The fabled, legendary Nurburgring in the Eifel Mountains of Germany is the venue for round three of the 2024 SRO GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup. After an exhilarating and unbelievable 24 Hours of Spa at the Circuit de Spa Francorchamps in Belgium, last month, the championship moves only 60 kilometers, from the Ardennes Forst to the Eifel Mountains and the legendary Nurburgring, although this time the racing action is taking place on the Grand Prix circuit, the three-mile modern track that has existed since 1984, compared to "The Green Hell", the Nordschleife.
On the pole for today's race is the Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, car #96, leading a Porsche front row lockout. Julien Andlauer is sharing the Rutronik entry with Sven Mueller and Patric Niederhauser. This is the first GTWC Europe Endurance Cup pole for Porsche in 2024, with the similar Porsche, the #44 CLRT entry, also on the front row. This is the car to be driven by Ayhancan Guven, Laurin Heinrich, and Dorian Boccolacci sharing the driving chores. Welcome to the Nurburgring for the third race of GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS. Weather can often be a factor but today we are going to see dry weather.
We have 50 cars in the field coming to play, fresh off of the 24 Hours of Spa won of course by Aston Martin. Every detail is being attended to, to find success. Of course, we have championships for GT3 on all continents especially North America and Europe. This is the middle segment of the season. The Pro category accommodates any category of driver. Comtoyou Racing and Aston Martin who won Spa, are in the points lead. Mattia Drudi wants the momentum to continue and knows how hectic the Nurburgring race will be.
AF Corse Ferrari finished second at Spa but are still in the title race. Alessandro Pier Guidi, Alessio Rovera, and Davide Rigon are looking ahead. Rowe Racing won the season opener at Paul Ricard in France. Max Hesse, Dan Harper, and Augusto Farfus would like to do it again, and win another one at their home track here at the Nurburgring. Luca Stolz loves the Nurburgring and wants to take victory here with teammates Fabian Schiller and Jules Gounon who finished second here last year. The new Ford Mustang GT3 for Proton Competition is really finding it's feet. Mies sharing with Dennis Olsen and Fredric Vervisch.
In the Gold class, watch the #77 Haupt Racing Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 with Atjun Maini, Jusuf Owega, and Michele Beretta. In the Silver class, all drivers must be at that level. The GetSpeed Mercedes team of Swiss driver Yannick Mettler, American Anthony Bartone, and British driver James Kell has a good number of points but want more. Patrick Assenheimer has won many races at the Nurburgring. Assenheimer is sharing with Ezequiel Perez Companc and newcomer Tom Kalender. Walkenhorst Motorsports and Aston Martin are hungry especially their drivers in the #35 car, Maxime Robin of France, Lorcan Hanafin from England, and Frenchman Romain Leroux.
Platinum, Silver, and Bronze class drivers make up the Bronze class. Herberth Motorsports' Porsche with Ralf Bohn as lead driver are very excited. He is sharing with Robert Renauer and Morris Schuring. Klaus Abbelen is back in the driving seat with David Perel and Felipe Fernandez Laser, the 2023 winning team, Frikadelli Racing, with Ferrari at the Nurburgring 24 Hours on the Nordschleife. After a rainy, cloud, grubby day yesterday, today is sunny and gorgeous but very cool. The Nurburgring short course is not particularly difficult but passing opportunities will be at a premium. Think long and hard about where to overtake.
The first half hour of this race will be very frantic. A Pro driver, if they tag an amateur driver, it will be the Pro that is at fault for the incident. Glad to see the #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG is back up and running after being damaged in qualifying as was the aforementioned #35 Walkenhorst Motorsports Aston Martin which caught a damp patch and whacked the tire barriers. The #57 Winward Racing Mercedes-AMG is set to be driven by Dutch drivers Dann Arrow and Colin Caresani, and Thai driver Tanart Sathienthirakul.
Rutronik Racing Porsche on the pole. Rowe Racing and Augusto Farfus see a tactical race to manage their tires and optimize their race strategy, starting from eighth place on the grid. The Farfus, Hesse, Harper trio will be going for it in a big way. They will be clever, try saving tires, and push, push, push. The #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin which won the 24 Hours of Spa is next up. Nicki Thiim starts the race sharing with Mattia Drudi and Marco Sorensen as the German National Anthem plays. AF Corse Ferrari #51 had a pit lane incident in qualifying with slight damage and could not go on track after an unsafe release. They will start way down at the tail end of the grid in 48th place compounding their woes from the 24 Hours of Spa last month.
I don't want to say they were unlucky. It was circumstances outside of their control. Watch the Mann Filter Mercedes #48 with Lucas Auer, the Austrian, starting from fourth spot. Auer sharing with Daniel Morad and Maro Engel. Phillip Ellis will be another driver to watch. He is starting the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes sharing with Thomas Drouet and Maximilian Gotz. Lamborghini #63 will also be a contedner. But first, Loek Hartog in the sister, Bronze ranked Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, car #97 is optimistic. Hartog sharing with American Dustin Blattner, and Dennis Marschall of Germany. A Porsche front row lockout as we said in the intro.
Everybody must contain themselves and try not to win the race in the first turn. Please, tell me you know what to do at the first turn! Again, the sister #96 pole sitting Rutronik Porsche is being shared by Julien Andlauer, Sven Mueller, and Patric Niederhauser. Don't overuse the tires. It is a balance between risk and reward. There is a lot of merit to the #44 CLRT Porsche on the outside of the front row. Parts of the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit have been resurfaced. Jules Gounon, reigning champion, says they have had a better qualifying result than they expected.
GetSpeed are still looking for their first win in GT World Challenge Europe. Jules Gounon has a frog in his throat, a bout of laryngitis or sinusitis or something. Feel better, Jules. The Ford Mustang #64 has a tribute to the late, great Parnelli Jones, a true legend, an unbelievable racing driver from desert racing in trucks, Formula 1, IndyCar and the winner of the 1963 Indianapolis 500, and a champion for Ford Motor Company in 1970 with the Mustang Boss 302 in the SCCA Trans Am Series. Julien Andlauer, one of the pole sitting drivers for Rutronik Porsche thinks the track conditions will suit their car. The grid is beginning to clear.
