The latest Double Stint Podcast recapping the Nurburgring 24 Hours, and more.
https://sportscar365.com/videos/double-stint-n24-recap-listener-questions-more/
Tuesday, May 31, 2022
DOUBLE STINT: N24 Recap; Listener Questions & More (5-31-22)
IMSA WeatherTech Championship News
The latest news on Sportscar365 from the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.
IMSA Reaffirms CTMP Event Despite Vaccine Mandate
Lamborghini is the next brand to announce they will race in LMDh and will do so beginning in 2024.
Lamborghini Announces LMDh Program for 2024
Single Team to Run Lamborghini LMDh in First Season
Doonan: IMSA Looking at "All Schedule Options" for 2023
Era "Looking Forward" to M-Sport LMP2 Partnership
Second GTD Lexus Returns at Detroit
Cadillac Handed Third Consecutive Weight Adjustment
Jeff Westphal's latest column.
WESTPHAL: Discipline, Discipline, Discipline
Barnicoat to Replace Injured Hawksworth at Belle Isle
Kirkwood Rejoins Vasser Sullivan for Detroit
BMW Confirms Engine Layout for LMDh Car
There will be more big IMSA announcements coming. Stay tuned. Should have one tomorrow while also updating other sports car races of late.
Recapping the Nurburgring 24 Hours
You have indeed read about this wild and crazy golden anniversary edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Now, it is time for the race summary. Here's all the post-race news and reaction from Sportscar365.
Race Recap:
BMW Junior Team, Octane126 Hit Trouble in Early Stages
Manthey in Barrier as Vanthoor's Come Together
Aston Martin Leads as N24 Enters Dark Hours
Two Cars Crash Out From Lead in Quick Succession
Phoenix Stop Puts Schubert BMW in Front at Halfway
Schubert BMW Drops Back After Barrier Hit
Phoenix Audi Leads N24 with Six Hours Remaining
GetSpeed Merc Hustling Phoenix with Three Hours Left
Audi wins the Nurburgring 24 Hours and does so for the fifth time in the span of a decade.
Phoenix Racing Wins Nurburgring 24 for Audi
Post-Race News:
Vanthoor Brothers Have "No Hard Feelings" After Crash
Phoenix Keeps Win After Pit Stop Infraction; Handed 5,000 Euro Fine
SP9 Battling Resulted In "Really Wild" Opening Phase
BMW 'Disappointed' After Not Converting Speed to Results
GetSpeed: "Wrong Decision" on Tire Choice Dashed Merc Hopes
Nurburgring Post-Race Notebook
Monday, May 30, 2022
Nurburgring 24 Hours Race Report
"The Green Hell". That is the moniker given by drivers, to the most famous racetrack on the planet, or infamous, perhaps, as we are about to celebrate the golden anniversary of the Nurburgring 24 Hours. So, let's review the highlights of this magnificent motor race. So wonderful to have fans back on the full circuit at the Nurburgring this year after the last couple years of the cursed global virus pandemic. The fans (within reason, and heavily guarded by marshals for safety) were able to stand at the side of the track to watch their heroes drive by on the parade and pace laps. There we see the gorgeous silver trophy engraved with the winners from years gone by and their fastest lap times, and the man of the hour, one of them, Mr. Jim Glickenhaus, in his team overalls and trademark cowboy hat.
We can see another picture of Jim standing actually with one of the Ferrari drivers in the pole sitting Octane126 Ferrari 488 GT3, car #26. That could be Luca Ludwig, the starting driver in the gold Ferrari. The all-Swiss lineup has Luca Ludwig sharing with Bjorn Grossman, Simon Trummer, and Jonathan Hirschi in one of just two Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo '22's in the field today. The fans get up close and personal with these fantastic supercars that are the GT3 cars and are ready for a fabulous race here at the Nurburgring from day into night and back into day. The past two years have seen this event not complete it's full distance because of the moods of the weather here on the Nordschleife. Like only a handful of circuits in the world, this place has it's own moods, it's own microclimate, being in the mountains. How will the weather pan out this year? We're about to find out.
Teams in their pit bunkers surrounded by myriads and banks of monitors and computer systems looking after the performance of their cars and at the weather radar. A final fist bump or handshake to the drivers to say "good luck and Godspeed. Stay safe out there in the opening stint." A mechanic making one final check of the #5 Scherer Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS GT3. Ricardo Feller set to start that car, sharing with Vincent Kolb, Frank Stippler, and Kelvin van der Linde, the South African now living in Germany. Feller, the Swiss driver, ready to go.
The green flag waves setting the cars off on the longest formation lap possible around the Nordschleife. It's time to bring the action! The longest pace lap has begun, and we can see the fans out there, right at the edge of the road to cheer on their heroes. Ladies and gentlemen, be sure to get to safety when the cars begin to fly around the Nordschleife. I know you all will be sensible and watch this fabulous race from a safe distance on the mountain. We see one of the onboard shots on the roof of one of the Team GetSpeed Mercedes AMG GT3's, the "Race Taxi" entries that are resplendent in the pink and blue BWT sponsorship for this race.
Here are some of the slower classes of touring cars. There's a JCW (John Cooper Works) Mini, one of the BMW M2 or M4 models, and the Toyota Corolla Altis. We see the flags of the corner marshals resplendent in their orange uniforms. That is the one distinction. In America, the corner marshals wear white uniforms. In Europe, orange uniforms. Same purpose. Different colors. Without these folks, there would be no motorsports at all, and we owe them a debt of gratitude for keeping things safe. God Bless the track marshals. They are waving to the drivers to wish them good luck, as the excitement mounts.
In a long helicopter shot (which we have plenty of here at the Nurburgring) we see the crocodile of GT3 cars winding their way uphill. Alright. The cars are formed up behind the safety car on the Dottinger Hohe, the long straightaway up to the start/finish line, weaving around to generate heat into their tires in a race that sees an open tire usage for teams and brands. Most sports car championships have one official tire supplier for capping budgets and costs. Here at the Nurburgring, this race is one of few left in the world where you have several tire suppliers. We have at least five I think represented in SP9 alone. Michelin, Pirelli, Goodyear, Falken, and I think Yokohama is the other.
A bit of last-minute energy boosting for the pit crews. We can see a mechanic, kitted up on his team's pit crew, enjoying a dreamsicle. That is the orange flavored ice cream bar on a stick of course, that is half orange flavored and half vanilla ice cream flavored. Alright. Back to the iconic shot of the GT3 racer's in Noah's Ark formation. You have the GT3 factory backed teams as well as the SPX cars, the experimental GT cars meaning the Glickenhaus as well as the GT2 spec KTM Crossbow's that have shown speed and did so in top qualifying yesterday.
Alright. The cars are on the front straightaway, the first of three massive starting groups we have in this race that will go in separate waves before they are intermingled into their own battles as the race begins. We've got a green flag and we're underway here at the Nurburgring! Punch it! The race is on! The GT3 cars dive into the first corner. Ferrari leads ahead of one of the two Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3's and the BMW Junior Team example, car #72 being shared by Dan Harper, Max Hesse, and Neil Verhagen. It is crowded as the battles rage and the legendary "Grello" (green and yellow) Porsche 911 GT3R of Manthey Racing is making it's way up through the field after taking a penalty and starting caboose on the field in group one for SP9 and SPX.
Kevin Estre, the Frenchman, the Porsche factory ace, starting that car sharing with Michael Christensen, Fred Makowiecki, and Laurens Vanthoor. A little argy bargy right at the beginning. That's one of the two Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3R's and the Mann Filter Mercedes AMG GT3 scrapping early on in this motor race. Up onto the Nordschleife for the first time, we see the gold and orange Octane126 Ferrari beginning to eke out a lead on the Rowe Racing BMW. Cannot tell if that is the #98 or the #99. For your information, #98 is to be driven by the quartet of Nicky "The Cat" Catsburg, John Edwards, Sheldon van der Linde, and Marco Wittman. The Dutchman, the American, the South African, and the German.
Sheldon van der Linde is the brother of Audi's Kelvin van der Linde. So, a few sets of brothers competing in SP9 but for different teams. We have the van der Linde brothers and the Vanthoor brothers, Laurens and Dries. Laurens part of the Manthey Porsche team and Dries in the Audi for Team Phoenix. As we check out another helicopter shot of the cars screaming through the forest, watch too for the Konrad Motorsports Lamborghini Huracan GT3. This is a car that may have flown under the radar in SP9. But they too are ones to look out for. Car #7, shared by Zimbabwe's Axcil Jeffries, South African Lamborghini factory driver Jordan Pepper, Michele De Martino from Italy, now living here in Germany, and German Maximilian Hacklander.
