Voices of the winners press conference.
Christopher Mies / #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II
“I had a great fight with Daniel Harper in the BMW, it was probably the best fight I’ve had in a long time. It was great fun and was fair and safe – thank you very much for that. As the fog got thicker and thicker, I realized that the red flag would soon come out. It was important to be at the front. The car was fantastic and it was a lot of fun. I personally had my first race lap on new tires in the dark and it was good to have a guide in front of me to show me the track.”
Frank Stippler / #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II
“This race was definitely the last chance for Audi to win a 24-hour race. I’m 49 years old now and I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to race. I’ve been driving for Audi for 21 years now and 16 of those for Team Phoenix-Racing, which is now called Scherer Sport PHX. I’m speechless about the win, I’ve already said that several times today. I really enjoyed the race. It was obviously a shame for the fans that we didn’t drive the full 24-hour distance.”
Ricardo Feller / #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II
“I think it was the right decision to stop the race. Of course, we would have liked to run it on the track. But you couldn’t see the marshals in some places and it would have been too dangerous to open the race.”
Dennis Marschall / #16 Scherer Sport PHX Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II
“I mean, in the end it was unfortunately only a close eight-hour race, which is obviously a shame for the fans, but it was our first win and we’re very happy. It all feels special and the emotions are definitely going crazy.”
Laurens Vanthoor / #911 Manthey EM Porsche 992 GT3 R
“I think everyone would have liked to have seen a full 24-hour race. But it is what it is, you can’t change the weather. We were determined to win the race and I think that would have been possible over the full distance.”
Thomas Preining / #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 992 GT3 R
“Congratulations to Audi. It was a great week in which we received a lot of support from our fans. Previously, Manthey EMA had the lead in the direct comparison with Scherer Sport for the number of overall victories with seven first places, but now Schwerer Sport has drawn level with them with seven wins as well. Although I didn’t win, I’m delighted to have won my first trophy in this race. It’s a shame that the race was so short due to the weather conditions.”
Kevin Estre / #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 992 GT3 R
“The start phase was in very difficult conditions. It wasn’t so easy to find the right tires – that’s what mattered. We knew the rain was coming, we just didn’t know when and had to trust the rain radar. After that it was still difficult to see which parts of the track were dry. I had good and fair battles and of course had to be careful not to destroy the rain tire on dry bits. It was great to lead the field for a while. It’s a shame that we couldn’t maintain our lead. And I will remember the Lap formation with all the fans forever. Dear fans, please keep it up – it’s a lot of fun!”
Ayhancan Güven / #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 992 GT3 R
“The race here is something very special and it’s always great to be at the Nürburgring. But it was the second time for me. We definitely got off to a good start, but then one thing led to another and between Code 60 phases, tire changes and the fog, things unfortunately got complicated. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do in situations like this, but it’s a shame for the fans, for the drivers, for everyone and I hope we have better luck next year.”
Max Hesse / #72 BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3
“The wrong tire choice set us back quite a bit, but in the end we made the best of it. Respect to Charles Weerts, who drove with us for the first time and did a great job. The event here is a great event and we’d love to come back, obviously to take first place. We were happy about the pole position, but disappointed that we didn’t drive the whole 24-hour distance.”
Daniel Harper / #72 BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3
“I really had a lot of fun. Thanks again to Christopher Mies for the great duel and for being so fair. It was a very good weekend for us, we were up front in every session and often even had the fastest car. Many thanks also to Charles, who did a great job at his first 24h Nürburgring.”
Charles Weerts / #72 BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3
“The 24-hour race at the Nürburgring is one of the most important races and it’s always great to be there. That’s why I’m very happy to be on the podium. Even though we didn’t drive a 24-hour race, we gave it our all and are looking forward to next year. The team did a great job here and put the pedal to the metal all week, so thank you again!”