So, we are setting up for the race to begin as the pit siren sounds. It sounds like a laser, a laser alarm. OK, The formation lap begins. We will be going racing next time by. Oh no! Ralf Bohn and the Herberth Porsche are off the road in the grass! What has happened there? Blimey! I think that is a mechanical or electrical issue. Maybe he has to do a reset. That car is off the road and in the grass. Jeepers creepers! So, we are on the second formation lap, a good idea to get the race underway safely so the #91 Porsche can be safely removed and recover.\
The race has started behind the safety car. OK. We have an Aston Martin in the pit lane. One of the Comtoyou Racing cars. This is the Matisse Lismont driven car with a right front tire puncture. Oh dear! The bodywork is rubbing and the wheel rim is busted pouring smoke out of the right front! The #91 Porsche was rotated by the Aston Martin. Car #21 needs repairs. Goodness gracious! Matisse Lismont was five places behind Ralf Bohn and some other bloke tipped him into a spin. That's an unfortunate incident. Spare a thought for both teams. So, we have a third formation lap. Form into Noah's Ark, 2x2 formation ladies and gentlemen. Oy yoy yoy!
Some are accelerating and some are braking. There was an incident in qualifying this morning where Ezequiel Perez-Companc almost ran into the #777 Al Manar Racing Mercedes. Now we are moving into the 2x2 formation readying for the grid formation and the start. The field under control of Patric Niederhauser as we look for the green lights on the starting gantry. The safety car pulls to the pit lane. Alright. Here we go. The lights flash green! Away we go! Niederhauser leads bit everuone is diving into turn one side by side! David Vidales tries to make an ambtitipus pass but there are four, five six cars that have spun off!
Oy yoy yoy! We've got a pig's breakfast in the middle of the field and Patric Niederhauser has clattered into someone and there goes the #64 Mustang into a spin on the whirligig! I... I... I don't know what to say! OK. Hold the phone here. The field has been split wide open! Settle down, lads. Settle down. In this replay, we see Niederhauser in the lead and the trouble began in 20th place and the remaining 30 cars had to find a way to thread the eye of the needle! Patric Niederhauser's tire is totally shreded as Jordan Pepper leads Lucas Auer, Ayhancan Guven, and David Vidales. Porsche, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari. Alessio Rovera has picked up 15 places from 48th to 33rd spot.
South African Jordan Pepper is now a second to the good over Lucas Auer followed by Ayhancan Guven, the Turkish Porsche driver. The pole sitting car now trundles to the pit lane. What terrible luck! It is the left rear tire that was flattened and the right rear quarter panel got tweaked by the Ferrari. Jordan Pepper making good his escape. More chasing and racing in the back of the pack. Crunch! The Rutronik Porsche was pushed into the nose of the #48 Mercedes I think and then Luca Stolz was clattered into by Niederhauser before spinning and so did the #998 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3. Good grief! Stay cool, calm, and collected? Not these boys.
So, Jordan Pepper leads and now Charles Weerts has moved up the order in the #32 BMW Team WRT BMW M4 GT3. Chris Froggatt moving up as well in the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Jordan Pepper leads the motor race by 1.8 seconds. The gap is going up to 1.9 seconds over Lucas Auer, and then comes Guven and Vidales behind. Jordan Pepper has had an opportunity and grabbed the bull by the horns, quite literally with Lamborghini being symbolized by the raging bull. Lucas Auer cannot make inroads on the Lambo yet. Luca Stolz monstering Benji Goethe who had a clatter or two on the opening lap.
It is nose to tail from there as Alessio Rovera has rocketed from 48th place way up to 26th place. Rovera is keeping his nose clean. Well done. OK. The #21 Aston Martin, the Comtoyou car of Matisse Lismont is back on track and Andrey Mukovoz in the #66 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi has come back in as well. Roee Meyuhas leads the Silver Cup class. Gold Cup being led by Jusuf Owega. We will need to find time to mark the top places in the classes if the action simmers down. But now, Lismont is back off the road. He is under investigation by the stewards and runs wide trying to recover.
The opening 15 minutes of this race, six laps in the bag, has been frantic. 18 miles completed. Patric Niederhauser and Rutronik Racing, from the pole, I suspect, they are headed for the house! Game over after earning the pole! How soul destroying is that! That car was the cue ball on a snooker table. From the pit lane, we hear Matisse Lismont is having trouble with the antilock brakes. ABS is a standard feature on the GT3 cars and is adjustable from the cockpit but if it malfunctions, you are in a world of pain. Lucas Auer smells success and can sense where Jordan Pepper is in the lead. Jordan Pepper just stays out of the way and now Lucas Auer is reeling him in inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter.
We have only raced eight laps, 24 miles. More woe for Matisse Lismont and so has a second Comtoyou Aston Martin! After dominating the 24 Hours of Spa, two of the three Comtoyou Aston Martin Vantage Evo's are in the lane. Lucas Auer giving chase to Jordan Pepper. Auer still has fastest lap in the green and yellow mamba liveried Mann Filter sponsored Mercedes-AMG automobile. For Lucas Auer and Jordan Pepper both have clear air until they get to the traffic and the next car in the chain at risk of going a lap down. Roee Meyuhas leads Silver, Michele Beretta leads Gold, and Dustin Blattner leads Bronze. Rutronik have just a single car left in the race. Mercedes, Mercedes, Porsche, the class leading brands.
Nicki Thiim makes his move and is chasing and passing David Vidales and already dispensed with Philip Ellis as well, look. Ayhancan Guven, the Turkish driver, is down to third. Vidales vs. Thiim, a longtime sports car racing rivalry that has lasted by 3/4 of a century, 75 years. Lucas Auer continuing to chase Jordan Pepper. This is a cat and mouse, a rabbit and hound game at the top of the shop. Patric Niederhauser a very disappointed young man. He couldn't see anything. He felt being clattered by the Ferrari on driver's right after making a good start. He thought there wouldn't be immediate danger and thought he was in control.
