Both Wimmer Werk Motorsport drivers have impressed so far this season, despite them both relatively new to life in the GT4 European Series Powered by RAFA Racing Club.
American Nick Maloy is only in his second season of racing, yet has already shown great pace and skill alongside Norwegian Emil Heyerdahl in Wimmer Werk’s #92 Porsche 718 Cayman RS Cs GT4.
Likewise, Russian racer Ivan Ekelchik is still learning the ropes of racing in GT4, and is being guided by the super-experienced Nicolaj Möller-Madsen in the sister #91 car. We caught up with both to hear their stories.
Nick Maloy
Nick, how does it feel to be making your GT4 European Series debut this year?
NM: “It’s been quite amazing to be part of this championship so far. It’s my first time in Europe and only my second full year of racing, so coming from no experience it’s in at the deep end! I started racing when I was 15, just doing track days for fun. I’ve always loved cars as a kid, but racing was never prevalent. I was living in Utah and the Utah Motorsports Campus was only an hour away, and my dad, Steve, got invited down there with his manual BMW M4. Every Wednesday they ran amateur track days for like $60-75 an hour, so it was super cheap and we’d just do it to build up speed. I met a lot of people there and made some great connections.”
So how did racing begin for you?
“During those track days I met Jerry & Shawn Tatum, who run Tatum Racing in Tooele, Utah. They invited me to do a 12-hour World Racing League event with them at Daytona and I’m super grateful to them as they gave me my start.”
This is your second full year, but what have you raced before?
“After the 12 hours I raced a Porsche Boxster in some club stuff in America but last season I joined the Porsche Sprint Challenge in North America for my first full campaign in something. That was my introduction to the Cayman GT4. I finished third in the Junior category and got selected for the Porsche Junior Programme in my first season. I haven’t really started work with that yet as it’s on hold for a year while I race in Europe. But everything has moved so quick.”
Why did you opt to come and race in Europe?
“I never thought I’d get the chance to move to Europe so soon, but the chance to join Wimmer Werk came up and I couldn’t turn it down. It’s a whole different level of competition. Especially when you’re coming in without a lot of experience. I knew learning to race in America that I’d be competing against Europeans eventually. And look at half the Pro drivers in championships like IMSA, all the best ones have competed in Europe. It was the best way to test my talent and learn from the best.”
Was it ever intimidating?
“It was a big step up initially. I did a GT4 Winter Series race in Barcelona to ease the transition a bit, but we only had like 18-20 cars and a much smaller event, so it was still a step-change when we went to Circuit Paul Ricard for round one. I was used to being on the podium a lot last year and at the front of the field, so it’s a big change being mid-pack and pushing forward. But it’s been so cool to get involved and be closing the gap to the quick guys with every meeting. Our team-mates are really quick, so we have a good benchmark within the team to chase.”
How are you working with your team-mate, Emil Heyerdahl?
“Working with Emil is great. He’s super-kind and easy going and helps a lot with data. A lot of the drivers have karting backgrounds and are a bit older than me so I’m keen to learn about all that and catch up. I’m like the little brother of the team! Also Max and Felix who run the Wimmer Werk team are brilliant to be around. They’re so supportive and we have a really great atmosphere at the team.”
What’s the ambition for this season?
“We want to move up the grid and get onto that podium. We’ve shown we can do it. Look at Misano, our sister car went from last to P4, and we passed 27 cars in my stint and were on for a really good result until we had a few electrical problems that held us back. But we know the pace is there and the team is doing such great work. Ultimately if we keep scoring points and hard well, the results will come.”
Ivan Ekelchik
Ivan, we’ve got to start with that race at Misano... Making up 43 places, from 47th to fourth!
IE: “Yeah, it’s been a crazy start to the season! It’s been really enjoyable, but it’s also been tough. The race in Misano was really tough but I loved it, pushing from start to finish and getting into the points. We started at the back after a gearbox problem and just kept overtaking… that was some race!”
Did you always want to become a racing driver?
“My father, Ilya, is also a racing driver, he competed and then became an engineer for M Sport in the 1990s on the World Rally Championship programmes, so there’s no chance I would not become a racing driver at some point! But it’s been a real journey to get here. Engineers are not rich people who can just jump into the sport when they want. We have had to work so hard to get this chance.”
How tough was it when you started?
“My father followed me and led me until I was 18 in karting. I remember us not having hotels or skipping meals to save money for the racing. It was really tough. But I started to show some good results and we got some amazing support from some teams back home. I won the Russian karting championship twice in a row and started doing coaching for younger drivers and built myself a business off that, so it’s been so much work to become a professional racing driver. I had to take every chance I ever got, and make good impressions.”
When did you switch to GT racing?
“I did an international karting programme with Lennox Racing, and after that somebody suggested GT racing, but I thought it was a total dream. We did one race in Dubai and I won it and thought ‘Ok, maybe we can make something with this’. Then Nicolaj sent me a message on Instagram suggesting we race together, and we managed to find the budget to make it happen. Last year we did the GT4 European Series with Sorg Rennsport. It was a nice year. I was top rookie a few times and we got a fantastic podium at Hockenheim. I learned a lot and loved it. It was my first year in these cars, and it was very promising.”
What do you love about GT racing?
“Everything! Because I’m from a normal family I have never dreamed of being an F1 driver. Never. I was always looking for something more accessible because you have to be so lucky to get to F1. For me GT racing is just so impressive, with huge grids and how you can fight door-to-door. I remember a sentence from Nico Müller who once said ‘touch without touching’ and that’s exactly the best way to race here, hard and fair.”
What’s it like sharing a car with Nicolaj?
“I love sharing a car with Nicolaj, he’s an absolutely great mentor and a great person. I really love working with him. I’m fully following him and learning a lot. Plus the team we have at Wimmer Werk is brilliant. Every person here is so kind and we feel like a family. It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. Lots of the most important moments of my life have happened around this sport. Last year I proposed to my girlfriend Victoria in Barcelona after finishing as top rookie! This championship for me is like home.”
Six races left this year. What’s the aim for the rest of the season?
“We want to be fighting for wins and make our way up the championship. It is so competitive that winning the title will be perhaps too much, but we have our eyes on the top three, and hopefully we can win a few races and get on that podium – I want to take a picture with a big cup before the end of the year!”
