After seven hours, the two Mercedes-AMG entries, #3 and #80, have not only established themselves at the front but also built a commanding lead. During a spell of rain, they gained more than two minutes on their rivals, largely thanks to perfectly timed tyre changes. While the chasing pack had to slow significantly as the rain set in, the Verstappen and RAVENOL cars headed back out on freshly fitted wet tyres. At the start of the eighth hour, however, the #34 Aston Martin and the #81 BMW M3 Touring are still within reach, albeit at a respectful distance. The Rowe BMW #99 and the Falken Porsche #44 are also staying close in the chasing group.
#3 Verstappen / Auer / Gounon / Juncadella (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
8:35 p.m. – #3 pits and Jules Gounon hands over to Lucas Auer. That means all four drivers have now completed a stint.
8:47 p.m. – #80 Engel / Stolz / Schiller / Martin (Mercedes-AMG GT3) also nails the timing with its stop. Rivals who pitted a lap later lost more than a minute on the slippery track.
8:50 p.m. – Jules Gounon after his stint: “The craziest thing out there was the rain, and driving on the medium tyres at that point was really difficult. There was oil on the track and I almost lost control of the car. I was really lucky there. I think the Grello and the Ford behind me retired. So really, very, very difficult conditions. We then continued on cold tyres, which worked a bit better with the softer Michelin compound in the second stint. And now the rain is getting heavier, so we put wet tyres on for Lucky. Still 18 hours to go!”
9:42 p.m. – #3 comes into the pits, with sister car #80 entering at the same time. After routine stops and tyre changes, both cars continue.
#10 Wasel / Lenz / Kruse / Dralle (VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h)
9:29 p.m. – #10 was speeding in the pit lane and must serve a 30-second time penalty.
#11 Heyer / Fittje / Härtling / Ellis (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
8:33 p.m. – As the rain begins, Jay Mo Härtling slides into the gravel at Aremberg.
9:23 p.m. – #11 switches to slicks.
#17 Andlauer / Boccolacci / Menzel / Picariello (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)
8:30 p.m. – Collision with a rival in the Pflanzgarten section leaves the Dunlop Porsche with front-right damage.
9:59 p.m. – Nico Menzel receives a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for causing a collision.
#19 van Roon / Coronel / Kohlhaas / Huisman (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II)
8:47 p.m. – Benjamin Leuchter: “The R8 had contact with the guardrail in the Schwalbenschwanz section after sliding out on water. It came in, our guys repaired it, and the car is already back out on track. The #10 Wasel / Lenz / Kruse / Dralle (VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h) also had contact, and we also have a brake issue there. That is being checked right now and it will be going back out shortly. The #76 Hochwind / Otto / Vettel / Mogotsi (VW Golf GTI Clubsport 24h) had the same problem.”
9:33 p.m. – Tom Coronel is too fast under Code 60 and receives a 65-second penalty plus two points on his DMSB registry.
9:58 p.m. – is stationary in the grass at marshal post 42 (Veedol Chicane).
#26 Christodoulou / Lulham / Grenier / Böckmann (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
8:01 p.m. – Mikael Grenier: “Overall it was a little rainy. It was pretty stressful because we were on slicks. We didn’t know what to expect. But we handled it well. The night is about to begin and hopefully it won’t rain, because it is pretty difficult here.”
#33 Vazquez-Garcia / Leib / Di Martino / Brück (Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II)
8:56 p.m. – hits the guardrail on the exit of Brünnchen.
#34 Krognes / Drudi / Thiim / Fernadez Laser (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO)
8:32 p.m. – Drudi brakes slightly too late at the end of the start-finish straight but only loses a few seconds.
8:45 p.m. – #34 returns to the pits for a different set of tyres. Drudi was on the “wrong” tires for the previous lap and lost a lot of time, while direct rivals #3 and #80 had changed earlier.
8:56 p.m. – #34 runs through the grass on the exit of Brünnchen.
9:43 p.m. – Mattia Drudi: “At the beginning it was only drizzling, but the track was dry and our pace was really good. In the second stint the conditions changed and we had problems. But the race is still long. The most important thing is that we came through this difficult phase without damage.”
#37 Dumarey / Wahl / Lönnroth / Konnerth (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3)
9:53 p.m. – Tobias Wahl: “We have mixed conditions, but overall the track is drying very well. At the moment there are few accidents. It is awesome to be driving into the night now. Unfortunately, we dropped back a little because we had a tyre failure. But we are fighting our way through. I drove the last three laps on wet tyres because we did not want to make an extra stop.”
#44 Bachler / Heinemann / Müller / Schuring (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)
8:55 p.m. – makes slight contact with the guardrail on the exit of Brünnchen.