We ride onboard with one of the Falken Motorsports Porsche's. That is the 911 GT3R #33 with Sven Muller at the wheel of it reeling in the competition ahead. Muller sharing this car with Australian Jaxon Evans, Austria's Marco Seefried, and French Porsche factory veteran, Patrick Pilet. The #72 BMW Junior Team M4 GT3 is on a roll, Neil Verhagen driving, the American BMW junior driver, making his way uphill through the righthander at either Kottenborn or Schwedenkreuz. Some dust kicked up up ahead by another of the BMW's it appears, chasing hard after the gold Ferrari, that is the Octane126 car.
Yes indeed. Through the Carousel (one of two on the course, you have the big Carousel (Karussell), and the Kleine Karussell, the miniature carousel), That is one of the Rowe cars followed in hot pursuit by the BMW Junior team entry. It should be noted that this new BMW M4 GT3 is a far more well balanced package than the old BMW M6 GT3 that was a legendary car around the Nordschleife. The size of the M4 is actually bigger, I think, but the car is said to have superior handling with it's 3 liter V6 power and of course the old M6 had the 4.4 liter twin turbo V8. Lapped traffic for the GT3 boys already in the form of one of the slowest cars, the little Dacia Logan sedan. With the 1980s Opel Manta that usually races here at the Nurburgring out of action and maybe headed to a happy retirement or to the historic Nurburgring series, the Dacia Logan could develop into a new fan favorite.
This little compact car runs in the SP3 division as car #118 and is shared by the all-German quartet of Jurgen Bussman, Oliver Kriese, and brothers Yannik and Michael Lachmayer. Onto one of the long straights, perhaps onto the Dottinger Hohe, the GT3 cars just scream past it with it's little four cylinder motor. The slower cars really have to watch themselves when the SP9 cars go by. There used to be classes for tiny little compact cars. Suzuki Swift's, Daihatsu Charade's, Volkswagen Polo's and the like. But with the GT3 era, those little compact cars, the Dacia Logan is the last vestige of that because the little economy cars were just too slow and a safety risk to a pro driver thundering around The Ring in a GT3 monster.
To the Flugplatz we go. This corner is called Flugplatz or Flying Place, because the cars literally get airborne as they go over the jump. One of the TCR cars, that looks like a Seat Cupra to me, wisely moves out of the way as the BMW is gaining on the Ferrari. This should be I think, Nicky Catsburg still in hot pursuit of Luca Ludwig. Ferrari, Lamborghini, BMW. Oh man. Turn up the heat here, look. That's Jordan Pepper in the Konrad Lamborghini and he is applying the blowtorch to Luca Ludwig in the Ferrari! He wants by, into the lead up the hill on the Dottinger Hohe I think just after exiting Galgenkopf barreling towards the two famed corners at the end of the lap, at Antoniusbuche and Tiergarten.
Bish, bash, bosh. Pepper makes the pass stick, and team boss Franz Konrad, himself, a former sports car driver around the world (who has competed in a number of the legendary races), he has a huge grin on his face! The whole team is extremely satisfied with Jordan Pepper's performance thus far! He nods to the mechanics. Oh yeah! Jordan is absolutely crushing it! More epic battles on the Nordschleife as we watch Patrick Pilet at ther wheel of the #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3R and up ahead some more dust flies. That is perhaps the sole GT3 Aston Martin up ahead, or, it is one of the GT4 examples of the Aston Martin Vantage. Hard to tell as we look through the onboard camera mounted on the dashboard of the Porsche looking straight through the windscreen.
A couple of the Porsche Cup cars are in a battle of their own through the Karussel making their way to Eschbach and then the downhill side of the circuit. Car #131 leads car #126. These are the new generation Porsche Cup cars, the 992 model Porsche 911s. #131 is Muhlner Motorsport SRL sponsored by German spring and suspension components maker H&R with an all-German quartet. Marcel Hoppe, Nick Salewsky, Michael Rebhan, and Thorsten Jung. #126 is RPM Racing resplendent in the lime green and blue of Tracy Krohn's team who used to run under his own name with Riley and Lola chassis' in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series Daytona Prototype class before the merger to create the new IMSA. Since then, Krohn, the Texas oil man, and his longtime co-driver, Sweden's Niclas Jonsson, have moved to racing at the Nurburgring.
Krohn and Jonsson are joined by a couple familiar names, Mario Farnbacher, the rapid German who is a Honda GT3 factory driver back stateside, and Porsche ace veteran from Holland, Patrick Huisman, who, if my memory serves me, also drove in Porsche's with his brother Duncan in international sports car racing and particularly in a GT2 turbo 911 Porsche in the old American Le Mans Series. We can see the Krohn Porsche Cup car getting extremely loose in the Karrusel, and he saved that thing! Good onya' mate! Yet more high speed and slow-motion action from over the Flugplatz. Back on the Dottinger Hohe and the BMW Junior Team M4 GT3 is still monstering the gold Octane126 Ferrari! Pulling out for the pass, the slipstream, we can see Neil Verhagen going for the pass on Luca Ludwig.
What do you know? He makes it stick! Flying uphill another time, and now we can see more argy bargy as the Audi #15 nudges Patrick Pilet in the #44 Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3R off the road and onto the grass against the Armco. Track limits. What pray tell, are these track limits? There are none here at the Nordschleife. If you go off the road, the track limits are the grass and the Armco barrier. Pilet skids along the wall, hitting it at least twice! There will be right front fender damage to the two-tone blue Falken Tire Porsche, surely. Scheduled pit stops are upon us. As you can see, with the crowded pit lane here at the Nurburgring, the cars must be turned sideways for the pit crews to work on them. The air jacks raise the cars and then the pit crews put the dollies underneath them to turn them at a 45-degree angle so there is enough room to work on them for fueling and tire changes.
The fueling arrangement is unique as well. It is a gas pump like you'd find at your gas station, and not a gravity fed fuel rig like most endurance sports car teams use with a bowser at the top and two hoses, one to flow the fuel into the tank and the other to release air from the fuel system. One of the Audi's (trying to see which one it is) beats both the gold Octane126 Ferrari and the #3 BWT Team GetSpeed Mercedes AMG GT3 off the pit lane. That is the car being shared by Adam Christodoulou of England alongside German's Maximilian Gotz and Fabian Schiller. Well, well. Someone has a nice seat as they have made their own scaffolding, their own pratt perch up in the trees in the forest and it must be dinnertime as the fans enjoy a couple of fine German pilsner beers and a schnitzel or bratwurst.
Pit stop time for the #7 Konrad Motorsports Lamborghini. Franz Konrad, team owner, has his iPhone out and shows one of the drivers that the Lambo has damage to the front nose section. Oh deary me. More spinning out on the circuit. Who is into the spin cycle this time? A Porsche Cayman loses it out of one of the high speed turns (can't tell where it is on the road), and, wallop! He has a major clatter into the Armco. It is not even into darkness yet and the pit crews are already trying to catch a few winks to be prepped for the nighttime hours.
Pit strategy discussion among one of the all-female crews in this motor race. It looks like this team has an all-female driver lineup and pit crew. This is one of the three Giti tire sponsored cars, and so that is yet another tire brand we forgot to mention in the opening of the race along with the heavy hitters from Michelin, Pirelli, Falken, and Goodyear for instance. Oh dear! Speaking of tires, it's trouble for the Octane126 Ferrari! The left rear Goodyear Eagle on that car is about to part company with the wheel down the Dottinger Hohe! The car comes back to the pit lane and the pit crew leaps into action. Now what we hope for is that damaged tire did not wind it's way around the suspenson and break and axle, a wishbone, or a control arm, because that is something that can take you right out of the event.
We see a crewman cutting away bodywork with a rotary saw. Meanwhile, all is well in the Glickenhaus pit and team boss Jim Glickenhaus running in SPX seems happy with things. A totally different driver lineup at Glickenhaus for this race than they would have for their Hypercar team in World Endurance. This is the #706 SP-X Glickenhaus SCG004-C being shared by German's Thomas Mutsch and Felipe Fernandez Laser, Franck Mailleux of France, and Richard Westbrook of England. "Westy" and Mailleux are a part of the Le Mans Hypercar team in World Endurance for Glickenhaus as well. The battle in SP9 continues simmering with Kelvin van der Linde, the South African in the Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS GT3 chasing down the "Grello" (green and yellow) Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3R.