All of a sudden, the Ferrari T boned him, and he is devastated, understandably. He probably does not realize that he was pushed out of the way right where the Mercedes was about to exit the corner and got a tire cut down. So, Lucas Auer has the pace and Jordan Pepper is trying to consolidate the lead, but Auer is right on his six, right on his back door. The dark blue and white Lamborghini vs. the bright yellow Mercedes. #998 BMW and #2 Mercedes, Augusto Farfus and Luca Stolz, under investigation by the stewards for contact and a couple spins. Farfus started seventh just behind Nicki Thiim, the championship leader. The battle for the lead is still red hot.
11 laps, 33 miles, in the bag. Auer had nothing he could do about Niederhauser clonking into him. The #48 Mercedes contact has negligible damage but the #96 Rutronik Porsche is headed for the scrap heap. They will need to order another one from Stuttgart. So, Dustin Blattner in the sister Rutronik Porsche is running well and now, Arjun Maini leads the Gold Cup over Paul Evrard and the rest. Roee Meyuhas leads Silver ahead of Mattia Llarena. Again, the classes are denoted for driver ratings. All cars are the same, GT3 spec, from the different brands.
Finally, the race is finding a rhythm and settling down a wee bit. Valentino Rossi starting the #46 Team WRT BMW, playing slowly, slowly catchy monkey, before Maxime Martin and Raffaele Marciello finish out the race. Klaus Bachler behind him in the #911 Pure Racing Porsche. Bachler sharing with Alex Malykhin and Joel Sturm. Louis Machiels in the #52 AF Corse Ferrari and Gabriel Rindone in the #72 Barwell Motorsports Lamborghini are under investigation by the stewards, for contact. In a battle for seventh, it is Mirko Bortolotti in the Lamborghini vs. Nick Yelloly in the BMW. Both of them also race for their respective manufacturers here in Europe and in the United States, in the prototypes, the LMDh/GTP/Hypercar entries.
Matisse Lismont in the delayed Aston Martin is wisely staying out of the way. Half an hour into the race, Charles Clark has taken over the #21 Aston Martin just to test the car. They are 11 laps down. Half an hour officially on the board. Up to 17th place is Augusto Farfus in the #998 BMW M4 GT3 passing Al Faisal al Zubair in the #777 Mercedes-AMG GT3. Top drivers moving up the order. Jordan Pepper's lead has ballooned slightly to 8/10ths of a second. 14 laps now in the bag. 42 miles. The #64 Ford Mustang GT3 of Christopher Mies is running well even though he is 32nd in the overall. David Vidales is fourth and being harried by Nicki Thiim. Vidales trying hard to reel in third place man Ayhancan Guven.
Philip Ellis too, he is making inroads on Nicki Thiim as well. The gap is only 1.2 seconds though, so Ellis is motoring and coming in a big hurry. Nick Yelloly, Mirko Bortolotti, Alex Aka, and Charles Weerts complete the top ten. BMW, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW. We have Lamborghini, Mercedes, Porsche, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, the top five. This is a three-hour event, but it is more of a sprint than an enduro. Last time when we raced the 24 Hours of Spa, that was an enduro in true form, in every sense of the word. One car that picked up damage in qualifying earlier today is back on track but is still struggling.
A lot of vibration for the rear wing on these cars. Use your mirrors. Most drivers do. It is the drone vs. the Lamborghini! Wow! The drone makes the race even more fun to watch! Ah! Track limits for the drone! Stop and go penalty! Hee hee hee! Oh my! The lead battle is simmering again. Lucas Auer catching Jordan Pepper. Auer pulling back a shedload of time. Maybe there just isn't enough cooling for the radiator on the Mercedes for Lucas Auer even though the ambient temperature in the Eiffel Mountains is relatively cool. These two chaps are six seconds clear of Ayhancan Guven and are 15 seconds up on Nicki Thiim! They are absolutely motoring and in another zip code.
What will their pit strategy be in the ten-minute window they have? They need clear space on the road and with pit stops coming soon, smoke is coming off the strategist's calculators. Alessio Rovera is now up to 19th spot chasing down Al Faisal al Zubair. Augusto Farfus spun through the grass but is making a good recovery. Speaking of recovery, the #51 Ferrari has made up 29 places up to 19th. Paul Evrard in the Audi, second in the Gold division, is the next obstacle for Rovera there. Can he maintain momentum? He may need to get crafty.
Rovera now right on Evrard's six. AF Corse setting up for pit stops. Evrard gives it up easy. Let him go. He is faster than you. A fair, clean pass. That is what we like to see. Sensible driving. His teammates Davide Rigon and Alessandro Pier Guidi must be happy about all this, early doors. The Ferrari 296 GT3 looks great and the way it handles and the way it drives, it does everything a driver wants it to do. Jordan Pepper ekes out a gap over a second to Lucas Auer, with co-driver Daniel Morad, the Canadian, looking on. Trouble in paradise with a second unscheduled pit stop for the #66 Tresor Attmepto Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II in the hands of Andrey Mukovoz of Russia, sharing with Dylan Pereira of Luxembourg and the Austrian, Max Hofer.
Nick Yelloly has not been caught yet by Mirko Bortolotti from what we saw a wee while ago. Yelloly has the pace. Incident between the #71 Ferrari of David Vidale, and the pole sitting, now retired #96 Rutronik Porsche, under investigation by the stewards. OK. The Ferrari was an unguided red missile who's movements poor old Patric Niederhauser couldn't predict and now, a drive through penalty is handed to David Vidales who will fly Plummet Airways way down the order. Vidales sharing with Vincent Abril and Thomas Neubauer. You cannot serve a drive through penalty and make a pit stop at the same time.
It is a 27 second delta line to line in the pit lane. Take your medicine but it is indeed a painful error. He is back out and gets caught right in front of the sister car of Alessio Rovera! He is now in 17th, 18th place. There is no way he is going to give up the place to the sister car unless the team gets on the horn and says "David, let Alessio through." The pit window will open soon. Just the pit window. Not the pay window. We must wait for another hour and change for the pay window to open. Tanart Sathienthirakul is all over Till Bechtolsheimer. This is a battle for 34th place overall. The Thai driver vs. the British driver in Silver and Bronze class competition and someone has kicked up some gravel. OK. Klaus Abbelen is the cork in the bottle here and the Frikadelli Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 moves out of the way.