#48 Arrow / Assenheimer / Müller / Pereira (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) Evo26)
8:09 p.m. – Patrick Assenheimer: “I have mixed feelings. Of course I had a lot of fun. The car drives well. The difficult conditions naturally make it a bit trickier. Every lap is a little different or damp in different places. Because of Code 60, I had a bit more time to watch the fans, and it is really incredible how many people are still around the track even at this time. So really awesome – thanks to every fan who is there. The hard fight will continue. It doesn’t feel like an endurance race, but more like a 24h sprint race. Not only in the GT3 class – you really have to say it feels like every class is, of course, racing its own race. But absolutely with knives between the teeth. At times I think it is too much. I only hope it ends well. We have already seen a few situations that were not so nice. So I just hope everyone gets through the night safely and well, while still giving the spectators some really great battles.”
#61 Adelson / Arnold / Green / Van der Zande (HWA EVO.R)
8:28 p.m. – Jamie Green: “My stint was okay. It rained a little. We were not sure whether it would rain enough to cause problems. But fortunately it was okay, just a light drizzle. I had a long career in Formula 3 and DTM. I think I needed a little break. I think it is great that HWA asked me to start here. Maybe I can have a second career. I am 43 years old, so I am not the oldest in the pit lane.”
8:48 p.m. – Adam Adelson had been given slicks during his pit stop. He came back in after one lap to pick up wet tyres.
9:57 p.m. – also comes in for the HWA pit stop – change from wet tyres to slicks.
#62 Adelson / Asch / Ludwig / Winkelhock (HWA EVO.R)
9:55 p.m. – switches from wet tyres to slicks during the pit stop.
#63 Gebhardt / Holstad / Ludwig / Spengler (HWA EVO.R)
9:52 p.m. – is pushed into the pits.
#69 Glock / Scheider / Dörr / Kirchhöfer (McLaren 720S-GT3)
9:28 p.m. – Ben Dörr stays in for a double stint and is fitted with slicks.
#80 Engel / Stolz / Schiller / Martin (Mercedes-AMG GT3)
8:05 p.m. – Fabian Schiller passes Jules Gounon in the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
8:36 p.m. – Fabian Schiller is set to complete a double stint.
8:45 p.m. – Maxime Martin: “My first double stint went quite well. The first stint was a bit more difficult. The visibility of the yellow flags is not ideal in some places. I really lost time there in a few sections. At the end, the conditions were quite demanding – it was difficult to keep the car on the track. The second stint then went well, and I was able to make up time again. We had to start from the back, and now we are back in the race – but it is still a very long way to the finish. Our first task will be to keep the car on the track.”
9:45 p.m. – Luca Stolz takes over from Fabian Schiller.
#81 Klingmann / de Wilde / de Phillippi / Verhagen (BMW M3 Touring 24h)
8:26 p.m. – Connor de Phillippi gets past Jules Gounon in the #3 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
8:27 p.m. – Moments later, he also passes Fabian Schiller in the #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3.
8:35 p.m. – #81 pits to serve its time penalty.
8:56 p.m. – #81 runs through the grass on the exit of Brünnchen.
9:16 p.m. – After contact in a duel with #44, the M3 Touring drops a place and falls to sixth, then heads straight for the pits.
9:22 p.m. – #81 switches to slicks and returns to the track with Jens Klingmann at the wheel.
#84 Engstler / Bortolotti / Niederhauser (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
9:12 p.m. – switches from wet tyres to intermediates.
#88 Van Dam / Sasaki / Iguchi / Kubo (Subaru WRX)
9:15 p.m. – slides through the gravel in the Aremberg section.
#89 Knappmeier / Knappmeier / Groneck (VW GOLF 7 GTI TCR DSG)
9:09 p.m. – exceeding the speed limit during a Code 60 phase results in a 74-second penalty.
#130 Mapelli / Catsburg / Yelloly (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
8:30 p.m. – Front-right tyre damage in the Flugplatz section deals a bitter blow to the former leaders, who had fought their way back into the top 10.
8:46 p.m. – #130 limps back to the pits as the team works to get the Lamborghini going again.
8:51 p.m. – #130 returns to the pits and is pushed into the garage.
8:53 p.m. – #130 heads back out onto the track.
8:55 p.m. – Team Principal Martin Tomczyk: “We had a tyre failure at the front left. That happened at Schwedenkreuz, and the car had to make the long trip back around the circuit. We repaired it, but something still was not right. That is why we brought the car back in so we could check it more thoroughly.”
#176 de Oliveira / Himmels / Ibañez / Viebahn (Mercedes-AMG GT4)
9:44 p.m. – slides into the #82 under braking for the Aremberg turn – both cars then spin into the gravel. Both stranded cars subsequently need technical assistance to be recovered from the gravel, and the track also has to be cleaned here under a Code 60 phase.
9:55 p.m. – Guilherme de Oliveira: “We were fighting for the podium in our class and I was on the inside. I do not know whether he saw me or not, but in the end there was a small touch, and that was extremely unfortunate. The good thing is that we are running again. I apologise to the team and to my team-mates, because things like that simply should not happen. Fortunately the car is okay, fortunately we are still in the race. It was just really unfortunate, but we still have 18 hours on the clock. We will make up for it and we are definitely still in the fight.”
