic was brutal. Faster GT3 and GT4 cars made their way through in every sector, and a few of them weren’t as patient as you’d hope. We took hits. We had spins. There were moments when frustration crept in, and we had to pause, reset, and dig deep again.
But through all of that, we held together. We encouraged each other. We figured things out as a unit. And in the end, we crossed the finish line in P3. Not because we were perfect, but because we didn’t give up. What made it even more special? One of our drivers was completely new to our team and taking on his very first 24-hour sim race. He had done endurance racing before, but this was a whole new level, and he embraced it fully. He loved every second. That, more than the result, is what made this race a win for me.
Team 2 – GT3 Grit, Glory, and Gut Punches
Our second team entered the Porsche GT3 R with a half-and-half mix: two experienced endurance drivers and two newcomers, both fresh to El Slow Mo’s and to 24-hour sim racing.
At one point during the night, they were leading their split. They kept it clean, kept the communication steady, and ran with incredible consistency. It was the dream run, until it wasn’t.
A few fatigue-related mistakes crept in. Then a connection dropout. Then a crash. One of the drivers even had a full PC shutdown mid-stint. The team dropped to P6 by the end. But honestly? That’s still a huge achievement. They adapted, they supported each other, and they brought it home, together.
Team 3 – Four First-Timers, One Tough Track
This was the wildcard crew. Four drivers, almost complete strangers, racing together in the Ferrari 296 GT3. Two pairs who had raced with each other before, but none who had done a full 24-hour race as a team.
Technical gremlins hit early. A driver had connection issues and the team made the call to restart their race at the 07:00 GMT slot. From there, it was about survival and learning — learning the track, each other’s habits, the rhythm of endurance racing.
The Nürburgring is not forgiving, and incidents were inevitable. But they pushed through. They adapted. They finished P33, and they did so as a bonded unit. That race, for them, wasn’t about the leaderboard. It was about crossing the finish line together, and they did.
From Teammates to Friends
Before the race, I posted a simple challenge: race with friends, not just teammates.
And I think that’s exactly what happened. Across all three teams, I saw drivers forming bonds, not just stints. We didn’t just build strategies, we built trust. And that trust carried us through the good laps and the bad.
Because endurance racing gives us something special: Not just positions. But people. Not just performance. But belonging.
We didn’t win a split. But we won in every way that matters.
To every El Slow Mo who turned a lap this weekend, thank you. We showed up. We raced with heart. We lifted each other up.
And now, we carry that momentum forward. To the next race. The next challenge. The next teammate who might just become a friend.
Ready to Join the Experience?
If you're reading this and thinking, "I want that kind of experience." Then leave a comment, send me a DM, or just reach out.
I'm always happy to help any sim racer, new or experienced, who’s looking to find what we found: That sim racing is about more than just the results.
It's about community.
It’s about shared passion.
It’s about the joy of preparing, showing up, racing together, and building real memories along the way.
If you're ready to race not just with teammates, but with people who might just become friends...
Let’s talk.
And if you’re not quite sure where to start, that’s exactly why I created Sim Team Architect, to help sim racers like us find the right teammates, build the right prep systems, and race in a way that fits real life. Whether it’s your first endurance race or your tenth, I’d love to help you shape your next team experience.
— Marius Pretorius
Founder, Sim Team Architect & El Slow Mo’s Sim Racing Team