That is the #333 car. Now, Jordan Pepper can use traffic to his advantage. Lucas Auer is stuck behind the Aston Martin and now, Chris Froggatt has spun the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. No visible damage but something isn't right. I think he had to do a reset with the electronics and now he is back on his way. Was he assisted? He had Yannick Mettler behind, the Frenchman. He got pushed by Mettler's Mercedes. "I was hit, spun around." "You just spun? Is something wrong with the car?" "I was hit, by Yannick Mettler" Froggatt says. The #32 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 pits for fuel, tires and a driver change. Ditto for Rowe Racing car #98 the rival BMW. Rowe Racing is still ahead of the WRT car.
No position swap at AF Corse. Pit stop time too for fueling for the Lamborghini. The pit crews are athlet's too. Just the same as the drivers. They need and do the same level of training to stay fit. The #88 Tresor Attempto Racing Audi pits for service and a driver change. Excuse me. It is a different Audi I am thinking of and now I have lost my train of thought. OK. Moving on to the next pit stop, the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 is in and Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi has finished his stint handing over to Maxime Martin. Lucas Auer dives to the lane from second and Jordan Pepper continues to lead and is well on his merry way. Mercedes in the lane from second spot. It will be either Daniel Morad or Maro Engel getting into the car.
The battle of the BMW teams went the way of the Rowe Racing squad over WRT. Jordan Pepper's lead over Ayhancan Guven is 5.8 seconds. Pepper ran a slower lap last time around. Alex Aka in third in the #99 Tresor Attempto Audi who needs to pit yet. Philipp Eng has taken over the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3, the Austrian. Maro Engel is now in the #48 Mercedes, the yellow and green Mann Filter car. In the lane now, the Lamborghini, from the lead as we close in on the first hour being completed. Marco Mapelli, the Italian, I believe he will take over the car from Jordan Pepper. Still fuel going into the Lamborghini and now he is sent back onto the track.
But he is crawling down the pit lane at the speed limit. Fractionally I think he will get out in front, and he does. Ayhancan Guven is the erstwhile leader in the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche he shares with Laurin Heinrich and Dorian Boccolacci. Did they put enough fuel in the car for Lamborghini? The #159 Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 Evo is in the pit lane now for service. Ayhancan Guven, from Turkey, leads the motor race and now we see Maro Engel catching Marco Mapelli hand over fist. We are now into the second hour of racing. Mapelli runs a high line entering turn eight. That was a no score draw that time.
Mapelli and Engel will cycle through up to the top of the shop again momentarily as Alessio Rovera brings the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 into the pits after driving his tail off and will hand over to Davide Rigon I believe. Ayhancan Guven is pitting as well. Guven should hand the Schumacher CLRT Porsche to Heinrich or Boccalacci. That is the team owned by Frenchman and driver/owner Come Ledogar. Grasser Racing Team and Mercedes-AMG Team Mann Filter have both looked great all weekend. Dorian Boccolacci is taking over the #22. "Bocco" will be pushing hard, squirming around on stone cold tires trying to find the performance window of the Porsche.
A position swap as the #51 AF Corse Ferrari passes the sister #71 entry. Vincent Abril, the Monegasque now at the wheel of #71. The #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari which had the spin moments ago, goes for a driver change and full service. Chris Froggatt out of the car and it will be Jonathan Hui of Hong Kong into the car I believe before Eddie Cheever III. finishes it today. The Mapelli and Engel lead scrap continues in earnest. 1:56 dead for Mapelli, 1:56.002. Engel in chase mode. No further investigation for the fracas between the Barwell Lambo #72 and the Bronze ranked #52 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3.
That is the Louis and Jef Machiels and Andrea Bertolini car. Michele Beretta leads the Gold Cup over Dominik Baumann, Jim Pla, Lorenzo Ferrari, and Hugo Cook. Aurelien Panis leads the Silver division and the Bronze class has Loek Hartog out in front. Side by side here, look, between the BMW #32 and the #63 Lamborghini! This is the battle for eighth place. Be patient. Sheldon van der Linde, the South African chasing Andrea Caldarelli, the Italian, a great champion from 2019 or 2020 in GTWC Europe Endurance Cup and Sprint Cup I believe. 2019 I want to say. Louis Machiels is at the wheel of the #52 Ferrari.
Sheldon van der Linde taking time out of the Lamborghini, but Caldarelli is log jammed in lapped traffic. His lap times are being dictated by the back markers he is following. Sheldon van der Linde's initial charge was stymied when Caldarelli passed him. Directly ahead is the #9 Boutsen VDS Mercedes, Frenchman Thomas Drouet at the wheel of it. 35 laps in the books, 105 miles down. Phillipp Eng in fourth place right now in the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 lapping at 1:56.7. Eng is told on the radio, the cars ahead they are not able to catch but Mattia Drudi in the Aston Martin cannot challenge you yet. Hold station. Don't freak out.
But speaking of freaking out, Marco Mapelli is pouring on the steam to stay ahead of Maro Engel. I think Engel has better drive. 6.2-liter atmospheric V8 in the Mercedes vs. 5.2-liter atmospheric V10 in the Lamborghini. One front engine car and one rear engine. Engel is giving Mapelli all he can handle. Engel though he closes in but doesn't have enough oomph to sweep past the Lamborghini despite the idea of "no replacement for displacement" with the Mercedes V8. Maro Engel is surely keeping Marco Mapelli 100% honest. No further action for the incident between the #46 Team WRT BMW of Maxime Martin and Valentino Rossi. Martin is 23rd, just ahead of Hugo Cook and behind Karol Basz. He is the meat in the sandwich between two Audi's, the #111 CSA car of Hugo Cook and the #84 Eastalent car of Karol Basz.
Dan Harper has taken over the #998 BMW M4 GT3 from Augusto Farfus but he will pay a penalty for Farfus' contact at the next pit stop, ten seconds added to the pit time, and he will lose places especially to Vincent Abril in the #71 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. Max Hesse, the next driver in the car will cop the penalty. Aurelien Panis leads the Silver division as Esteban Buth is being chased by Haytham Qarajouli in the #19 Lamborghini of Grasser Racing Team. We might be able to highlight the Silver class order but there is frantic action right now. We may get there. Harder to highlight the individual classes, sometimes, in these races.