#277 Müller / Seibel / Geisler / Harris (BMW 318ti (E36) *)
8:28 p.m. – receives a 45-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
8:34 p.m. – receives a 106-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
#302 Lauck / Kim / Wallenwein / Azcona (Hyundai Motor Company ELANTRA N1 RP)
9:22 p.m. – In the pits, work is underway on the front-left suspension.
#320 Smudo / Bollerslev / van Ramshorst / López Cesaratto (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1))
8:41 p.m. – #320 slides into the gravel under braking for Aremberg.
#415 Köppen / Rings / Arend / Arnold (Porsche 911 Carrera*)
8:47 p.m. – the team has changed the radiator but is not entirely sure whether their problem has now been solved.
#632 Broadbent / Brown / Charoudin / Metzger (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992.1))
8:34 p.m. – spins just before the entry to the Nordschleife and heads straight into the pits.
#653 Farquini / Pitch / Soyez / Bugane (BMW M240i Racing Cup*)
8:43 p.m. – Axel Soyez: “The race has been really chaotic so far. An incredible amount is happening. My stint was actually quite okay, apart from the last lap. That was when it started to rain and I was out on slicks. The last few turns were really dramatic. I felt like I was driving as slowly as my grandmother, but it simply was not possible to go any faster. At least I brought the car back in one piece, and now we have the right tyres for the next stint.”
#658 Sari / Sari / Dhauw (BMW M240i Racing Cup*)
8:44 p.m. – two separate penalties for the BMW M240i. Harkan Sari was too fast during a Code 60 phase, resulting in a 106-second penalty, and he is immediately disqualified as a driver. Jarno Dhauw also fails to observe a Code 60 phase, which means another 45-second penalty. But the much more serious consequence is that, due to Harkan Sari’s disqualification, the team is now down to just two drivers.
9:36 p.m. – things go from bad to worse for the BMW: after the disqualification of one driver and several time penalties, another 45 seconds are added for ignoring a Code 60 phase.
#777 Krohn / Jönsson / Hamprecht / Huisman (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
9:12 p.m. – back out on wet tyres.
#786 Nana / Breuer / Dieter Schmidtmann / Mutsch (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
9:23 p.m. – The team announced on social media that the rear-end damage from the Breidscheid accident would take too long to repair. By mutual agreement, the race was ended early.
#830 Basseng / Lauck / Bastian / Azcona (Hyundai Motor Company ELANTRA N TCR)
8:57 p.m. – the Hyundai TCR just manages to avoid the crashed Audi R8 and has to pass it across the grass.
#870 Konishi / Zou / Kreutzpointner / Kreutzpointner (BMW M2 Racing (G87) *)
8:41 p.m. – Jacqueline Kreutzpointner: “That is the Nordschleife as you know it. In that respect we are used to it. But it was mega out there. I really cannot complain. I settled in very, very well. The car also felt great. In a slow car like this, you are more occupied with letting people by properly and sensibly. But it is always fun, and the fans out there are great. You can see the little camp castles set up everywhere, the first barbecues already going, and that is simply fantastic. And I am looking forward to the next 20 hours. Especially when you have Code 60 phases, your tyres cool down very quickly. We had a very, very long Code 60 and 120 phase from Brünnchen or Wippermann all the way to Schwalbenschwanz. Then the tyres are cold.”
#898 Ehrl / Ottis / Dacher / Kinoshita (BMW M2 Racing (G87) *)
9:57 p.m. – Maxim Felix Dacher: “It was very interesting. That was my first lap on the Nordschleife in the dark. It is also my first 24h race. We were on wet tyres and the track was quite dry. So it was very difficult out there, very slippery. But we made it.”
#919 Chrzanowski / Jodexnis / Jodexnis / Scharmach (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
8:10 p.m. – receives a 45-second penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during a Code 60 phase.
#925 Miller / Lander / Allen / Wehrmann (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
8:29 p.m. – spin in the Xiaomi turn.
#941 Rziczny / van der Snel / van der Snel / Erlbacher (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
8:35 p.m. – stopped on the approach to the Bellof S.
9:05 p.m. – Jacob Erlbacher: “Unfortunately we have a broken driveshaft. I fear about a 20-minute repair stop, which will probably rob us of any chance of a podium.”
9:44 p.m. – the repair work on the Cayman is almost complete and it should continue in a few minutes. The total time lost amounts to a good 50 minutes.
#952 Kraus / Saltvedt / Koch / Lindloff (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
9:21 p.m. – the Smyrlis Porsche also slides through the gravel at Aremberg.
#977 Zimmermann / Arn / Frommenwiler / Ruhrmann (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
8:52 p.m. – too fast during a double-yellow phase and receives a 66-second time penalty.
#978 Baunack / Lamsouguer / Handrick / Mönch (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
8:54 p.m. – was too fast in the pit lane and receives a 30-second penalty.
#979 Maximilian / Surzyshyn / Brown / Coen (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
8:10 p.m. – drives slowly across the grass verge in the Kallenhard-Wehrseifen section.