In turn they are both chasing one of the Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3's going into the first turn on the Grand Prix circuit. Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, racing out onto the Nordschleife again, and it looks like they have some TCR traffic to deal with. The global spec TCR cars are front wheel drive and powered by 2.0 liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engines putting out about 300 horsepower. That's half the power of a GT3 monster, but they are still quick. Pit stop time at the top of the shop. Manthey Porsche, Phoenix Audi, GetSpeed/BWT Mercedes. Kelvin van der Linde should stay aboard the Audi as from the onboard camera in car #15 we see one mechanic rotating the car on the dollies and another cleaning the screen.
van der Linde got back on the track an immediately met up not in a way he'd like, with one of the pink, white, and blue Getspeed BWT Mercedes cars! That is a slow zone as you can see a recovery vehicle off to the side of the road, assisting a stranded car. Trying to read the number panel on tat one. It is a Porsche. Hard to tell if it is a 911 Cup car or a GT4 class Cayman Clubsport. Cannot read the number, as the Opel SUV is towing the car to safety. In another closeup camera shot, we can see the #11 Audi R8 LMS GT3 flying 'round the Nordschleife. This is the SP9 Pro-Am Audi with Pierre Kaffer and Elia Erhart the top drivers on the team alongside Michael Heimrich and Arno Klasen.
We have seen Kaffer and Erhart race and win in the Creventic 24 Hour Series before. Kaffer has a long history in GT racing with Ferrari and Audi and at one time also drove Audi prototypes back in the days of the privately entered Team Veloqx R8 open cockpit spyders not to be confused with the current GT3 cars. Over the brow and it's a ding dong scrap, look, between the Manthey Porsche and the Phoenix Audi. This is the Vanthoor brothers. Laurens in the "Grello" Manthey Porsche and Dries in the Phoenix Audi. The battle continues up onto the main straightaway. The two brothers, both accomplished factory drivers for Stuttgart and Ingolstadt respectively, not giving each other an inch.
Dries is going to try passing Laurens on the outside, right on the white line between the track and the grass. This is going to be risky. It looks like Dries Vanthoor knows the risk and is willing to take it. Laurens Vanthoor in the Porsche inches up alongside but it's too late! Vanthoor spins off the road and absolutely clobbers the righthand side Armco, demolishing the Porsche! Manthey Racing over, and out! He comes to rest on the slip road next to the tire barrier. Here's it all again in slow motion replay from Laurens Vanthoor's onboard camera view. Dries looks like he is going outmuscle his brother on the straightaway. He clips the right front fender of the Porsche which loosens and sends the car spinning!
Hold on ladies and gentlemen. We're going for a ride, and this is going to hurt! Laurens Vanthoor spins backwards and then... ker-runch! The Armco administers, the coup de gras! He spun another complete 360 after that! From another angle we can study this fracas. This is from Adam Christodoulou's onboard camera, looking out the windscreen of the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Getspeed car. The brothers touch each other once, Laurens Vanthoor loses tractions and is sent reeling into the Armco! Ouch! That's one of those sore in the morning kind of deals. The Manthey Racing mechanics looking on from the garage in disbelief. They are flabbergasted.
We have fixed camera angle replay again of this crackup as if we need to see it another time. Ugh! That just smarts. That's one of those accidents where the driver wakes up in the morning with black and blue bruises where the shoulder belts were. Laurens Vanthoor standing forlornly beside the track thinking, "what on earth just happened to me?!" Dries Vanthoor, his brother, is on his merry way. Later, we will learn, that there might not be any animosity between the brothers. But it is hard to say at this moment if the two of them will be exchanging Christmas cards. Our brave heroes, the marshals in orange are once again dispatched to clean the wreckage up. Code 60. Code 120 activated as the lory's are out there retrieving the shards of carbon fiber as well as the twisted pieces of Armco barrier.
Time to bolt together some new sheet metal and install it. What a magnificent overhead view of the Nurburgring and the surrounding forests and countryside here in the Eifel Mountains. No, it's not quite the Austrian alps. But you wonder if someone is off yodeling somewhere. We see the chopper speeding through the air giving us these fabulous overhead views from a camera mounted on it's left side. The other Ferrari in the race is still running well. We can see the blue and white Ferrari speeding through the Karrussell, for Racing One GmbH. German drivers Christian Kohlhaas and Jules Szymkowiak sharing with Englishman Nick Foster and Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen. We've seen Jeroen Bleekemolen in a bunch of different cars and championships over the last number of years. A versatile driver is he.
It won't be long and the sun will set over the Nordschleife. Now then, it appears "Grello" is back on track? No. This has to be an earlier highlight video before that massive accident as we see one of the Rowe BMW M4 GT3's in a hotly contested fight with the only GT3 spec Aston Martin in the motor race. This is the #90 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3. Team boss Tom Ferrier (the initials in TF Sport) has put together a lineup of Nicki Thiim from Germany, David Pittard from England (better known for racing the old BMW M6 GT3 around this place), Marco Sorensen from Denmark, and the Belgian Maxime Martin, another Aston factory driver who was also formerly with BMW years ago.
This is a venerable line up but we have not heard much from them in the race until about now. The Aston moves past the Rowe Racing #98 BMW M4 GT3. Fans revel in the twilight of a Saturday night at the Nurburgring and you can see and smell campfires beginning to burn. That #98 BMW we've oft mentioned is still in the battle at the sharp end. This is the Nicky Catsburg, John Edwards, Sheldon van der Linde, Marco Wittman car. What did I say? The campsites here at the Nurburgring are jam packed with fans glad to be back to see some quality motor racing.
Uh oh. Houston, we have a problem. More fire, but this isn't a good one. A fire breathing dragon? No. This is one of the KTM X-Bow's and the car is without doubt on fiyah! A colloquial slang spelling for fire. It looks like oil or fuel or something has ignited on the turbo or the red hot headers. This is the #160 Teichmann Racing GmbH KTM X-Bow GTX in the Cup X division with driver Felix von der Laden at the wheel of it. Felix, you are on fire, sunbeam, and not in a good way. Now, Felix von der Laden has made it to a corner station and he bails out of the car while the marshals are throwing the fire extinguishant on it.
One problem. Felix, mate, you forgot to set the brake, and the KTM has a mind of it's own and robotically starts coasting down the hill while still on fire. Felix von der Laden's KTM looks like something from a horror movie as it hurtles down the track like a meteor, burning and sizzling, spewing noxious clouds of dense, impenetrable smoke. It looks like a flaming apparition about to devour it's victims! Run away! It's a giant fireball! The runaway car from the Green Hell, apparently, at least briefly. A real-life hell on wheels. The team in the garage are stunned. They cannot believe their eyes! Finally, the marshals manage to corral the flaming beast and Felix von der Laden makes good his escape.
The fans are settling in and there's more fire, but this is the type for keeping warm and cooking sausages on. Is anybody hungry? The sun sets and the Ferris wheel in the carnival is lit up, a requisite part of any 24-hour motor race from here at the Nurburgring, to Le Mans, to Daytona and so forth. Night falls on the mountain, a maelstrom of whirling lights in a dark forest. Trouble in paradise for another Porsche Cayman as he skids off into the grass. That is the #261 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport. This is the Cup 3 Cayman for Team Mathol Racing e.V. Rudiger Schicht sharing with a driver known as "Montana", Tony Richards, and Peter Cate.
Robin Frijns now at the wheel of the #15 Audi Sport Team Phoenix R8, and directly through his windshield, look, we see contact between a KTM X-Bow and another Porsche. The majestic Nurburg castle looks completely different at night than in the daylight hours. What a gorgeous sight to behold of the medieval castle. Pit stop time once again, and a clear demonstration of the technique of turning the cars sideways on the dollies to allow for more space in the lane. This is the blue Ferrari 488 GT3, the only other GT3 spec Ferrari in the race, the #14 car for Racing One with Hella lights and Pagid brakes sponsorship.
They are changing the brake pads right now, what a coincidence. This is something in all long-distance races that teams have to do at least once. Good thing they are sponsored by a brake company. Pagid makes brake pads, and they supply them to this team if that is one of the main sponsors. Good product placement but great incentive for the team to have plenty of brake components too. Now we move to the wee hours of the morning as the first vestiges of light finger their way into the forest. Overnight, we did see another massive accident. Remember when the sole GT3 Aston Martin crashed? Well, a short time later, the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 suffered the same fate.
