Throughout the Nürburgring 24 Hours weekend, Marek Böckmann will share exclusive behind-the-scenes insights from inside the #26 PROsport Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3.

In the first debrief of the week, Böckmann talks about Adenauer Racing Day, visiting the famous Nürburgring campsites, and the atmosphere building around the event before the cars even hit the track.

Today was Adenauer Racing Day with the team and the car, and as always it was something really special. Everybody was a bit worried there might be fewer people because of the weather, but in the end we were very lucky. There was no rain, only a bit of wind, and even some sunshine later in the day.

The atmosphere in Adenau was incredible. Fans everywhere, so many people, and lots of great conversations throughout the day. That’s what I love most about this event, and especially about Wednesday at the Nürburgring 24 Hours — the fans can get so close to the teams and the cars. In the end, we all share the same passion, whether you’re driving or watching from the outside.

Yesterday evening we also drove around the Nordschleife and visited some campsites and friends. It was amazing to see everything people have built around the track. When you’re in the car, you only really see the first row of tents, but you never get the chance to look behind it all. Spending an evening walking through the campsites, having a beer with people and enjoying some fireside chats really gives you a different perspective on the event. That’s where you see the side of the Nürburgring 24 Hours that television can’t capture. I honestly think there’s no other race in the world with an atmosphere like this.

As for the race itself, I think we’re well prepared. We’ve done a lot of work over the last few weeks with testing, the qualifying race, and preparation in general. Now the goal is simply to get through the next days cleanly and be ready for Top Qualifying on Friday. Tomorrow looks like it could be wet, at least according to the forecast, but from Friday onwards the weather should improve again.

Of course performance matters, and we want to put the car near the front from the beginning. But right now, the most important thing is building a good feeling with the car and getting into a rhythm with the team. Tomorrow we finally get on track for the first sessions, and at the moment everybody is relaxed, focused, and excited for the weekend ahead.

For all of us, this is the biggest event of the year — the whole team works towards this race. Now it finally begins.