Typical Eifel weather characterised the first day of the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. The #80 RAVENOL Mercedes-AMG set the fastest time of 8:14.957 minutes in the first, somewhat drier qualifying session in the afternoon, a time that stood. The second qualifying session was characterised by heavy rain at times and increasingly adverse conditions, and so the frontrunners retained a 3.112-second lead over the defending champions in the Rowe BMW #1. Third place went to the Verstappen Mercedes-AMG #3 ahead of the second Rowe-BMW, the #99. For the sporting outcome, this result is not yet decisive. The starting grid for the leading group will only be decided in the three-stage Top Qualifying on Friday, which will set the tone for the second day of this motorsport classic. Day tickets for Friday are online available at the [ticketshop].
Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller and Maxime Martin are in the cockpit of the day’s fastest Mercedes-AMG. “We’ve completed all the necessary laps, but of course it’s a challenge in this weather. There are sporadic showers or hailstorms every now and then, and then it just gets very, very wet and dangerous very quickly. Fabian put in a superb lap. I don’t think you can read too much into the times yet. You have to wait for the top qualifying session, and I would even go so far as to say you have to wait for the race,” said DTM driver Engel.
In the second-placed Rowe BMW, Jordan Pepper is supporting last year’s winners Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello and Kelvin van der Linde. Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is sharing his Mercedes-AMG on his 24-hour debut with current DTM drivers Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, as well as former DTM driver Dani Juncadella. The #99 Rowe BMW is being driven by Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde and Dries Vanthoor. The Manthey Porsche #911, the “Grello”, was the best non-Mercedes or BMW in fifth place, followed by Abt’s best Lamborghini, the #130. From other manufacturers, the HRT Ford #64 finished eighth and the Scherer PHX Audi #16 ninth in the top 10.
Following Qualifying 1 in the afternoon, which had already seen rain for long stretches and even hail at times, conditions became even more difficult for the 161 starters in Qualifying 2 that evening. At times, parts of the track were under water, whilst elsewhere the ideal line was still dry. Drivers even reported aquaplaning at a leisurely pace of 40 km/h. As a result, no further time improvements were possible during the night practice session.
Friday is going to be exciting!
The second day of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring offers fans a programme where one highlight follows another. The focus is on the three-stage Top Qualifying, where pole position and the best starting positions are decided in a direct battle between the strongest teams. In the first two rounds, starting at 10.15 am, only the fastest cars will progress – there is immense competitive pressure within the huge leading group. It is only in the decisive Top Qualifying 3 (from 1.35 pm) that the fastest drivers will battle it out for pole position in individual time trials. In between, all other classes have their final chance to improve their times and thus their starting positions in Qualifying 3 (12:00) – the top teams are not eligible to compete here.
Another sporting highlight is the three-hour race of the German Historic Endurance Championship (DHLM) from 16:00: for the historic touring cars and GTs, this second round of the championship in front of the full crowd at the 24h Nürburgring is the highlight of their debut season. Finally, in the evening, there is an atmospheric programme for the fans: no sooner have the historic cars left the track than, from 19:30 in the Müllenbachschleife, the specialists in controlled drifting take the wheel at the Falken Drift Show. At the same time, the pit lane opens, where visitors can meet numerous drivers from the 24h race at the autograph session or simply stroll a few metres along the track during the track walk on the beloved tarmac of the Nürburgring. Not present at the autograph session: Max Verstappen. He has decided not to attend, a move that would otherwise likely have caused a massive rush of visitors. His team will, of course, be on site to provide fans with autograph cards.
Remaining tickets for Friday are still available from the Nürburgring ticket shop, whilst Saturday is completely sold out. Anyone wishing to follow the action from a distance should head to the 24h live page. It offers a live stream, a detailed live ticker, timing and links to further fan content. The address: www.24h-rennen.de/live.
