In preparation for an endurance race at the Nordschleife, Francesco Thor Nelson Marini takes his Nissan GT-R for a quick practice lap on a Thursday evening. It helps that he’s driving a 600-horsepower Nismo GT-R—but not as much as you might think. On a regular touristenfahren day like this, the variety of talent and machinery makes overtaking a specific challenge. No, the other cars aren’t as quick, but because they run at their own pace, Marini needs to read traffic quickly and accurately. Regardless of the grunt he’s got, overtaking 42 cars on one lap is due to his ability, not his car.

With his eyes flicking around from corner to corner, Marini is occasionally held up by less observant drivers, let through by others, and at times, nearly stopped by some people out on a casual cruise around the ‘Ring. Its with those drivers that want to race but aren’t quite at his pace that he has the most difficulty, and needs to put his nose in alongside to make them relent. This is something that will help him scythe through traffic during the real race, and when being forceful isn’t enough, he triggers his high-beam (4:47) to make them know he’s coming through—something done for safety at speed, not to bolster his ego.

His decision making is critical, and just like during the VLN endurance races he competes in so frequently, he has to run with slower traffic, anticipate their moves, and judge the speed differentials. Additionally, he has to make himself visible in their mirrors, go for gaps when they present themselves, and brake late when an opening arises—all while creating a few contingencies if things go awry.

It’s tough work, though it might seem like he’s just flooring it and making himself known—even that is a task in its own right. Driving a clear Nurburgring is challenging enough—as this cocky GT-R owner found out—so sorting through a field of moving chicanes makes it a real ordeal.