Sheldon van der Linde, in the eighth hour of the motor race had a clatter with the Armco barriers at Bergwerk corner, and it was over and out for the #98 team of van der Linde, John Edwards, Nicky Catsburg, and Marco Wittmann. Could it be that the sister Rowe BMW M4 GT3 will keep on trucking? That's the car of American Connor De Philippi, Philipp Eng from Austria, Augusto Farfus, the Brazilian now living in Monaco, and Englishman Nick Yelloly. So, morning comes and we have another KTM in a spot of bother. This one is in the gravel trap. Car #163 is the fourth of four Teichmann Racing KTM X-Bow GT4's in the Cup X class.
We do not know who is in the car, but they are buried in the gravel and need rescuing. This is the all-German lineup of Phil Hill (no relation to the late, great 1961 Formula 1 World Champion for Ferrari, who was the first American world champ), "Maximillian" another one-name racing driver, Andreas Tasche, and Michael Monsch. Spinning your rear wheels in the gravel will not work and will dig you in deeper, mate. More campfires burning. Now, we might be rewinding back to the nighttime. Remember that incident I mentioned about BMW #98? In the video, we see a replay of Marco Wittmann making a routine pit stop. This is still in the hours of darkness at the Nordschleife.
He hits the lane for service. All is well. But, in the darkness headed for a righthand curve, Wittmann loses control, and smash! He plows straight into the Armco on the right-hand side with the passenger side of the car! He skids along the Armco tearing the right-hand side of that BMW M4 GT3 to pieces! The Rowe Racing mechanics are crushed. They cannot believe what they've just seen. They console each other in the garage, probably thinking, "ugh! It's over now. We'll be back and get them, next year." That's motor racing. You may have a setback, but you never, ever give up.
We still see the #15 Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 in the lead of this motor race, watching spectators on the hillside putting up red flares to see in the dark and also, the extremely exhausted pit crews doing all they can in the garage to get some shuteye as the Nurburgring 24 rolls on. Now, also in the dark of night, there was major trouble for the #5 Scherer Sport Team Phoenix Audi, the sister car to the #15 we just mentioned. Kelvin van der Linde at the wheel of it, and the South African runs wide on the Grand Prix section, spins out, skitters his way across the gravel at a high rate of speed, and clobbers the barrier! Game over for the #5. van der Linde sharing with German's Vincent Kolb and Frank Stippler, and Ricardo "Ricky" Feller from Switzerland, are out of this one.
A sketchy moment here, look in one of the curves just before you turn onto the Nordschleife. This could be in the Sabine Schmitz S, as the #44 Falken Tire Porsche 911 GT3R is facing the wrong way and other cars are forced to take evasive action! Heavy damage is also incurred to the #89 Opel Astra Cup car in the SP3T class. This is an all-French squad of drivers racing under aliases or pseudonyms featuring "St. Germain en Laye", "Nonville", "Auffargis", and "Antony". The front end of that Astra is crunched, and we'll worry about that one later.
Pit stop time for the #20 Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. We've not called these guys' number yet. This is Jesse Krohn of Finland (full name Jesse Kurki-Suonio), Alexander Sims, Jens Klingman, and Niklas Krutten. Niklas Krutten, one of two German drivers in this foursome, we have seen him competing in prototypes more recently. I wonder if this is his first start aboard a GT3 car. The #20 Schubert Motorsport car resumes and gets back on track. Full service pitwork also going on on the #15 Audi, the leader of the motor race with a couple mechanics giving strict attention to the front of the Audi.
Dries Vanthoor did have another close shave with a slower car on the circuit. Speaking of close shaves, and another incident, Porsche #85 is stopped on the road in the darkness, and that car looks to have steam billowing out the front radiator unit. That is being towed back on the tow rope behind a course car, a course SUV. That is the SP 10 class (GT4) Porsche Cayman for Black Falcon Team Textar, and Black Falcon, we used to see them in GT3 with a Mercedes. Now they are in the GT4 Porsche world. But their all-German quartet of drivers including Martin Meenen, Marco Muller, Carsten Palluth, and Tobias Wahl are in a spot of bother right now. Not just that. But we have another stranded KTM. Not a good race at the Nurburgring this year for a number of the KTM X-Bow entrants.
The fireworks explode in the sky over the Nurburgring as we continue on rewind back to the night racing action before we fast forward again to the morning. Raffaele Marciello, the rapid Mercedes-AMG factory driver Raffaele Marciello, the Italian, now under a Swiss racing license. Marciello, through the Karrussell, sweeps past a Porsche Cayman. Marciello a part of a trio of drivers for Mercedes-AMG Team Bilstein alongside Luca Stolz and Phil Ellis, both German's. Luca Stolz just recently teamed up with Aussie Kenny Habul and Jules Gounon to win the Bathurst 12 Hours as you read about last week.
The fireworks continue to explode in the sky over the Nurburgring. Fog blankets the mountain as we now return to the daylight hours on Sunday morning. Robin Frijns is about to make a pass on one of the Porsche's. Piece of cake. He does so, cleanly. Meanwhile, Max Hesse in the #72 BMW Junior Team BMW M4 GT3 is seemingly cruising, but he has a big problem! Hesse spins out! The force of the spin rips one of the windscreen tear offs off, the thin plastic sheets that are used to give driver's clear vision, the tearoff wraps it's way 'round the windscreen wiper. Hesse does a complete 360 but soon realizes there is more trouble with the BMW M4 GT3 than he first thought, pulling the car off next to the Armco and being helped by the marshals.
Game over for the BMW Junior Team. The Hesse/Harper/Verhagen trio were running very well through the entire race. I believe they also won one of the Nuburgring Langstrecken Series 4-hour races earlier in the year. That's a darn shame their race came to a premature end. Maximilian Gotz is putting the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed AMG GT3 in a good spot. Well, not quite. Gotz goes off the road and into the gravel trap at what looks like one of the corners on the downhill side of the mountain. Cannot tell if he is in Wipperman, or Brunchen, just before the Pflanzgarten. Nonetheless, he is off in the gravel trap. Spectators are just waking up, as we see a couple of kids here with their family having a race of their own down a hill on pedal cars, or ride on car toys.
Oh my! A big off for the #122 Black Falcon Porsche 911 GT3 Cup! That is one of the new 992 cars. American Peter Ludwig sharing with three German drivers including Noah Nagelsdiek, Reinhold Renger, and Maik Rosenberg. He hops the curb through Eiskurve downhill to the Pflanzgarten, spins across the race track, and nails the Armco barrier removing the front bumper of the Porsche and exploding the front mounted radiators on that 992 Cup car! From the camera at Flugplatz, we can see the incident and the cameraman knew he had to duck! That was a close one! Phew! One of the Audi's is in the lane for service and Jules Gounon is at the ready for his next stint aboard the BWT Mercedes AMG GT3, car #4. Meanwhile, the sister #3 entry is running in about second place right now from the look of it.
No one has been able to catch the #15 Audi but to be sure, the GetSpeed Mercedes boys are trying everything they know, everything in the book to chase down Audi Sport Team Phoenix. #4 rumbles and rattles his way through the Karussel. One of the crewmen from the #242 BMW M240i Racing Cup pit crew gives a wave to the camera. This car is competing in it's own class among identically prepared entries for the BMW M2 model. Some of the classes are like that at the Nurburgring, one-make championships for smaller, slightly slower touring cars amid the big bruisers from GT3 and GT4. This is Adrenalin Motorsport Team Alzner Automotive with a half Spanish, half German driver lineup of Guillermo Aso, Alvaro Fontes, and Harold and Ronny Leppert.
A slippery surface flag is displayed for oil or some fluid down on the track. That is the yellow and red striped flag. We can see the windscreen wiper on a GT3 car cleaning it and one of the mechanics looks very happy with how things are going. The #706 Glickenhaus SCG 004C drives through the Karussel as the chase is on now between Audi Team Phoenix and Mercedes Team GetSpeed as we reach the climax of this year's golden jubilee running of the Nurburgring 24 Hours. Maximilian Gotz is the next driver to take the #3 Team GetSpeed Mercedes AMG GT3 on track. Audi Sport Customer Racing boss Chris Reinke is observing the garage TV monitor with one of the drivers.
