T McNish Q & A [PART 2]

Welcome race fans to the 4th and final round of the 2012 Tora endurance championship .

If you missed my first segment you can find it here http://forums.theonlineracingassociation.com/t8837-t-mcnish-q-a-part-1

So were back out today on this cold wet morning lets see who we can find ?

Q: Afternoon mr Adder just quickly your CRA division is running a SLS AMG GT3 do you feel you can compete for the gold at the N8 or what do you hope to achieve here .

A: My team mate tsaFoot is driving like a maniac on this track. He lives only 70 kilometres of this track so he knows every single asphalt piece, trees etc etc.....
I am testing,testing, testing.....
I've got a lot of info from foot about driving this track so I am getting faster and faster. I need a couple of seconds more but I think I am already quite competitive.
Reliability of the Benz is great!
But now your question, Yes we can compete for the gold and that's my goal. Podium is nice but I want the Gold!

Q:Standaman of team nurbracer , do you feel your teams and drivers are ready to take on the giant task of the ring , and with a name like nurbracer this must surely mean you guys are pretty quick around here.

A: We're ready for virtually any challenge. To us, the Ring is a mere obstacle in our path, and since it's our home away from home we're very much comfortable around it.

Speed however is another thing. Although we know the track better than the backs of our hands, certain knowledge doesn't bring speed, only skill; both of which are not directly associated with each other. We have drivers who are much more competent and will set much faster times than others in our team, which is generally the result of both good tuning skill and the ability to drive hard and consistent.

As it is with any race, w're never guaranteed a win just because of our previous skill and knowledge. Anything can happen in eight hours, so all we can do is try our absolute hardest and hope for a decent result.

Q: i caught Tissot racings Blackhawk s61 fine tuning the mk7 Ford and i ask is this car good enough to compete here and what do tissot hope to take away from the ring.

A: I think this car will be very conpetitive around this track with the right tune and the right driver i think it could even win. I would like to see tissot racing win this event but i would be more than happy with a top 5 finish.

Q: Joining me F4H Chrisupa we all know how strong a team you have but lets be honest this track is very unforgiving , in your opinion what are the key factors to taking victory at the nurburgring.

A: Each driver needs to reach his maximum. It is something I always think about. When you prepare your drivers and teams you always have to assess some key qualities in your guys. Composure, consistency and concentration. I think concentration is the big one here. On the nordschleife you don't get a moment to yourself and if you lapse in concentration, if only for a second then you get punished. A punishment around here usually ends someone's afternoon and besides, there will be millions tuned in around the world to watch this, its added pressure but this track is not for everyone so we have chosen our Nurburgring enthusiasts in the team and no matter the skill level, slow or fast, you need concentration, composure and consistency. I can't stress that enough. For each stint you need to be tuned in, after the stint you can do whatever you want but for the time you're on track you gotta be alert and not let your mind wander.

The last saving grace for a driver here is his tune, what the guys in the shop do with the car. Nobody wants to be fighting and arguing with a car for an endurance event here. It effects consistency, energy levels and ultimately concentration too as I previously mentioned but the winner of the N8 will possess great qualities and also, a great car.

As for us, we have put in countless hours of testing. We had two weeks booked here in early November and got some great feedback with our engineers. Providing reliability, you can expect a big push from us. Ill be disappointed if we don't win here in December. We all enjoy coming to visit Germany but in any case I hear its gonna be overcast with a slight chance of rain, could make for an interesting race. I for one, can't wait!

Q: while stumbling back to my hotel i bumped into a mr EZT Spartan , i ask you sir its the final event in the TEC calendar what can EZT take away from here and will we see EZT return for the TEC in 2013.

A: yes we've not raced over at the TORA much this year let alone have done any of the TEC events. This being the first that we've entered.
Hopefully next year we can make the effort and at least do these enduros over here at TORA. We've often talked about doing them but never really gotten our act together. Even then, this one was a bit of a rush job, only just securing a car deal hours before the deadline ran out.
Anyways, here's to a good race at the Ring and lets hope that we get a dry one.

Q: New at TORA we catch MGR Wheelwash and there GT3 cup car , so mr wash what brings your team MGR to the ring and whats your thoughts about the competition.

A: Looking forward to it, a few of us are aiming more towards running the full endurance campaign next year so this is a good bit of practice for us. We are a team thats just coming up to our first birthday, and to have five representatives in the event is all good. In the Tequila Patron Porsche in the SP1 Class, we get the feeling an extremely harsh lesson is about to be received, as looking down the field, theres some of the bigger names in the game there and for me personally, the first time i have ever driven a Porsche, vastly inexperienced around The Nordscheife and well, its safe to say, i dont venture above the S Class too often, but theres nothing like a good jump in the deep end!! Thankfully Mr T (MGR Taeatua) loves this place, and well, at least the car will look nice, it will be going at the end and it has two drivers in it that will see it in there at the finish.

Two of our newer members in MGR S7EVEN and MicroSte will be campaigning an SP3 Honda Civic, a car they know all too well after a recent Spec Series on our home site VTCC , a series in which MicroSte won the Class Three Championship, these two are good mates and will put up a fight in the EK9. MGR Ginge is also coming out to play, 'El Presidente of MooGin Racing' is team up in the VTCC Motorsports team with 'The Illustrious Founder' himself CQR Rusty, there in a VW and Ginge is testing out a brand spanking new Virgin for the event, which now means his connection will hold together longer than an hour!!

Q: joining my m&m team mate Selectiverogue in the bar i have to ask the question its been a long well fought year in the TEC what are your thoughts on the year and more importantly what are your thoughts for the future of endurance racing at TORA.

A: The Future of endurance racing will be key to what TORA offers in my personal opinion.

We are limited to what we can offer but TORA will stride to make the 5 enduro races we off fantastic.

M&M have had a great year in the endurance series, I have been committed to other teams for the year but I am thoroughly looking forward to the 8 hours of green hell with M&M and hope to be able to bring home the champagne for the team.

Q: well im at m&m HQ with team mate CQR Aero and this is a must ask question why did you choose m&m racing for your drive surely a CQR seat would be more fitting.

A: I've been a member of TORA since the middle of 2009, shortly before I became a member of WWR (Wire to Wire Racing), which over time slowly waned. A number of former WWR members got together and formed CQR (Close Quarters Racing), which has gone from strength to strength. I think it was only a matter of time really before I eventually followed my former clubmates, and joined CQR, which I did earlier this year. Thankfully, the guys at CQR are well aware of my previous team affiliations at TORA, and are flexible enough that they don't have any problem with me maintaining those relationships.
During my time at TORA, I have often raced within teams of diverse drivers; both those seen to be more "seasoned", and, when I've been managing the team, trying to offer opportunities to less experienced drivers where hopefully I've been able to offer tips and advice that helped them improve their race skills.
A number of times over the years, Duncan Ray (aka SelectiveRogue) has driven for my personal team (Aero Dynamics). Duncan is a regular driver for the M&M Racing team, and so, several times in the past I have been invited to race with the M&M team.
This season, we achieved a fantastic class win in the 24 Heures du Mans, and both Ianmr and SelectiveRogue being such 'Ring enthusiasts, we're hoping for a great result next weekend.

Thanks for reading and i hope you enjoy reading this as much as i have making it , stay tuned for part 3

Keep it up, love these things.

Nice Job.
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