Page 28 - Classics Issue

Born in Kufstein and at 34 years of age, Norbert has the perfect race – life balance spending time away from the hectic schedule of racing with his family in the small village of Wildschönau high up in the Austrian Tyrol. Here he can re-charge his batteries and maintain his ftness with mountain bike tours, hiking and when the ski season arrives he can be seen trekking UP the piste on his skis. But when the job of racing needs to be done this quiet but very popular Austrian switches mode and delivers the ultimate for each of the three teams he races for. In 2017 Norbert is competing across four major GT championships consisting of the Blancpain GT Series Sprint and Endurance for the Grasser Racing Team in the Lamborghini Huracan GT3. The ADAC GT Masters in the Pink and Black Huracan GT3 for HB Racing. And last but not least with Frikadelli Racing in the Porsche 911 GT3 R in the VLN Series on the world famous Nordshleiffe of which without any doubt he belongs to the specialists of this 25-kilometre course in Germanys Eifel region. In fact in 2012 he not only put the Porsche on pole for the VLN round at the Grun Holle, but also attained the fastest lap ever in a Porsche recording a lap time of 8.03.62. with an average speed of 181 kmh.From an outsider looking in, most fans see this International GT Driver racing in these GT3 super cars, thinking that it has been a wealthy background that has helped Norbert get to where he is today. This couldn’t be further from the truth. From a very humble background Norbert at the tender age of just nine years old, was infected with the racing virus. His father bought him a kart and immediately he knew he wanted to be a racing driver. There were no huge budgets behind him but through building a strong network of supporters, his career developed very quickly including a test for the Minardi F1 Team in 2003, setting some very impressive times. The one race that every driver wants on their CV is the world famous Le Mans 24 Hour of which Norbert was selected in 2007 to compete with Krusse Motorsport in the LMP2 Class. But a car failure only saw the car complete 98 laps before retiring. I’m sure if anyone would have been within earshot of Norbert, this calm and collected individual would be heard saying ‘That’s Racing’. This epitomises the man. Yes, he has had major success within the world of motor sport but also has experienced the lows. But nothing ever has changed his demeanour in front of the team, the fans or the media when the result doesn’t go his way. This was clear in Monza 2012 where Norbert was leading the Porsche Supercup with the sadly missed Sean Edwards chasing hard in second place. A racing incident at the chicane caused Norbert to drop down the order. But ever the professional Norbert, zipped up his race suit, faced the TV cameras and provided a professional account of the incident. The Mobil 1 Porsche Supercup was the real launch pad for Norbert into the GT arena. The series follows the European Formula One calendar and with the eyes of the world on the series this was the real chance to be noticed by other GT teams of what this Austrian could do. So, after 5 years and a number of podiums in the series Norbert soon became the hot property with opportunities to compete in endurance 24 Hour Racing such as Nurburgring, Spa and securing pole at the 2016 Daytona 24 Hour. Through his strong performances, Rinaldi Racing secured his services for the Blancpain GT Series in the Ferrari 458 GT3 in 2015 and developing the 488 GT3 in 2016. Norbert’s team mate and good friend Marco Seedfried competed with him across both seasons and a formidable partnership was formed. Qualifying was always the one to watch out for as Norbert’s specialism came to the fore as he lit up the times delivering purple sectors on numerous occasions. Image Jenny Schauerte