#15 have not put a wheel wrong this whole race. Some rain now appears on the Nordschleife, or at least on the Grand Prix section of the Nurburgring. The #15 team, for the remainder of the race, they did not put a wheel wrong. Kelvin van der Linde brings it home for Audi Sport Team Phoenix! Audi win for the first time at the Nurburgring since 2019 and score a win on the tenth anniversary of their first Nurburgring triumph! Audi moves ahead of Ford on the all-time manufacturer's winners list at the Nurburgring 24 with their sixth win, to Ford's five that they scored four times consecutively between 1979-'82 and 1987 with the Escort, the Capri, and the massively successful Sierra RS Cosworth.
BMW remain at the top of the heap with 20 wins at the Nurburgring 24 followed by Porsche with 13. Audi won back-to-back in 2014 and '15. BMW also have had strings of success here. Four straight wins between 1970 and '73, and a few hat tricks in 1971, '72, and '73, '84, '85, and '86, four straight from 1989-1992, and five straight between 1994 and 1998 back when this race was a touring car event as well as going back to back with the awesome BMW M3 GTR in 2004 and 2005. Porsche had two hat tricks, 30 years apart in 1976-1978 and 2006-2008.
What did yours truly say? German brands dominate this race and this circuit because they know it and they do all their testing here at the Nurburgring for production and race cars alike.
#15 Frijns/van der Linde/Vanthoor/Vervisch Audi R8 LMS Evo II.
159 laps, over 100 more than in the weather affected 2021 race, completed. 2,512 miles. So, that is a wrap from the golden jubilee edition of the Nurburgring 24 Hours. See you next year for another one. But, before we go, here are the race highlights. For the first time in a number of years on the 50th anniversary we had a race that was mostly dry and not affected adversely by bad weather, with rain and fog. There were thrills and spills but no interventions from mother nature that had plagued three of the previous four runnings of this motor race.
So, there you have it. The 50th Nurburgring 24 Hours is in the bag. We'll see you next year in 2023 for edition 51. Auf wiedersehen from the Eiffel Mountains. So long, everyone.
Sunday, May 29, 2022
52' REVIEW | 2022 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa | FIA WEC
Watch the 52' review after an action packed weekend of racing at the 2022 TotalEnergies 6 Hours Of Spa.
Nurburgring 24 Hours initial impressions
Yours truly pulled an all-night vigil watching the Nurburgring 24 Hours on the Motor Trend app. I am hopeful of bringing you highlighted coverage of the race in some way, shape, or form, through a race report and the post-race news wrap up. It was an exciting race especially among the GT3 field, but the GT3 cars were being driven around the Nordschleife very, very hard, and that proved to claim a number of victims throughout the race who would not see the checkered flag. I don't want to give the results away just yet. But from my perspective, this had to be one of if not the hardest fought N24 race I have ever seen. For the first time in a couple of years, the race went to it's full duration without any kinds of weather delays, which is a rarity at the force of nature that is the Nurburgring Nordschleife. You will hear more about it in some form of a race report.
Trust me. You will want to stay tuned for that. It is coming, soon.
Saturday, May 28, 2022
Saturday Morning Pre-Race Dramas at The Nurburgring
Some Saturday morning dramas and news to go over, pre-race, before the start of the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring.
BMW, Ferrari Hit with Race Day Morning BoP Changes
Farfus Downplays BMW Favorite Role
KCMG Hits Trouble in Morning Warmup; Ragginger Quickest
Software Glitch Prompts Glickenhaus Engine Change
Enjoy the race, everybody. Again, use the Motor Trend app if you have it, or the feed should sure be available from the Nurburgring YouTube channel in a few different languages. The boys at Radio Show Limited will be doing the English commentary of course. Looking forward to it. We'll summarize it tomorrow, and share video of the highlights, and eventually, of the entire event. Stay tuned for that, right here on Endurance... The Sports Car Racing Blog.
Friday, May 27, 2022
Friday Nurburgring News
All the news on Friday from the Nurburgring as tomorrow, is indeed, the big race itself. The 24 Hours. Catch the race on the Motor Trend app if you have it, or, on YouTube by typing Nurburgring 24 Hours into the search box.
Defending Winner Manthey Dealt Pre-Race Penalty Setback
Audi Settled with Evo II But Concerned by BMW Pace
Engel Fastest in Third Session, ROWE Keeps Top Spot
There should be a correction to state Toksport WRT's Porsche with Matthieu Jaminet went to the top of the shop in Q3.
Jaminet Fastest In Third Session; ROWE Keeps Top Spot
Estre: Need to ‘Push Without Risk’ in Charge from Back of Grid
Ludwig Takes Surprise Nurburgring 24 Pole in Ferrari
Octane126 "Proud" of N24 Pole After New Chassis Scramble
Nurburgring Friday Notebook
Check out the 50th Nurburgring 24 Hours on the Motor Trend app if you have it, or on YouTube. Yours truly plans on watching it and while not blogging the entire race, there will be a summary of it posted on Sunday and as I said, any video highlights of the race that can be found will also be posted here. Stay tuned for that. Good evening, from the Nurburgring. Check out the race tomorrow, and we'll see you on Sunday for the highlights, the lowlights, and everything inbetween.
Cinematic Recap | NOLA Motorsports Park 2022 | TC America Powered by Skip Barber
Relive the action from our debut weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park!
Cinematic Recap | NOLA Motorsports Park 2022 | Pirelli GT4 America
Relive Pirelli GT4 America's debut weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park!
Nurburgring 24 Hours Top Qualifying
Top Qualifying, (with GT3 and SPX cars), for the front rows of the grid for tomorrow and Sunday's Nurburgring 24 Hours covered by Radio Show Limited with Jonny Palmer, Joe Bradley, Nick Damon, and Peter Snowden all rotating through the broadcast booth to give their analysis and observations on an exciting pole shootout session.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
Race Recap | NOLA Motorsports Park 2022 | Fanatec GT World Challenge America powered by AWS
From SRO GTWorld on YouTube. Relive our debut weekend at NOLA Motorsports Park!
24 Hours of the Nurburgring Qualifying Sessions
Check out Q1 and Q2 from the Nurburgring for Saturday's Nurburgring 24 Hours. The pole shootout is tomorrow. Commentary is from Radio Show Limited and their team of John Hindhaugh, Jonny Palmer, Peter Snowden, and Nick Damon.
Tomorrow, it is the Top Qualifying shootout to set the first four or so rows of the starting grid. Today, it was qualifying for everybody else in the 100+ car entry.
Thursday Nurburgring News
News from the Nürburgring Thursday including recapping qualifying sessions.
Thiim: Aston Martin ‘Only Needs One Car to Win’
Drivers Hoping for Full-Length N24 After Red Flagged Editions
Catsburg Leads BMW 1-2 in Opening Session
Past N24 Incidents Prompt HRT to Adopt “New Approach”
Nurburgring Thursday Notebook
ROWE Quickest Again as Van der Linde Tops Night Practice
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
News and Headlines from NLS Headed to the Nurburgring 24 Hours
This weekend it is the big one for the Nurburgring Endurance competitors, which is separate from the NLS championship but is still important. It is the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring on the Nordschleife, and here is the latest news going into the motor race itself.
Olsen Partners With Bamber, Tandy in KCMG N24 Lineup
Land: Audi's Decision Caused Team to Skip N24
Falken "Well Prepared" for N24 Despite Season Hardships
Toksport WRT's Porsche Transition "Going Smoothly"
Nurburgring Wednesday Notebook
Yours truly plans to watch the race coverage online somehow, via Motor Trend, YouTube, whoever may be covering it. I think Radio Show Limited, and their team will be on commentary. No plans to write a full hour by hour race report, (saving that for the 24 Hours of Le Mans coming up soon). But you can bet there will be an abbreviated race report following the Nurburgring and video highlights or video of the entire race in different parts.
Tuesday, May 24, 2022
GT World Challenge Asia: Round 1, Sepang, Malaysia
The first races for SRO GT World Challenge Asia in 32 months, at the Sepang Circuit in Sepang, Malaysia. They happened last weekend on May 20th-22nd. Bruce Jones in the commentary box is the man to take us through all of the action.
Qualifying:
Race 1:
Race 2:
Next up for GTWC Asia is the first of four consecutive events that will be run in Japan at four different tracks. The first of those doubleheader weekends will be in the middle of July at the famed Suzuka International Circuit in Suzuka, Japan. Join us there, for more GTWC Asia racing. See you then.
Modest Entry for GTWC Asia’s First Round in 32 Months
GTWC Asia set for return after lengthy absence; more cars anticipated for Japan Cup stretch...
