Dylan Pereira will undertake an extraordinary double programme as he attempts to compete in the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) and the GT World Challenge (GTWC) Europe Sprint Cup during the same weekend. The Luxembourgish driver must travel more than 1,200 kilometres between the Nürburgring and Magny-Cours, with only a small window between his two races on Saturday. In an interview with Motorsport-Total.com, Pereira explained how he and his teams plan to make the ambitious schedule work.
Pereira prepares for his Nürburgring return
Pereira will begin his weekend at Magny-Cours, where he will complete Thursday’s pre-event test and the opening Free Practice session on Friday. He will then leave the French circuit and travel more than 600 kilometres by road to the Nürburgring, where his team expects him to arrive at approximately 10 pm.
He will join Black Falcon for Saturday’s six-hour NLS race, sharing the No. 48 Porsche 911 GT3 R with Patrick Assenheimer and Tobias Müller. Despite missing the usual preparation with the team, Pereira will complete several laps during qualifying before starting the race.
“On Saturday morning, I’ll have a special briefing of my own at 7.30 am. In qualifying, I’ll then do four or five laps of the Nordschleife to get back into the rhythm. If we still need a time at the end, I’ll do a flying lap on fresh tyres.”
The qualifying laps will allow Pereira to reacquaint himself with the Nordschleife before the race. He will then move directly from his qualifying preparations to the starting grid and complete the opening stint in the Black Falcon Porsche.
Every minute counts after the NLS stint
Pereira may complete a second stint depending on how the NLS race unfolds, but must begin his journey back to Magny-Cours for the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup as soon as he hands the Porsche over to one of his teammates.
The drive between the two circuits will take approximately seven hours, leaving the 29-year-old with almost no margin for delays. He plans to arrive at Magny-Cours at around 8.30 pm, only 30 minutes before the opening GT World Challenge Sprint Cup race begins at 9 pm. Alex Aka will start the race in the Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II. Pereira must then prepare to take over during the mandatory driver change and should be ready to enter the car from approximately 9.25 pm. As a result, even his usual post-stint routine at the Nürburgring will have to wait.
“I have to get out of the car straight after my stint and set off for Magny-Cours. There’s no time for a shower – absolutely none! We’re off straight away. You never know what might happen on the way. A one-hour traffic jam could always crop up. We have to make the most of every minute we can. If necessary, I’ll just have a shower after the race at Magny-Cours.”
Any traffic, disruption or delay could place Pereira’s participation in the evening race at risk. The tight schedule means he must leave the Nürburgring immediately, even though the six-hour NLS race will continue for several hours after his stint ends.
Pereira’s father takes the wheel
Pereira will not have to complete the long journey behind the wheel himself. His father will drive between the Nürburgring and Magny-Cours, allowing Pereira to rest and prepare for his second race of the day.
The arrangement will also help him manage the physical demands of competing at two circuits in one weekend. Pereira can sleep during parts of the journey before completing another demanding stint in a GT3 car shortly after arriving in France.
However, Pereira does not plan to disconnect from the NLS race once he leaves the Nürburgring to head to Magny-Cours for the first race of the GTWC Europe Sprint Cup weekend. He will continue following Black Falcon’s progress and communicating with the team throughout the drive.
“My dad’s driving me. Otherwise it would be much harder. This way I can get some sleep on the way without missing a thing. We’ve got a seven-hour drive, which means the NLS race will still be going for another five hours after I’ve handed over. I’ll be watching the race via the live stream on YouTube, supporting the team and keeping in touch via WhatsApp.”
The journey will therefore serve several purposes. Pereira can recover physically, monitor the race he has just left and begin preparing mentally for his arrival at Magny-Cours.
Aka keeps Pereira informed from Magny-Cours
Pereira’s travel schedule will also prevent him from taking part in the second GTWC Europe Free Practice session on Friday evening.
Aka will complete the session without his teammate and gather information about any changes to the Audi’s handling. Pereira plans to contact Aka during his Friday journey to the Nürburgring so that he remains informed about the car’s balance and behaviour. Although Pereira will drive the Audi during Thursday’s test and Friday’s opening session, track conditions and set-up adjustments could change the car before Saturday evening’s race. Aka’s feedback will therefore form an important part of Pereira’s preparation.
“I’ll check in with him on the way there [on Friday evening] and ask how the car has changed. Is there more oversteer or understeer? That way, I’ll know exactly what to look out for. After two or three laps in the race, you’ll have got a feel for it anyway.”
Pereira believes he will quickly adapt once he enters the car. Nevertheless, communication between the two drivers will allow him to anticipate any significant balance changes before he begins his stint.
Two title fights make the ambitious double worthwhile
Pereira chose to attempt the demanding double programme because he remains in championship contention with both teams. In the NLS, he will compete in the SP9 Pro-Am category with Black Falcon. At Magny-Cours, he and Aka will continue their GT World Challenge Sprint Cup Gold Cup campaign with Attempto Racing.
The pair strengthened their championship position by winning both Gold Cup races at Misano. With valuable points available in both series, Pereira did not want to sacrifice either opportunity when he examined the two schedules.
“Basically, it was clear right from the start that there would be a clash of dates. We had to decide which made more sense. But as we’re in contention for the titles in both championships, I took a closer look at the schedules and said: ‘It’s doable; we could make it work somehow!’”
Both Black Falcon and Attempto Racing supported Pereira’s proposal, making the ambitious schedule possible. Unlike drivers who have previously used flights to travel between clashing events, Pereira will complete the entire journey by road. After Saturday’s demanding programme, he will return to a more conventional schedule on Sunday. Pereira will take part in qualifying at Magny-Cours in the morning before starting the weekend’s second one-hour Sprint Cup race in the afternoon.
Before then, he must complete two races, two long road journeys and at least 1,200 kilometres of travelling during one of the busiest weekends of his career.