Thomas Kalender, 16 years old, he is really showing his skills as a driver. He is wise beyond his years and is proving himself in 30th overall just behind Haytham Quarrajoli. He is leading the German ADAC Masters championship for GT3 cars. He tries for the undercut, but Andrea Caldarelli slams the door in his face all the while, backed up into the fellow Mercedes with Thomas Drouet at the wheel of it. Drouet almost passed by Sheldon van der Linde but not quite. There has been a ton of gravel pushed the center of the road. van der Linde saw an opening, Caldarelli covered it, and van der Linde in the BMW stands the car on it's nose to avoid a wreck! Man, oh man!
Ah. The refueling time for the #98 Rowe Racing BMW of Philipp Eng is in for a possible penalty. So, the sword of Damocles is hanging over the Rowe BMW team which could result in a time penalty. Marco Mapelli reeling in lapped traffic while Maro Engel is reeling Mapelli in as well, look. This is a big game of chess but on a racetrack with GT3 cars. Dean MacDonald in the McLaren 720S GT3 has moved up and he has Davide Rigon right on his six who's car has come all the way up from stone last, 48th on the grid. Whoops! Caldarelli runs wide and does the switcheroo on Sheldon van der Linde. Some argy bargy there, almost.
Caldarelli resisting the temptation. David Pittard, "Pitbull Pittard" is reeling in this group of cars. Thomas Drouet's gap expands ahead. If you get yourself trapped in a battle, your rivals ahead will begin motoring. Marco Mapelli withstands the pressure and has a clear road. But right now, Engel is still pushing hard. Mapelli was caught behind the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes. That is the Yannick Mettler, James Kell, Anthony Bartone car. Caldarelli right on Thomas Drouet's six but at the same time the Italian continues feeling the heat from Sheldon van der Linde.
One of the sponsor decals has come loose on both sides of the BMW. That decal cannot be a movable aerodynamic device. That isn't allowed. Michele Beretta leads the Gold Cup over Dominik Baumann, Jim Pla, and Hugo Cook. In Silver it is Aurelien Panis, Esteban Muth, and more. Loek Hartog leads the Bronze division, the Dutch driver. Bastian Buus is second in class. Toby Sowery is third in class in Bronze. So many cars and so many drivers with pockets of each category. It is hard to make a whole list of the running order. Eddie Cheever III. is now at the controls of the #93 Sky Tempesta Ferrari. 50 cars and 150 drivers it is hard to figure this all out.
Bastian Buus, second in Bronze, has a penalty in his future for the refueling time on the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi. This team won the opening Creventic 24 Hour Series race of the year way back in January, the 24 Hours of Dubai. Meanwhile, we have reached the halfway mark in the race and the battle is well and truly on between Andrea Caldarelli and Sheldon van der Linde. An hour and a half now on the board with an hour and a half to go. Thomas Drouet, driving his own race. Thomas Drouet is 15 seconds in-arrears of Christopher Haase in this game of chess. No checkmate yet. Sheldon van der Linde is trying all maneuvers in tbe book but he can't get by.
The Frikadelli Racing Ferrari wriggles through the corner, getting loose! Sheldon van der Linde, what can he do? He tries to line up for a dive to the inside but ran out of space into the chicane. Jean Alesi and Michael Schumacher pulled off an amazing pass into that same chicane in the Formula 1 race, 1995 I believe it was. Andrea Caldarelli is a wise bird with extra pairs of eyes to see where his rivals are. Now I can keep my eyes on you hooligans, at all times! Hee hee hee. The stewards are still working through another incident between the #52 and #72 cars. Same incident, it was noted earlier but is now being studied by the stewards. Meanwhile, Dean MacDonald in the McLaren is being chased by two of the Ferrari's.
Caldarelli has a Captain Cook to the inside but no. Sheldon van der Linde going for the undercut on corner exit out of the fianl turn. Drouet flashes the headlights to the lapped cars ahead and they must move over. Ten second time penalty for the #998 BMW has been cancelled by the stewards. OK. No need to worry. That penalty is declined, for Dan Harper, as the referees say in American football. The battle continues raging for seventh between these three cars in your picture if you are watching on the GTWorld stream on YouTube. Luca Stolz tries making a move but again, no dice this time.
It is so busy! My mind is buzzing right now trying to keep all this stuff together. David Pittard is closing fast on Andrea Caldarelli and Sheldon van der Linde, both. Dries Vanthoor will get into the BMW soon. David Perel, the South African, he is at the wheel of the Frikadelli Racing Ferrari at this point, the car and team that won the 2023 edition of the 24 Hours of the Nurburgring here on the Nordschleife for GT3 cars and more. Marco Mapelli wants by the McLaren and the McLaren wisely pulls over, with his crew chief saying, "let these chaps go, please." Dorian Boccalacci in third in the #22 Porsche is some distance behind the two leaders.
"Bocco" has been in no man's land for a wee while now. Will Dorian Boccalacci get back to the lead? Let's not do any guessing right now. The leaders continue scrapping. No loss, no gain. Some of the lapped cars are being Generous George and that is a good thing. Mattia Drudi and the Cometoyou Racing Aston Martin that won the 24 Hours of Spa, he has a warning for contact with one of the Audi's. Maro Engel is piling the pressure on Marco Mapelli but the Italian is not flinching. Mapelli is working harder to retain the lead though because of lapped traffic and meanwhile, back at the ranch, the seventh place scrum, Caldarelli has the speed over van der Linde. So, not much has yet been written more in this story, the Andrea Caldarelli vs. Sheldon van der Linde story.
Let's hear from Dries Vanthoor, his co-driver. Vanthoor says it is better to watch and knows Sheldon van der Linde is doing everything that he can. It is a very warm track today. WRT have had to make adjustments on the fly, fighting for points. Just keep digging. Matteo Cairoli and Dries Vanthoor will pick up the battle after the pit stops. Now, the Mercedes as the speed, van der Linde tries the Lamborghini, but he runs wide. Same for the Mercedes. van der Linde is stymied, but Thomas Drouet, the Frenchman, he is very consistent in the lines he chooses. Now then, Mapelli has Engel right back on his six again!
