Glickenhaus to miss Nurburgring 24 to focus on WEC campaign

Team owner Jim Glickenhaus told Autosport that it would be “logistically too difficult” to undertake a Nurburgring programme with the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus 004C GT car around the 24 Hours on 20/21 May at the same time as racing in the WEC with the 007 Le Mans Hypercar.

“Our 004C is ready to go, but we’re not going to race at the ‘Ring this year because we have to concentrate on the WEC,” Glickenhaus told Autosport.

“We did do both in 2021 and ’22, but it was a real stretch.”

The endurance calendar at the Nurburgring is problematical for Glickenhaus.

The mandatory qualifying races take place on the weekend between the Portimao and Spa WEC rounds in April, while rounds one of three of the Nurburgring Long-distance Series clash with the WEC.

Glickenhaus has raced regularly at in the endurance classic on the Nurburgring-Nordschleife since 2011 when it took its SCG P3/4 Competizione to the race for the first time.

The marque competed with an upgraded version of the car developed around the underpinnings of a Ferrari 430 GT2 again the following year before returning after a two-year gap with its first ground-up design, the SCG 003C, in 2015.

It took overall pole position with this car running in the SP-X class in 2017 and then its best result in the 24 Hours, an eighth position, in 2019.

#708 Glickenhaus Racing Glickenhaus 007: Romain Dumas, Ryan Briscoe, Olivier Pla

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

The current 004C came on stream in 2020 and will become the marque’s first homologated road car, which will be built at its Connecticut production facility.

Glickenhaus stressed an intent to return to the Nurburgring 24 Hours and suggested that it could be as early as next year.

“We will definitely go back because our 004 road car is our bread and butter,” he explained at the Sebring 1000 Miles WEC season-opener on Friday.

“It could be next year but it probably depends on what happens with the WEC and what we do here.”

Glickenhaus added that it could also depend on its project to race a pick-up truck powered by a hydrogen fuel cell in the Baja 1000 off-road classic.

The marque has been working on the programme, which includes a road version of the vehicle, since 2021.

“We want to be the first people to run a zero-emissions car in a major endurance event,” said Glickenhaus.

“We need a viable refuelling solution, which is something we are working on.”