The 20th and 21st hours of this year’s 24h Nürburgring remain turbulent. Many drivers report hardly a single lap without Code 60 or double yellow zones after their stint. The battle for the lead also remains dramatic: after a thorough investigation of the incident, race director Walter Hornung decides at 12:46 p.m. to impose a 100-second penalty on Kevin Estre (#911) for “causing a collision.” In the close battle for the overall lead between Manthey #911 and Rowe #98, the BMW M4 GT3 had just overtaken the “Grello” 911 for the first time. Who will come out on top in the end is now a matter of calculation – the outcome remains open.
#27 Pepper / Bortolotti / Juncadella (Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2)
11:23 a.m. comes to the pit stop. Jordan Pepper remains seated
12:45 p.m. Jordan Pepper: “Our race started with the strain of a penalty from qualifying, which of course totally slowed us down. It’s a shame, we would have liked to have fought for the podium and maybe also for the victory. But that’s motorsport. We also had a small technical problem with the ABS and the throttle – a small thing, but it slowed us down. We are now trying to fight our way back. Our goal now is to see the chequered flag. The colleagues in the 28th are doing a great job and are on P3.”
#30 Walkenhorst / Breuer / Aust / Bollrath (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO)
12:17p.m. Team principal and driver Henry Walkenhorst: “We had a difficult crash tonight with the #35 Hantke / Buchardt / Söderström / Krognes (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO), the car is pretty broken. Our GT4 blew the whistle in front of the airfield, unfortunately it’s a total loss, so it’s really a catastrophe. And unfortunately we had technical problems with the Pro car. I drove a total of 6.5 hours – for an old man… It’s relatively hard, but I feel good about it. The concentration is right. I’m happy with myself and the charity car is still running. What more could we want as far as this car is concerned.”
11:00a.m. Ugo de Wilde: “In the qualifying sessions, it was all about getting confidence in the car, collecting a lot of laps and trying different things in terms of setup. In the race, this paid off. The car was reliable, and we drivers didn’t make any mistakes and stayed out of any trouble. The night was crazy. It was my first time driving here in the dark, and it was a lot of fun. Now I hope that we can bring home the class win. I really hope that I will get the chance to drive a GT3 next year – because a GT3 victory on the Nordschleife would be my dream.”
#34 Krognes / Pittard / Thiim / Drudi (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 EVO)
11:08 a.m. Nicki Thiim: “We did a little function check again because Walkenhorst needs the car next week at the 24 Hours of Spa. Unfortunately, we had no pressure on the fuel pump this morning. We were in third place at one point, which is a shame. We’ve been trying to win this race for so many years, but it just doesn’t work out. I don’t know what else we have to do. It’s the ‘Green Hell’, but we always like to come back. Maybe we’ll get another chance next year.”
#37 Palette / Böckmann / Bastian (Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3)
11:01 a.m. Marek Böckmann: “It’s very turbulent outside. I’ve been driving for two hours now and a lot has happened. You can tell that the drivers are getting tired. You have to be very vigilant, even when overtaking. We hope that the car will last until the end.”
#45 Perel / Fernandez Laser / Jefferies / Neubauer (Ferrari 296 GT3)
12:27 p.m. and the #101 Welker / Masumoto / Berghult / Nilsson (BMW 325i (e90)) have an accident in the Schwalbenschwanz area and are at the crash barrier
12:28 p.m. was in sixth place and thus in the leading group
#48 Arrow / Bünnagel / Kaya / Piana (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992))
11:25 a.m . suffered a sudden puncture. When trying to slowly return to the pits, the Porsche overheated! It is not yet clear whether he will be able to continue
11:52 a.m.: The Black-Falcon Porsche is at the main post in the Metzgesfeld area
#59 Dörr / Dörr / Strycek / Ortmann (McLaren Artura Trophy Evo)
11:41 a.m. Phil Dörr: “I handed over to Mike David Ortmann. My stint went pretty well. We were able to keep our target times. So we are satisfied. The heat is a big challenge, especially since we don’t have air conditioning. That costs the last nerves. We try to avoid double stints.”
#88 van Dam / Schrick / Sasaki / Kubo (Subaru WRX )
11:18 a.m. Tim Schrick: “It was very hot, because we don’t have the senior status of an air conditioning system. But we have made killer steps compared to the last few years in terms of tyre performance in hot weather. The car was super fun. This is a great gift on a beautiful race track. A code 60 every round, but that’s whining at a high level. The team did an incredible job after my crash, rebuilt the whole car and it drives like a one. Thank you very much for that.”
#98 Farfus / Krohn / Marciello / van der Linde (BMW M4 GT3 EVO)
11:42 a.m. Pit stop with tyre change, new brake discs are also installed. Augusto Farfus stays in the car.
12:03 p.m. on the last lap caught up with the leading #911 Estre / Güven / Preining / Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)), who was in the first lap after the pit stop. Farfus then went back onto the Nordschleife directly behind Güven.