This is a tight formation at the top of the shop! The Lamborghini's handling is edgy while the Mercedes is planted and for Mapelli, with an evil handling race car, this is going to up the ante with the challenge he faces. He has real pressure from Engel, look. Car placement is key. Ah. Engel tries it and Mapelli slams the door in his face! Be patient through turn 12. That is a difficult corner. Mattia Drudi in the #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin has fallen away from the Audi with Christopher Haase at the controls. No further investigation from the stewards for contact between Drudi and Haase, Comtoyou Aston Martin vs. Attempto Audi. It is a to and fro battle here between Mapelli and Engel for the race lead.
Drudi side by side through the hairpina nd they rub. Oh man! He is now three to four seconds clear of Mattia Drudi. No harm, no foul. 11 minutes from now, we will complete the second hour. Not, Lucas Auer, but hour on the clock! OK. A throwaway pun in the pun tin. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. I had to do it. David Pittard, an expert around the Nordschleife but handy on the Nurburgring Grand Prix trakc, too, he has the BMW right on his six. I mean, that was a hard hit. If you slugged a human being that hard, the policeman would put you in the slammer for assault and abuse! Top speeds between 249 and 253 kilometers an hour, so 155-159 miles an hour.
Davide Rigon in the Ferrari still in 14th chasing down Dean MacDonald in the McLaren. A 15 second time penalty has been called for Rowe Racing of course and will be served at the beginning of their next pit stop for Philipp Eng. No fault for the drivers. It was started by Nick Yelloly. It is a penalty for short refueling. 15 seconds is an eternity as your competition goes thundering by. David Rigon reeling in Dean MacDonald and now, Dorain Boccolacci is nine and a half second down on Maro Engel but still in the fight. "Bocco" is racing very well in a podium spot but has had a boring race to this point.
Sheldon van der Linde almost alongside Andrea Caldarelli who leans n him a wee bit. David Pittard wants this, too. Caldarelli ain't gonna give it up! The Italian goes wide and washes out too far. David Pittard says, "I'll have a piece of that" and he gets the job done. He has had years of racing on the Nordschleife and is nicknamed "Pitbull Pittard" for a reason. #998 Dan Harper runs wide and kicks up the dirt in front of Davide Rigon! Yikes! Davide Rigon has moved up the order.
Collective pit stops are happening now with wholesale service and driver changes as Daniel Morad, the Canadian, will take over the wheel of the #48 Mercedes and Marco Mapelli too, hits the lane, handing over to Frenchman Franck Perera who is suited and booted, and set to race. This is for the third and final stint of the race. Fuel added, and tires changed. Fresh Pirelli P Zero boots on the car. Wow! David Pittard has a head of steam, and he is right on Sheldon van der Linde's six! Maro Engel, he is possibly staying out an extra lap. Another team pinged for 15 seconds, and it is Karel Basz in the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi in 11th by dint of not stopping before, for the Austrian team.
OK. Maro Engel is now in the lane for service. Daniel Morad will take the car to the finish. Some fuel overflow seepage for the Mercedes. Oh dear. Be careful with fuel and a hot car! Oh my! He almost got chopped by a BMW, did Morad and now Morad gets passed by the Lamborghini of Perera with 59 minutes left on the board. A ten second time penalty for the #84 Eastalent Racing Audi added at the end of the race for pit lane infringement. So, now the battle is on again between Lamborghini and Mercedes. Grasser Racing Team, Franck Perera, vs. Mann Filter Mercedes-AMG and Daniel Morad. "Moradness" as he calls his persona, Daniel Morad, will be pushing hard, pouring on the steam.
Alessandro Pier Guidi meanwhile, is tenth at the wheel of the #51 AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3. The order is reshuffling. Laurin Heinrich has now taken over the #22 CLRT Porsche, one of the driver's you will recognize from IMSA and the "Rexy" dinosaur liveried Porsche 911 GT3R in the WeatherTech Championship, also a star in SRO competition in Europe. Maro Engel says the overcut cidn't quite work in Mercede-AMG Mann Filter's favor. It is such a tight race between the AMG Mercedes team and the Lamborghini team. So much can happen in the next 55 minutes.
Cesar Gazeau leads the Silver class over Colin Caresani. Mercedes vs. Mercedes. Boutsen vs. Winward and Theo Nouet is third in the #55 Dinamic GT Porsche. Sebastian Ogaarrd is equal with other drivers in fastest speeds at 247 kilometers an hour, 154 miles an hour. Gilles Magnus leads Gold ahead of Mikael Grenier, Jusuf Owega, Arthur Rougier, and Lorenzo Patrese. We'll mention the drivers but it is hard, as I said, to make a table of the placings with all the action happening. In the Bronze Cup, Dennis Marschall is the effective leader in Bronze with Eddie Cheever III. having a pit stop in his future.
13 of the Bronze Cup cars are still in the fight. Dennis Marschall leading the Bronze category. Cheever in the lane for service. Jonathan Hui will take the car to the very end of the motor race here. 50 minutes to go. Car #7, the points leading Comtoyou Aston Martin under investigation for an unsafe pit release. Marco Wittmann in the equally penalized BMW is behind it. Could Aston Martin have the same task to perform in serving a penalty? Matteo Cairoli is now at the wheel of the #63 Iron Lynx Lamborghini behind Maxi Goetz and ahead of Dries Vanthoor in a battle for seventh place in the Pro category.
Dries Vanthoor is playing mind games with Matteo Cairoli. I don't think Cairoli is falling for it. The Vanthoor brothers have a great podcast. Check it out. It is Dries and his brother Laurens. Dries a factory BMW driver in GT3 and Hypercar/GTP and Laurens the same, for Porsche. A really solid run today for Boutsen VDS Mercedes. Alessandro Pier Guidi is up to tenth and David Pittard has now dropped to 13th in the Aston Martin. I wonder what Alessandro Pier Guidi is thinking. He knows they have the pace. We saw that at Spa Francorchamps before the final hour when everything went pear shaped.