Monday, May 23, 2022
DTM Update: Lausitzring
This is your latest DTM update, from the Lausitzring, the Eurospeedway Lausitz in Klettwitz, Brandenburg, Germany. This is the place which lent it's name to Johann Sebastian Bach's famous concertos. In use this weekend is the Grand Prix circuit with the banked first turn, and that configuration. In DTM race one, for 55 minutes + 1 lap of the circuit, the pole man was Lucas Auer for Mercedes-AMG Team Winward in their #22 car. Schubert Motorsports and BMW would bring the first victory to DTM for the new M4 GT3 at the hands of South African Sheldon van der Linde in car #31. He also scored fastest lap of the motor race.
Race 1 Winner: #31 Sheldon van der Linde ZA Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
In race two, second verse same as the first as van der Linde breaks out the broom and sweeps the whole weekend at the Lausitzring! Oh, and by the way, the only thing he did not get was fastest lap. He was denied that honor in race two by German Maro Engel at the wheel of the #88 Mercedes-AMG Team GruppeM Racing Mercedes AMG GT3 and the seasoned endurance GT3 campaigners from Hong Kong.
Race 2 Winner: #31 Sheldon van der Linde ZA Schubert Motorsport BMW M4 GT3
Not to be outdone, DTM Trophy for the GT4 class cars opened their 2022 campaign at the Lausitzring, the third season of DTM trophy which started in 2020 and ran alongside the old Class 1 touring cars we remember from DTM so fondly. Germany's Tim Heinemann was on a roll the whole weekend and very nearly pulled off the same feat as Sheldon van der Linde in the DTM GT3 series on this weekend at the Lausitzring. Heinemann had pole, fastest lap, and the race victory in race one aboard his #90 for the longest team name in the series.
Heinemann takes to victory his #90 Toyota Gazoo Racing Germany powered by Ring Racing Toyota Supra GT4!
Race 1 Winner: #90 Tim Heinemann GER. Toyota Gazoo Racing Germany powered by Ring Racing Toyota Supra GT4
Uh um. That's a mouthful. I shall need a glass of water after that, thank you.
Heinemann continued his domination and his winning ways in race two of the weekend in Brandenburg. Only to have fastest lap snatched from him by Brazilian driver Thiago Vivacqua aboard the second of the three German entered Heide-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS GT4 Evo's.
Race 2 Winner: #90 Tim Heinemann GER. Toyota Gazoo Racing Germany powered by Ring Racing Toyota Supra GT4
...And there you have it. Lausitzring, done and dusted. Next up for both DTM proper and DTM trophy, we say buon giorno to the Emilia Romagna region of Italy at the fabled Autodromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari in Imola, Italy, on Father's Day weekend. See you there, everybody. So long, for now.
Recapping the Lexus Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio
ICYMI, recapping the Lexus Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio for the IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship.
Pre-Race News:
Snow Storms to Second GTD Pole of Season in BMW at Mid-Ohio
Bourdais Steals Motul Pole Award at Mid-Ohio for Cadillac
Race Recap:
No. 96 BMW Awarded GTD Win, Auberlen and Foley Go Back-to-Back at Mid-Ohio
Five for Five: Acura Stays Perfect at Mid-Ohio in 1-2 Sweep
Three Takeaways from the Lexus Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio
More to come from the official IMSA website in a future post. Stay tuned.
Jim France to Be Awarded the 2022 Spirit of Le Mans Trophy
The NASCAR and IMSA Chairman will receive the honor on the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
https://www.imsa.com/news/2022/05/23/jim-france-to-be-awarded-the-2022-spirit-of-le-mans-trophy/
Weekly Racing Roundup (5-23-22)
Reports from GT Masters, GTWC America, GT Open and more, plus other racing and news…
https://sportscar365.com/features/roundup/weekly-racing-roundup-5-23-22/
Sunday, May 22, 2022
NOLA Motorsports Park Sunday Race Broadcasts
Sunday racing action from NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana, this time in the dry with the commentary trio of Ryan Myrehn and Calvin Fish in the broadcast booth, and Amanda Busick in the pit lane.
GT4 America Race 2
TC America Race 2
GT World Challenge America Race 2
GT World Challenge America: NOLA Motorsports Park, Race 2
Welcome back to the bayou, and the second day of racing for SRO GT World Challenge America at NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. Can Michele Beretta and Andrea Caldarelli do the double today and continue K-PAX and Lamborghini's sheer dominance of GT3 sprint racing in North America? Will another team, manufacturer and driving duo step up to the plate? You are about to find out as GT3 racing from Cajun country is straight ahead. It's live, and it's next! We are just south of New Orleans. Yesterday, as we said, K-PAX ran 1-2. But they are down the grid for race two. It's hot, 87 degrees, and weather could be a major deal.
This track is going to be unreal. The Pro drivers start, and so, we have a stacked field of 18 cars. 16 turns, 2.75 miles the layout. Robby Foley, Michael Dinan, and the Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 are looking to rebound after the battle with Loris Spinelli yesterday. Loris Spinelli on the pole for today's race. After contact yesterday, Charlie Luck and Jan Heylen are on the final row of the grid, taking a penalty. The two Lamborghini's are mired in the middle of the pack for race two at NOLA today. U.S. Racetronics and Loris Spinelli are on the pole. Spinelli sharing with Stephen Agakhani. George Kurtz and Colin Braun will be ones to watch as well.
Andrea Caldarelli and Jordan Pepper have of course been split up. Caldarelli and Beretta are both Italians and have both been racing at Lamborghini for a number of years. Jordan Pepper of course, now paired up with Misha Goikhberg. It will be the first time we see Caldarelli and Pepper, going at it. They are buddies off track, golf buddies. But they are rivals on the track. The field is very strong as we said. The cars roll of onto their formation laps. NOLA is a great track to race on. Oh boy. Mother nature has thrown a wrinkle and here comes the rain in New Orleans! Holy cow!
We probably won't get a break from the weather. This is going to be a wet race. Look out. Just outside of the broadcast booth, no rain. This rain is at one end of the speedway. Presumably everyone is starting on slick Pirelli P Zero tires. The grip on track is good. We won't have a skating rink but the pressure will be on. Tiptoe through sector one and the rest of the track will be fairly dry. Build brake and wheel temperature by running the brake and the gas pedals together, and then adjust your brake bias, your sway bars and so on. Mixed conditions are going to be very difficult for the drivers. We thought we'd see the rain later in the day. Not so.
Buckle up. Cinch down those belts. Let the electronics take over if there is wheelspin. Lights out on the safety car. Rain dissipating. Green flag! Race two for GTWC America at NOLA is underway! Spinelli rockets out of the gate. Bryan Sellers wants by Giacomo Altoe too, look. Dry track and Mario Farnbacher slides into fourth in Acura #93. Sellers gets passed under braking. Altoe second. Major scramble for traction as Colin Braun and Jordan Pepper are both pushing. Pepper on the attack against Braun in the Crowdstrike car. Look at the spray!
Unreal. This is a wild start. Bryan Sellers being monstered by Jordan Pepper. He has run very well in the wet at Spa Francorchamps and at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The K-PAX Lamborghini's are going for it already. They want to double up at NOLA. One lap on the board as Mario Farnbacher moves to third place. Mario Farnbacher is a rainmeister too, someone to watch. Giacomo Altoe is pressing Loris Spinelli side by side, look. Farnbacher wants in as well and here he comes! Wow! Farnbacher looking for the lead.
The Acura NSX GT3 thrives in mixed conditions. Spinelli leading the motor race while Giacomo Altoe is all over Mario Farnbacher as Loris Spinelli is running away. Great three way battle. Spinelli fast in free practice and in qualifying yesterday. Robby Foley passes Colin Braun and Mario Farnbacher uncorks fastest lap so far. Jan Heylen is going to dive inside Bill Auberlen and the #08 Mercedes AMG GT3, that is Sellers. Jan Heylen 12th sharing with Charlie Luck for Wright Motorsports. The Porsche 911 GT3R is good in these damp conditions with the drive weight over the rear wheels.
These first minutes of race two have been unreal. Altoe hanging tough and so is sellers and Pepper. Spinelli will really put the welly down if it stays dry. Jordan pepper, though, resets fastest lap at 1:36.9. Unbelievable! Bill Auberlen has dropped three places and he will not like that. He will want to move up and get back in contention. Tough sledding for Bill Auberlen sharing the car at Bimmerworld with Chandler Hull, the #94 BMW M4 GT3. Spinelli leading Pepper, Caldarelli, and Foley. The track is now drying up and the lap times are getting faster as we speak. Pepper uncorking fastest laps like crazy.
