THE 72 HOURS OF EUROPE

WHAT DOES COMPETING IN THREE 24-HOUR RACES ON THREE CONSECUTIVE WEEKENDS DO TO A DRIVER? WE HAVE THE DATA.

- DANIEL PUND

MY FIRST INDICATION that this story wasn't going to go the way I expected came at Le Mans this year, when I first set eyes on its subject, Dutch race-car driver Loek Hartog. He's six feet, six inches tall and rail thin. There's no mistaking him for anyone else in the paddock, even with his helmet on. He looks like a taffy-stretched bicycle racer. His blue eyes are bright enough to seem lit from within, and they're always open slightly wider than an average human's. He has a shock of blond hair just above. He looks attentive.

The story idea started with the recognition that 2025 is a rare year when the three major European 24-hour car races—Le Mans, Nürburgring, and Spa—would line up on three consecutive weekends in June. My goal was to find a glutton for punishment, a driver who would compete in all three events. He would be the guinea pig. I would track his progress in the races (all of which he would contest in Porsche 911 GT3 Rs) and interview him periodically. I would also monitor his health and stamina during this punishing month by way of a Whoop fitness tracker.

And punishing it would be. Seventy-two hours of racing in three weeks! Minimal sleep, constant noise, and nonstop mental calculations would fry some synapses. And then there's practice, meetings, sponsor obligations, data debriefs, and qualifying. Those activities would take up nearly another two weeks of time in the month. Plus, travel time. Plus, plus, plus.