In Qualifying 3, the participants mainly battled for starting positions within their classes. The session had to be shortened from 90 to 55 minutes due to delays surrounding Top Qualifying. The GT3 cars that did not participate in the individual time trials competed for starting positions from row nine onwards. The PROsport Aston Martin #37 qualified as “best of the rest.”
#13 Albrecht / Knechtges / Asch / Bliss (VW Beetle RSR)
5:22 p.m. After troubleshooting and repairing the Beetle RSR overnight, Sebastian Asch was able to complete the first lap on the Nordschleife without any problems.
#48 Arrow / Bünnagel / Kaya / Piana (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992))
4:57 p.m. will be moved back three positions on the starting grid. When the 3-minute sign was shown, the vehicle was not yet on its wheels but was still jacked up.
#63 Haupt / Assenheimer / Kolb / Müller (Ford Mustang GT3)
5:12 p.m. Patrick Assenheimer: “If you just look at the results list, we’re not entirely satisfied. As a race car driver, you always want to be at the front of the pack. But when you consider where we’ve come from—we have a professional team and professional drivers, but we’re running a dual development program with Yokohama tires and the brand-new Mustang—then we’ve made really good progress. We have a really good car, and it’s understandable that we’re still a little way off the front. You can’t ignore that when it comes to your own ambition. We’re making the best of it and progressing race by race. Here, we’re trying to do a flawless job, and then we’ll see where the race takes us.”
#65 Fetzer / Schumacher / Owega / Owega (Ford Mustang GT3)
At 4:57 p.m., they are moved back three positions on the starting grid. When the 3-minute sign was shown, the car was not yet on its wheels but was still jacked up.
#66 Eichele / Wiskirchen / Wiskirchen / Wiskirchen (BMW M4 GT4 (G82))
5:44 p.m. Philip Wieskirchen: “It went very well. I’m very happy that it’s completely dry. We’re not doing anything crazy in Q3 because we’re happy with our starting position. Let’s see what happens at the start of the race tomorrow at 4 p.m. It’s my first 24-hour race and I’m driving with my brother and my father. It’s my brother’s fourth 24-hour race and I don’t know about my father. I also drive the BMW in GT4 Germany, so I’m familiar with the car.”
#74 Hansen / Vortkamp / Balanian / David (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo)
5:36 p.m. Stops briefly in the Karussell section, but is then able to continue.
#110 Gamou / Kataoka / Matsui / Sasaki (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2)
5:38 p.m. Remains in the Bellof-S area. Can continue driving.
#111 Thilenius / Wirtz / Renger / Neuser (Mercedes-AMG GT4)
5:53 p.m. Tim Neuser: “I’m very satisfied. I waited to see what our competitors would do and whether we would have to go out again. We are in first place in our class and wanted to see if our competitors would catch up. But it doesn’t look like that will happen, so I didn’t go out again.”
#347 Gülden / Sandtler / Hennerici (Porsche 911 GT3 CUP MR)
5:35 p.m. After suffering engine damage last night, the Porsche 911 GT3 MR is being rebuilt today and should be back on the track tomorrow. The warm-up will then be used for a rollout and to find the final setup for the race.
#477 Koger / Beck / Lachmayer / Neumann (VW Scirocco R TSI)
5:17 p.m. Due to exceeding the speed limit in the pit lane, the fastest lap of the current practice session is being deleted.
#650 Markert / Rziczny / Erlbacher / Gaukler (BMW M240i Racing Cup)
6:06 p.m. Jacob Erlbacher: “Since we didn’t have a free lap yesterday, we decided to send Sven Markert out right at the start. As the reigning NLS champion, he was able to convert the two free laps at the start of qualifying into the class pole. Adrian (Rzicziny) then used the remaining time to gather some material for tomorrow’s race.”
#900 Hardt / Rosenberg / Ludwig / Kiefer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
6:03 p.m. Thomas Kiefer: “Qualifying is over and we haven’t had any problems so far. Everything worked as planned. Of course, the heat is a challenge for everyone, but it’s also nice. We had a good Q1 yesterday, and Q2 was also very good. Driving at night again was positive. In Q3, many drivers drive to double-check certain things. Responding to the heat for the tires is, of course, very car-dependent. Front-wheel-drive vehicles in particular have even bigger problems because one axle has to do everything. We are a little better positioned in that respect.”
#959 Eichenberg / Haughton / Simon / Cate (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Type 982))
5:15 p.m. Spin for Peter Cate in the Sabine Schmitz curve at the entrance to the Nordschleife