Pepper wants to go for it. Pepper and Altoe were team mates at Sonoma Raceway and now, Altoe is at TR3 Lamborghini. So, big rivalry between the two Lambo teams. Robby Foley in seventh. He is fourth in class, keeping pace with Caldarelli. What will the long green flag run be like unless we get more rain? The track has rubbered in. The lap times are consistent and we saw that in the GT4 and TC races earlier this morning. 1:35.6, 8/10ths quicker than Farnbacher, and Loris Spinelli 2.3 seconds to the good over everyone else. Colin Braun, eighth overall, fourth in Pro-Am, buried in the pack.
Mario Farnbacher has become the cork in the bottle somehow. Giacomo Altoe and Jordan Pepper chasing. Mario Farnbacher is right on the edge. A great driver lineup in SRO GTWC America this year. In race two of the weekend, the Pro drivers start. You must have minimum of one Silver driver aboard, Pro-Am, one Bronze, and in Am, two Bronze drivers. Jordan Pepper is hanging back watching Altoe and Farnbacher and Altoe took a lunge but had to give it up. Ashton Harrison will be taking over the #93 and she has also run very well this weekend in Lamborghini Super Trofeo at NOLA. Farnbacher pacing the Pro-Am field.
Pepper, Sellers, Caldarelli, coming into the picture. Bryan Sellers used to drive with K-PAX. Caldarelli and Sellers ran endurance races together for Paul Miller Racing in the past in the IMSA series. Now they are separated of course but they know each other. Race hard but be respectful. Don't look at another driver as a total enemy if they are a rival. Sellers has driven for K-PAX before with Bentley and McLaren. Sellers is also a driver coach in multiple SRO America championships. Coach, driving partner, mentor.
Bill Auberlen uncorks a fastest lap of 1:35.4. Onofrio Triarsi in the Ferrari leading Am, ahead of Michael Cooper in the #43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3. Erin Vogel, Cooper's co-driver says the handling isn't working. They are wrestling the car around. Vogel is taking it in stride and learning how to drive a GT3 car. It's been a wretched time for the boys and girls at RealTime and they will test at Road America close by their base in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Lots of life left in these tires as the rhythm of the race comes in. Will the undercut work, pitting early? The Pro drivers will go deep into the pit window.
Jan Heylen and Bill Auberlen are both showing their speed, down the order. Porsche #45 vs. BMW #94. Ryan Dalziel ahead in the second Triarsi Ferrari sharing that entry with Justin Wetherill. Hard to make the move stick. Turn one is probably the best braking zone but it is mega fast too. Auberlen wants by Heylen. Andrea Caldarelli is pressuring Bryan Sellers. Sellers can see the sister K-PAX Lambo whistling off into the distance. Mario Farnbacher, second overall and leading Pro-Am. Ashton Harrison says she has run a number of laps around NOLA this weekend. Mario Farnbacher has really helped Ashton Harrison and she is looking forward to her stint.
She will keep up driving hard for a win even if the rain comes. That is the attitude to have. She has been running really well in multiple sports car championships as we see Loris Spinelli continuing to lead the motor race in the #6 US Racetronics Mercedes AMG GT3. US Racetronics are the team that have been pushing K-PAX to their limit. Riley Motorsports and DXDT are both in the fight too but it is U.S. Racetronics that are the top contender from Stuttgart. Spinelli uncorks the fastest lap fo the motor race at 1:35.3.. What will happen when the more amateur drivers take over the cars" We'll wait and find out.
Jan Heylen and Bill Auberlen have both passed Ryan Dalziel. Ferrari, Porsche, BMW. Auberlen and Robby Foley won with the BMW M4 GT3 for Turner Motorsports in a different sports car championship. No ST Racing here at NOLA this weekend as they could not get spare parts for their BMW M4 GT3. They will be back soon and are headed to Spa Francorchamps for the 24 Hours of Spa later this summer. BMW have also been prepping for the big 24 Hours of the Nurburgring comng up soon. That race is next weekend I believe, and trust me, you will hear more about it.
Meantime, Mario Farnbacher and Giacomo Altoe continue their scrum in Pro-Am. So many GT3 championships globally are set up to compromise between drivers depending on their levels. They need and have generally, a major sweet spot. Man oh man. Finally, Andrea Caldarelli has cleared Bryan Sellers. The s curves at NOLA, at first we did not think much of them, but they are a far more challenging set of turns than we thought. It is like a slalom run in downhil skiing and the gates they run through.
It feels like a number of different tracks but NOLA is flat as a pancake. Little to no elevation change. Scott Smithson is showing speed, but it is Bryan Sellers who is really going for it at DXDT. DXDT, both cars were down the order yesterday but they are coming back to the fore today. Dirk Mueller, a driver who has had a bunch of success with the factory Ford GT program among others and he is well down the order trying to dig his way through. Bryan Sellers is very composed and able to help Scott Smithson who was upset about yesterday's incident. Sellers and Smithson are looking for a podium but more importantly, they want a clean race.
Loris Spinelli has led the race since the green flew. He is building a gap, however, we can see Jordan Pepper reeling him in little by little. Caldarelli and Foley also in the picture. How will Stephen Agakhani do? Ashton Harrison, Ziad Ghandour, Scott Smithson, some talented Am drivers ready to get into these cars as the pit window is coming soon. We'll see the Pro drivers race for another 15 minutes. K-PAX can pull off the undercut. That would be a candidate, with the #1, the Caldarelli/Beretta duo. Michele Beretta has a lot of experience. Mario Farnbacher is withstanding the pressure from Giacomo Altoe.
The German vs. the Italian. Farnbacher developed the evo kit for the Acura NSX GT3 for SRO and for other GT3 championships. Bill Auberlen ran wide earlier and has been doing all he can to claw back track position. He cannot go on the attack, somehow or other. That's how stacked these drivers are and the BoP is equal. At tun 16, trap speeds are between 65-67 miles an hour. That is the final turn that launches onto the front straightaway. Robby Foley monstering Bryan Sellers. Dirk Muller to the lane and they had a right rear Pirelli tire losing pressure and they will have to pit again because the pit window is not open yet! Good grief! What a shame for David Askew and Dirk Muller.
Pit stops coming and so is the halfway mark in the motor race here in New Orleans. Loris Spinelli's lead has ballooned to 6.3 seconds from being at 4.8 seconds a wee while ago, so, by a second and a half. Mariop Farnbacher just uncorked his best lap fo the day. After ragging these Pirelli tires, they still have speed in the P Zero's. Farnbacher in putting the lap together, he has built a massive cushion over Giacomo Altoe. Some teams may still be able to use their one second joker on the pit stop but if it has already been used yesterday, you can't use it again. Jordan Pepper keeping pace and Andrea Caldarelli is moving in, before he hands over to Michele Beretta.
Spinelli still leads over Farnbacher, so you have missed nothing at the sharp end. Pepper has been stuck behind Altoe. Altoe is the cork in the bottle. Pit window open now. We expect drivers t hit the lane a few laps into the window. Loris Spinelli now leading by eight and a half seconds. This Mercedes has been the class of the field all weekend here at NOLA. Riley and DXDT are racing well but it is amazing to see US Racetronics have raw pace like this. The other Benz teams are going to be pushing. Madison Snow and Zelus Motorsports pit, sharing with Jason Harward. Michele Beretta is suited and booted, ready to go.
Misha Goikhberg is not suited up just yet. He is chilling out. K-PAX strategist Thomas Blam is not here this weekend as his daughter Alliana is graduating high school. K-PAX, when they ran Bentley's, Blam was sent to the 24 Hours of Spa to call the race for the M-Sport factory Bentley's back in the day. That is how good he is. Zelus gave up some time pitting early. Jason Harward needs more seat time today. He is new to this, running GT America and GTWC America last year. He is still learning how to be a racing driver. He has major aspirations and a mentor in Madison Snow, his co-driver. Caldarelli is is chipping away the gap. Bill Auberlen has moved past Jan Heylen.
Auberlen in the lane now. Chandler Hull will take over. He has been very impressive. Andrea Caldarelli is in and so is Corey Lewis. He will be turning that car over #191 over to Jeff Burton. One rattle gun and the tire carriers, fueler, and the driver change. Sit and wait, don't leave the lane too early to run afoul of the delta. Use the joker. That's what K-PAX did. We are past halfway. Jordan Pepper is applying the pressure to Giacomo Altoe. Bimmerworld had a good stop as well, executing on a high level and gaining experience with the BMW M4 GT3. They succeeded a bunch in GT4 and are delivering in GT3. Erin Vogel takes over the #43 RealTime Racing Acura NSX GT3. The Corey Lewis and Jeff Burton pit stop at Zelus Racing ran long.
