While Audi dominated qualifying and Porsche looked set to make history, it was BMW that ended up on top in the 38th annual Nürburgring 24 Hours. The Bavarian manufacturer’s return to the famed 15.5-mile Nordschleife circuit was rewarded with an unexpected victory in the twice-around-the-clock German classic.The No. 25 BMW Team Schnitzer M3 GT2 of Jorg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy had its share of minor setbacks, including an overnight radiator change and late-race gearbox concerns, but managed to take the win, five years after the Charly Lamm-led team’s last triumph at the famed German circuit.
History was made with Lamy scoring his fifth Nürburgring 24 victory, matching German Marcel Tiemann as the most successful drivers on the ‘Green Hell’.
Tiemann’s quest for his sixth came to an abrupt end when his No. 1 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R crashed out in the seventh hour. The four-time and defending overall winners had led the majority of the race after Tiemann’s impressive drive from seventh to first in the opening few corners. But an accident by co-driver Marc Lieb erased all hopes of another victory.
The demise of Manthey's lead Porsche promoted the No. 99 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS to the lead, with Porsche’s revolutionary 911 GT3 R Hybrid close in pursuit and winning the fuel mileage race. By the 13th hour, the Porsche was in command, thanks to a rear axle change for the Audi.
Porsche's hybrid, which gained an additional two laps per stint over its competition, appeared to en route to re-writing the history books, but ground to a halt with less than two hours remaining. With suspected engine issues, the race was over for Jörg Bergmeister, Richard Lietz, Marco Holzer and Martin Ragginger.
It gave the slower, yet more reliable BMW the lead and the unlikely victory in a weekend that was dominated by Audis and Porsches.
Hankook Team Farnbacher’s Ferrari F430 GTC of Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen Marco Seefried and Leh Keen finished second, less than four minutes behind the winning BMW. After suffering an accident in qualifying and starting near the tail end of the 198-car field, the German squad put in a trouble-free race in the GT2-spec car’s ‘Ring 24 debut.
Audi suffered a dismal race, with only three of the seven R8 LMS cars making it to the finish. Phoenix Racing’s No. 97 entry of Marc Bronzel, Luca Ludwig, Dennis Rostek and Markus Winkelhock was the highest-placed in third overall, winning its class nonetheless.
Phoenix’s Nos. 98 and 99 machines, plus Abt Sportsline’s No. 2 car retired with mechanical issues, while the No. 100 Audi, one the the early race favorites, crashed out.
The No. 26 Schnitzer BMW of Dirk Müller, Dirk Werner, Dirk Adorf and Andy Priaulx recovered from a first-hour accident to finish seventh overall, one position behind the highest-placed Porsche from the Jurgen Alzen-run H&R Spezialfedern squad.