12:34 p.m. Augusto Farfus overtakes the leading Manthey Porsche #911 Estre / Güven / Preining / Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992)) on the Döttinger Höhe
12:53 p.m. comes into the pits. Augusto Farfus hands over to Raffaele Marciello
12:59 p.m. Hans-Peter Naundorf: “This is a good show for the audience. In our imagination, we’re going to extend the lead a little bit and hopefully build it up to 20 or 22 seconds, then we’ll have a chance to stay in front.”
Augusto Farfus: “What a close fight! To take the lead on the track was really important, to defend it afterwards hard. In general, it’s a tough and literally hot race.”
#109 Morizo / Toyoda / Ishiura / Oshima (Toyota GR Yaris)
12:15 p.m. Morizo: “I’m happy with the weather and the other drivers. They drove very fairly. I was able to drive my 15 laps very safely. That was my first assignment in six years. I had a lot of fun.”
#160 Nakayama / Alesi / Kotaka / Koyama (Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO 2023)
11:13 a.m. has briefly left the track in the Schwalbenschwanz approach area and continues slowly.
#187 Wüstenhagen / Hancke / Mijatovic / Jochimsen (BMW M4 GT4 (G82))
11:14 a.m. Impact left directly at post 180 (approach Schwalbenschwanz)
#189 Bonk / Schrey / Bonk / Khayrov (BMW M4 GT4 EVO (G82))
12:05 p.m. Peter Bonk reports after his stint: “At the moment, many seem to be quite tired. I think you rarely see so many accidents during overtaking manoeuvres. But of course it can also be due to the many people who compete here once a year and then there are misunderstandings because others are more patient, who ride in the NLS, for example. But the low sun in the morning also caused me problems – and others will feel the same way. Otherwise: A great race weekend. You can’t do anything about a power outage, that was stupid. But: It was solved well by the organizers. The spectators are all in a good mood, there’s a lot going on here. So thank you for doing this at all!”
#414 Köppen / Schaflitzl / Rings / Pydys (Porsche 911 Carrera)
12:49 p.m. is in the area of directions short connection. Was able to drive on.
#448 Weber / Weissermel / Brandl / Müller (Porsche Cayman CM12)
11:00 a.m. Pit stop: The team looks for a fault in the right rear area.
#667 Simon / Drinkwater / Manley / Breakell (BMW M240i Racing Cup)
12:16 p.m . comes into the pits with the hood half-up. It was already taped and is now being repaired again.
#830 Lauck / Basseng / Jöns (Hyundai Motor Company Elantra N TCR)
12:36 p.m. Christer Jöns: “Driving in these temperatures is exhausting. But it went well, but there was a lot going on. In my double stint, there were only one or two laps without a code 60 or double yellow. From the cockpit you can see how the front runners successively move closer together during the overtaking manoeuvres of the faster cars. Of course, you get out of the way as much as possible. It’s a very, very exciting race.”
12:37 p.m .: Manuel Lauck has taken over the wheel at the pit stop.
#831 Filippi / Wickens / Lewis / Morris (Hyundai Motor Company Elantra N TCR)
11:53 a.m. Robert Wickens: “My stint was okay. We are now trying to get through to the end. But we had four or five punctures and we don’t know why. We’re fighting for victory and are currently second in the class. The team is doing a great job, I love it. It’s my first Nürburgring 24 Hours and I feel like I already have all the experience. I went into the sunrise this morning, which was really cool. The most beautiful phase was the night, when you see all the fireworks. I had a smile on my face the whole time.”
#888 Partl / Weidinger / Wolter / Rebhan (BMW M4 GT4 EVO (G82))
12:00 p.m. The runner-up in the AT3 class limps back to the pits after an impact with suspension damage.
#904 Zsigo / Waldow / Rink / Riemer (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
12:06 p.m.: Zsigo had been measured in a Code 60 at over 210 km/h. Since this speed does not provide for a calculated time penalty, this matter is sent directly to the sports stewards for a decision.
#909 Ertl / Ertl / Ertl / Benndorf (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991))
11:10 a.m. Lukas Ertl: “We pitted all night with ABS damage. Now we’ve repaired that to the point where we want to get back into the race.”
#911 Estre / Güven / Preining / Pilet (Porsche 911 GT3 R (992))
11:50 a.m. kommt zum Routinestopp an die Box. Kevin Estre steigt aus und übergibt an Ayhancan Güven.
#919 Jodexnis / Jodexnis / Chrzanowski / Scharmach (Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992))
12:04 p.m. Peter Scharmach: “I flew off on an oil spill – parallel to a vehicle in front of me. We then both flew into the crash barrier.”
12:59 p.m. Impact in the airfield area
#941 Wenisch / Konishi / Dörrschuck / Silva (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
11:42 a.m. Spin for the currently third-placed Cayman of the Cup3 in the Ravenol-S area
11:50 a.m. is in the gravel trap near Pflanzgarten
#949 Vingilis / Eschweiler / Surzyshyn / Wiebelhaus (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport (Typ 982))
11:10 a.m. Pit stop for the Cup3 team: In addition to changing drivers and tires, the mechanics are also working at the front.