Loris Spinelli in. Mario Farnbcher stays out for one more lap but the pit window closes in 90 seconds. Doing the overcut seems to work though. Loris Spinelli turns the race leading car over Stephen Agakhani. They have an issue with the rattle gun. They cannot get the wheel off. The spindle is broken. Oh man! It is all coming apart for US Racetronics. The nut was threaded wrong. Michele Beretta heads to the lead and Misha Goikhberg goes to second. Ziad Ghandour next up and Stephen Agakhani is finally back in the race. 1:55 for a stop that should have been at 1:19. Man oh man. Thought there was an issue on the left front.
Maybe the rattle gun got damaged. Who knows. Racer's Edge into the lane changing to Ashton Harrison and she has not used the joker. Harrison to the lead of the motor race. Holy cow! So, Racer's Edge and Acura lead at NOLA Motorsports Park with 38 minutes to go. Tire warmers are in play in GTWC America unlike most domestic racing in North America. Michele Beretta in second. Beretta will be flying. Look at the big picture. Settle in, hit your makrs, don't fight it. A different class of car behind you insofar as driver ratings.
Harrison has won an overall race at last year's Indianapolis 8 Hours where she was credited to overall winning for Compass Racing after the GTWC America component of the IGTC Indianapolis 8 Hours. US Racetronics and Stephen Agakhani is down to tenth place. Unreal. Michael Dinan holding off Chandler Hull. Turner Motorsports vs. Bimmerworld. 35 minutes left in this motor race as Ashton Harrison is the overall ace leader. The pit window has cycled through. Michele Beretta, turning it on, turning on the juice.
Racer's Edge jumped up from GT4 to GT3 just as Bimmerworld is doing this year. Kyle Marcelli and Martin Barkey were two of their top drivers years ago and the same with Trent Hindman and Shelby Blackstock. Harrison scything through the back markers. Wow. Racer's Edge ran the 12 Hours of Sebring earlier in the year and will be back at Sebring with SRO later in the year. Chandler Hull scrapping with Charlie Luck. Jan Heylen is in the sweet spot of his career. Beretta dives inside Harrison and so, Ashton Harrison moves to second place. Racer's Edge are in position for a win in Pro-Am. Settle in and see if she can learn anything from Michele Beretta.
At US Racetronics, the left wheel nut was on that right front tire. Steven Agakhani was looking around wondering what was going on. Loris Spinelli cannot believe it. It is frustrating for the US Racetronics team and after starting from pole they had high expectations. He thanks the team despite their mistake. They will be back. Half an hour to go. Problems for Michael Dinan in the #96 Turner Motorsports BMW M4 GT3. He ran wide and has crawled to a halt. Game over. Chandler Hull to the inside of George Kurtz and makes the pass. Next up for him is Scott Smithson and then he will go after Ziad Ghandour.
Ziad Ghandour off the road at turn 13 and 14. Massive shemozzle here, look. Chandler Hull passes Ziad Ghandour as George Kurtz passes Scott Smithson. Stephen Agakhani is in recovery mode indeed. With Foley out of the race, the order is shuffled. Steven Agakhani tosses it inside Kurtz and made the move stick. He is driving angry so he is making massive moves. How do you purge negative thoughts? Stay positive. Wow! Charlie Luck dives in late on Smithson and George Kurtz too, got snookered by Agakhani.
Agakhani pressing Gandour trying to clear the Pro-Am traffic. The action is hot and heavy at NOLA Motorsports Park before this motor race ends. Ziad Ghandour feeling the heat from George Kurtz. Kurtz, yesterday's Pro-Am winner with Colin Braun. Charlie Luck at Wright Motorsports is moving ahead. Ghandour keeps overcooking it in turn 12. Now, Scott Smithson is pushing hard. Just a wee bit over 20 minutes to go. Chandler Hull has bolted away from the rest of this group of cars. From Turner Motorsports, we hear a transmission issue. "Meet me at the bar", Will Turner says. Agakhani is running faster than Misha Goikhberg and Goikhberg will be under pressure soon as Charlie Luck is off the road.
What is the scoop here? He has spun and is now getting back into the race. He gets squeezed and three into two won't go. He spun, got hung up on the wet grass, and then thankfully continued. Loris Spinelli lowers fastest lap to 1:35.183. Eighteen minutes left on the board. We have rain coming back into the picture. Agakhani now 9.3 seconds behind Goikhberg as Charlie Scardina leads Am for Triarsi Competizione. Mother nature wants to put a damper on the closing stanza of this motor race. For wet weather Pirelli's. the full speedway has to be wet. Time to break out the wet tires? We'll see. Ashton Harrison leads Pro-Am and she is just six and a half seconds behind Michele Beretta. She has a significant advantage over Misha Goikhberg.
The rain is here at NOLA Motorsports Pakr with just a wee bit over 15 minutes left. Michele Beretta won a European Le Mans Series championship in 2020 for Dempsey Proton Porsche. Beretta won the Silver class in GTWC Europe Sprint in 2016 as well. Ashton Harrison is well ahead in Pro-Am of Chandler Hull. Misha Goikhberg, second in Pro and third overall, very experienced in prototypes but gaining experience in GT3 cars as well. He ran successfully in prototypes with JDC-Miller Motorsports, and ran with Meyer Shank Racing and with Grasser Racing in GT3. Steven Agakhani still in recovery mode.
Aghakani is flying, making inroads. Michele Beretta 9.3 seconds ahead of Ashton Harrison. Misha Goikhberg is being reeled in by Steven Aghakhani. In Am, Charlie Scardina continues to lead the Am division sharing with Onofrio Triarsi who won in class yesterday. They look to be double up and J.C. Saada is next up in the other Am Ferrari for AF Corse. Goikhberg has Aghakhani on his tail. The Mercedes has amazing grip though. The over under is not quite there. But the Mercedes can maintain a tight corner radius. Goikhberg drops a wheel. Here comes Aghakani and he does. Goikhberg goes wide and hits the clag on the outside almost going off the road! Yikes!
It is like a pencil eraser and seeing the shavings on a piece of paper. Aghakani has really been running well and converts frustration to speed. Aghakani is closing up on Ashton Harrison. Michele Beretta seeks his second overallm win stateside in GTWC America. Andrea Caldarelli is on for his fourth win of the season. Ashton Harrison had two podiums in Lamborghini Super Trofeo this weekend as well. Ghandour loose out of the final turn and Scott Smithson will make the pass. He does. Ziad "Z Hog" Ghandour, was drifting the car, much like in his earlier career as a rallying driver.
Colin Braun and George Kurtz are looking for their fourth podium of the year. As a driver pairing, they have had good results and good speed, but the consistency is coming. The team is still learning. Bill Riley has experience with the Mercedes AMG GT3 but on a completely different tire. In the esses, Michele Breetta is fastest at 112 miles an hour while everyone else in the top speed top five is at 111 miles an hour. We ought to see the white flag next time 'round.
Charlie Scardina and Onofrio Triarsi have done very well. They are going up against the likes of AF Corse, Jean-Claude Saada driving for AF Corse in the Am class sharing with Conrad Grunewald. A few other cars who have not had the weekend they've wanted. Jason Harward moving in on Erin Vogel. Vogel and Michael Cooper did have a great Saturday race. Vogel runs wide. RealTime Racing have had success in World Challenge at 27 different tracks and will learn NOLA. So, Lamborghini look like they are going to win again.
Michele Beretta and Andrea Caldarelli claw their way back from sixth, to their fourth overall win in this series in 2022. Holy smokes. Michele Beretta through turn 16, to the checkers. Andrea Caldarelli and Michele Beretta stay perfect! In Am, Triarsi Competizione win, Charlie Scardina and Onofrio Triarsi. Ashton Harrison and Mario Farnbacher get the Pro-Am win for the first time.
Overall/Pro: #1 Caldarelli/Beretta K-PAX Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo
Pro-Am: #93 Farnbacher/ Harrison Racer's Edge Motorsports Acura NSX GT3 Evo22
Am: #23 Scardina/Triarsi Triarsi Competizione Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020
So, that's all she wrote from New Orleans. Will we see this track back on the schedule in the future? Many drivers surely hope so. Next up, Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia, on Father's Day weekend. We'll see you then. So long from The Big Easy everybody. We'll see you next time. Bye bye.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)