In the Gold Cup it is Mercedes vs. Mercedes. Mikael Grenier vs. Jusuf Owega, the French Canadian vs. the German. Gilles Magnus leads the Gold Cup. Rougier and Patrese round out the top five in Gold Cup. Poor old Raffaele Marciello is way down in 20th place, a man who is so used to winning. It has been a fraught race for BMW and Team WRT #46. Raffaele Marciello just needs to make passes out of class. WRT has one car in the top ten. Laurin Heinrich in third spot, he has been catching the race leading duo of Perera and Morad. Perera is building the gap. What can Laurin Heinrich do? He is chipping away at the gap, and he is running his own race.
It is a Porsche running like a top. 68 laps completed, 204 miles. 43 minutes to go. Heinrich must find nine seconds in 43 minutes to catch Daniel Morad. Jake Dennis is now driving the #991 Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 sharing with Toby Sowery and Darren Leung I believe. Marco Sorensen now being caught by Marco Wittmann for fifth place, Aston Martin vs. BMW. It is the Marco and Marco show. The BMW at this pace is the quicker of the two cars compared to the Aston Martin. Catching is one thing and passing is something, as Monty Python would say, "completely different". Former BMW team Walkenhorst Motorsport now with Aston Martin with Ross Gunn from England now at the controls.
In the #98 camp, Wittmann is told that there is a penalty for his rival that has not been decided on yet. Not totally clear about what the situation is, I'm afraid. We are still waiting on news about this investigation for unsafe release for the Aston Martin. He needs to know, if there is no penalty, the plan is to pass my rival in the final 40 minutes. There might be a freebie, but it is hard to say. Dries Vanthoor is beginning to steam towards the Lamborghini of Matteo Cairoli. Alessandro Pier Guidi is laying back, waiting to pick up the scraps. Jordan Pepper had a fabulous first stint. He did incredibly well, movjng through the melee to the lead with no scratches.
With modern GT3 cars with tire pickup on the road, it is hard to pass. He managed to hold them off. He is proud of his team, bouncing back after a bad race at the 24 Hours of Spa last month. The Lamborghini team is confident in their driver roster. Now then, Dries Vanthoor is making his move on Matteo Cairoli! Wow! Now, the Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi is coming. Matteo Cairoli gets freight trained! Oh man! He was wrongfooted entirely and paid the price for it. Dries Vanthoor is released, and he must be the man with the plan to go catch Maxi Goetz.
The Marco and Marco Show is in its second act by now. They are still pushing and the Barwell Lamborghini slithers sideways momentarily ahead of Jake Dennis in the Century Motorsports BMW M4 GT3 passing Sandy Mitchell. Sandy Mitchell is a scrapper, and he will keep fighting hard. Mitchell came off worse there. He was jolly lucky to avoid a collision. Jake Dennis knows he will have his hands full with the Scotsman. Barwell worried about the pressure of the left front Pirelli tire, and his crew says "don't worry. Get back after it. Focus forward." No, you don't have a puncture, the car in front might have a penalty in his future.
We have seen battles before between Century Motorsports BMW and Barwell Motorsports Lamborghini in the British GT Championship also sanctioned by SRO under GT3 rules. 32 minutes remaining on the board. It is crunch time now. Theo Nouet is some distance ahead of these two, Nouet in one of the two Dinamic GT Porsche's. Dennis Marschall still leads the Bronze Cup in the #97 Rutronik Racing Porsche, the sole Rutronik Porsche still in the race. Half an hour to go now and we see Alessandro Pier Guidi reeling in Dries Vanthoor who's rear tires I think are being used up and beginning to cry, "enough!"
There is a tow to be had but it is nt quite there. The Ferrari is better at the end of the straight with more aero. A sleek shape compared to the boxier BMW which is so much like a touring car. The BMW will be scruffy in the handling department with tire degradation. That car was tobogganing around Spa in the wee hours of the morning on a stone-cold racetrack. Dries Vanthoor, though, the handling on that BMW is fading fast. 28 minutes left on the clock. Franck Perera is four seconds to the good on Daniel Morad and now, Laurin Heinrich is beginning to close in "Moradness". Not a "rad" situation for Daniel Morad because he has a competitor right on his six. Push, push, push. Alessandro Pier Guidi, a black and white warning flag for track limits abuse shown by the stewards.
Pier Guidi could be burdened with a time penalty at the end of the motor race. Small stuff can snowball in these races, believe you me. The Mitchell and Dennis story continues to be written. No change between the pair of them, closing in on Theo Nouet, the Frenchman. Nouet, again, in the green Dinamic Porsche, I believe that car has a lime green livery on it. Ah yes. That is the car I was thinking of. Patrick Kolb in the #80 Lionspeed car, second in the Bronze Cup for a team he owns. Kolb, the German, sharing with Michael Verhagen and Bastian Buus, in the Bronze Cup.
Heinrich has a head of steam and is taking chunks out of the gap between he and Morad. Poor old Morad is also falling away from Franck Perera. Franck Perera is using all the performance in the Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini. 24 minutes to go meaning we should have just a dozen laps left before we see the checkered flag here this afternoon. Pier Guidi on notice, he cannot afford another abuse of track limits. He is still chasing Dries Vanthoor hard. Matteo Cairoli inching back towards Pier Guidi as well, look. Pier Guidi running wide through the chicane.
The concertina effect we see with a lapped car, one of the Garage 59 McLaren's, I think. Yes, I was right. Maxi Goetz is being driven crazy by that McLaren with loose bodywork with the dihedral fenders. So many moves are planned lap after lap, drivers trying to find cracks in their rivals' armor. The clock is ticking with just 20 minutes on the board. A lap down is that McLaren with loose bodywork, British driver Adam Smalley at the wheel of it. Smalley sharing with Monegasque Louis Prette and Portuguese driver Miguel Ramos. Pier Guidi right on Dries Vanthoor's tail. Vanthoor laser focused on Maxi Goetz in the Mercedes, the #9 car for Boutsen VDS.
Pier Guidi really fighting it, standing the Ferrari on its nose, the gearbox crunching as he steps on the brakes and downshifts at the same time. Ten laps to go essentially in the final 18 minutes. A five second penalty added for the final race time for an infringement and a ten second penalty for an unsafe release from the pit lane for Marco Sorensen, and there has been contact between Pier Guidi and Vanthoor! Dries Vanthoor has a cut down Pirelli P Zero tire! He got tagged and the alignment on tthe left front of the BMW is cattywampus! He clonks the Ferrari trying to do the undercut and had the door slammed in his face. As Larry Grace used to say, "shut that door!" and Pier Guidi did.
