Typical Eifel weather dominated the first day of the 54th ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring. The #80 RAVENOL-Mercedes-AMG set the fastest time of 8:14.957 minutes in the first, somewhat drier qualifying session in the afternoon, a time that stood. The second qualifying session was marked by heavy rain at times and increasingly adverse conditions, so the frontrunner maintained a 3.112-second lead over the defending champions in the Rowe BMW #1. Third place went to the Verstappen Mercedes-AMG #3 ahead of the second Rowe BMW, the #99. For the sporting outcomes, this highlight is not yet decisive. That’s because the starting grid for the leading group will only be decided in the three-stage Top Qualifying on Friday, which will thus set the tone for the suspense of the second day at the motorsport classic.
Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller, and Maxime Martin are in the cockpit of the day’s fastest Mercedes-AMG. “We completed all the necessary laps, but of course it’s a challenge in this weather. There are sporadic showers or hailstorms here and there, and then it just gets very, very wet and very dangerous very quickly. Fabian put in a great lap. I don’t think you can read too much into the times yet. You have to wait for the top qualifying session, and I’d even say you have to wait for the race,” said DTM driver Engel.
In the second-placed Rowe BMW, Jordan Pepper is supporting last year’s three winners Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello, and Kelvin van der Linde. Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is sharing his Mercedes-AMG for his 24-hour debut with current DTM drivers Lucas Auer and Jules Gounon, as well as former DTM driver Dani Juncadella. The #99 Rowe BMW is being driven by Dan Harper, Max Hesse, Sheldon van der Linde, and Dries Vanthoor. The Manthey-Porsche #911, the “Grello,” was the best non-Mercedes or non-BMW in fifth place, followed by Abt’s best Lamborghini, the #130. Among other manufacturers, the HRT-Ford #64 placed eighth and the Scherer PHX-Audi #16 placed ninth in the top 10.
After Qualifying 1 in the afternoon, which had already been marked by rain for long stretches and even hail at times, conditions became even more difficult for the 161 starters during Qualifying 2 in the evening. At times, parts of the track were flooded, while elsewhere the ideal line was still dry. Drivers even reported hydroplaning at a crawl of 40 km/h. As a result, no further time improvements were possible during the night practice.
Friday is going to be exciting!
The second day of the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring offers fans a program where one highlight follows another. The focus: The three-stage Top Qualifying, where pole position and the best starting spots are decided in a direct duel among the strongest teams. In the first two rounds starting at 10:15 a.m., only the fastest cars advance—the massive leading group is under intense competitive pressure. It is only in the decisive Top Qualifying 3 (starting at 1:35 p.m.) that the fastest drivers will battle for pole position in individual time trials. In between, all other classes will have their final opportunity to improve their times and thus their starting positions in Qualifying 3 (12:00 p.m.)—the top teams are not eligible to participate here.
Another sporting highlight is the three-hour race of the German Historic Endurance Championship (DHLM) starting at 4:00 p.m.: For the historic touring cars and GTs, this second championship round in front of the full crowd at the 24h Nürburgring is the highlight of their debut season. Finally, in the evening, there’s an exciting program for fans: No sooner have the historic cars left the track than the specialists in controlled drifting take over at the Müllenbachschleife starting at 7:30 p.m. for the Falken Drift Show. At the same time, the pit lane opens, where visitors can meet numerous drivers from the 24-hour race at the autograph session or simply walk a few meters on the beloved asphalt of the Nürburgring during the track walk. Not present at the autograph session: Max Verstappen. He has decided not to participate, a move that would otherwise likely draw a massive crowd of visitors. His team will, of course, be on site to provide fans with autograph cards.