Felix Baumgartner, the Austrian skydiver who set three world records jumping from a suspended capsule on the edge of space in 2012, undertook a more grounded challenge last weekend taking part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
Taking on the 16.1-mile Nordschleife circuit in the forests of the Eiffel mountains, Baumgartner finished a superb 9th outright with Frank Biela, Marco Werner and Pierre Kaffer after originally qualifying 8th.
The result should no doubt be marked as more than a qualified for success for Felix, who intends to direct his full attention to pursuing a career in motorsport.
“I have made all the jumps that are out there for me. Now I need a new challenge,” Baumgartne said. “I want to become a racing driver. And not just with any old car on any old track at any old race. I want to drive a real race car at the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
I learned a lot by watching the driving style of the pros and in the course of time I noticed that I was feeling increasingly sure. Lap by lap, I got a better feel for where I could cut in and where I couldn’t.
There were various critics who didn’t think I was able to handle this challenge. That had been the same with Red Bull Stratos. But I kept telling myself that with a good team and solid preparation you can achieve almost anything."
After conquering space and land, there aren’t too many elements left for Felix to master.
Space Jumper takes on Green Hell