A ten second penalty for the #7 Comtoyou Aston Martin, the Spa 24 Hours winner. Oh no! Dries Vanthoor off the road into the gravel and he has suspension damage and the car snapped off the road immediately. That is a toe link or a tie rod, broken. 15 minutes to go and it is game over for WRT. Turn it off, put the dollies under the car, close the shutters, put this race on the shelf. It is game over for #32. Daniel Morad might hang on for second, but Laurin Heinrich is reeling him in. Daniel Morad slides wide on acceleration. Maybe his tires are fading fast. 82 laps, 246 miles completed. Morad's car was hit on the opening lap and maybe damage from that clonk is manifesting itself, that was the contact between the Mann Filter Benz and the now retired #96 Rutronik Racing Porsche.
Vincent Vosse and WRT are not happy bunnies. Raffaele Marciello in the sister #46 car is 18th just passing by Jusuf Owega. Morad barely hanging on to the second position over Laurin Heinrich and the gap has now ballooned to 6.6 seconds between Perera and Morad. Heinrich could earn a podium place and could still pass Morad with 12 minutes to go. With five rounds in SRO GTWC Europe Endurance, you need to score points from the word go. Time is of the essence. Morad has traffic ahead with twp more Mercedes-AMGs fighting for position! Oh my!
James Kell in the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes will move out of the way, a Silver class car. Kell, Bartone, and Mettler lead the points in Silver. Daniel Morad is being driven crazy because the #3 Bartone Brothers liveried Mercedes is not moving out fo the way and here comes Heinrich! The red Mercedes finally moves. Can Heinrich pass Morad? He tries it and, on the inside, he is so close. Morad slams the door in his face and is run off the road! This is getting spicy! Ricardo Feller in fourth is 20 seconds in-arrears in fourth spot. Feller in the #99 Attempto Audi. Eight minutes of racing left.
Lucas Auer, looking on, hoping. Alessandro Pier Guidi's #51 Ferrari has gone from 48th up to eighth but is under investigation for that incident earlier with Dries Vanthoor. Heinrich has not lost or gained anything, flashing the lights. He will be burning the graphic wrap off that car. It's a wrap, show over. Not yet. Morad is a tough customer. Six minutes to go. Daniel Morad, a very popular driver. We'll have maybe three laps to go. A ten second penalty added to the final race time for the #3 GetSpeed Mercedes for James Kell running way down in 39th spot.
Laurin Heinrich has caught Daniel Morad. Morad is not giving a hint of a gap to Heinrich with four and a half minutes to go. Franck Perera is nearly ten seconds to the good in the race lead, 9.4 seconds exactly. Now 9.8 seconds. Heinrich has a look and shovels Morad out of the way! Wow! Will he, or won't he? He did. Lucas Auer and Maro Engel can probably sense they are running out of time for this race. Gold Cup led by Gilles Magnus. Cesar Gazeau leads Silver. Bronze led and dominated by Dennis Marschall and Rutronik Racing. Sorry I couldn't get you running order serieals but this race has been so action-packed.
Rutronik Racing will have some consolation with a class victory but must still be very sore about the sister car because Patric Niederhauser did nothing wrong in his contretemps with David Vidales. Final lap. Cruise and coast. Enjoy the celebration Franck Perera, Gottfried Grasser, and GRT Grasser Racing Team. Heinrich second and Morad third. GRT Grasser have done so well all weekend. Another ten second penalty for causing a collision with car #12. That is a late, late penalty for the Mad Panda Motorsport Mercedes running fifth in Silver Cup. Victory for Franck Perera, Jordan Pepper, and Marco Mapelli!
Jake Dennis, Darren Leung, and Toby Sowery get on the podium in Bronze Cup. In Silver, Boutsen VDS will win! Gilles Magnus wins Silver for Audi and Sainteloc! In Bronze, the victory goes to Dennis Marschall and company for Rutronik Racing Porsche!
Overall/Pro: #163 Perera/Mapelli/Pepper GRT - Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan
GT3 EVO2
Silver: #10 Gazeau/Meyuhas/Panis Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo
Gold: #25 Pla/Evrard/Magnus Sainteloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo II
Bronze: #97 Blattner/Marschall/Hartog Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R (992)
A little Sunday money for gardening on the side of the road? Maybe he is low on fuel and cannot make the victory lap. Oh dear. That's not good to see. Maybe the Lamborghini is on fumes. Maybe Franck Perera is so happy, he wants to enjoy the victory lap. I think he may be out of gas. He will make it back to the pit lane and to victory lane and the podium. 50 cars started and a handful retired. Lamborghini wins for the first time in GTWC Europe Endurance for the first time since here at the Nurburgring in 2021 with Orange1 FFF Racing.
Grasser also wins for the first time since their title winning season in 2017, seven years ago. In the Gold Cup, it is the #25 Audi R8 LMS Evo II winning for Sainteloc Racing with Jim Pla, Paul Evrard, and Gilles Magnus. In the Silver Cup, the #10 Boutsen VDS Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 wins in the hands of Cesar Gazeau, Roee Meyuhas, and Aurelien Panis, son of former Formula 1 driver and 1996 Monaco Grand Prix winner, Olivier Panis. In the Bronze Cup, the winner is the sister Rutronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3R, #97, Dustin Blattner, Dennis Marschall, and Loek Hartog.
Cue the dance music for the results. A cracking race with 45 of 50 cars finishing the race today. The podium finishers, and the winners, celebrate as they are displayed to the fans, cheering for them. Time for the anthems, and the Austrian anthem for GRT - Grasser Lamborghini. A great race today. So, now there are two more endurance events in 2024 remaining. The next, and penultimate endurance event is another three-hour contest, in Italy, near Milan, at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza in Monza, Italy, which happens in the middle of September. So, we'll see you in Italy, then. Auf wiedersehen, from The Nurburgring.
No comments:
Post a Comment