24h Nürburgring 2024: Race Shortened Due to Fog

Everyone who attended, watched the live stream, or tuned in to the TV broadcast knew the potential for a brilliant race at the Nürburgring 24h 2024. The 24-hour event was shaping up to be a true celebration of motorsport — until fog rolled in.

Endurance racing fans at the Nürburgring Nordschleife understand the Eifel’s unpredictable weather patterns. This year was no exception, with changeable conditions right from the start.

Teams opting for wet weather tires initially had a clear advantage, but the track dried quickly, prompting a switch back to slicks.

Our GT3 motorsport customers were consistently in the leading group throughout the race. For instance, the Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 (#99) held the lead for a significant period. Unfortunately, while lapping a slower car, the Rowe BMW was hit and forced to retire through no fault of its own.

As rain returned during the evening, tire strategy became crucial once again. Rain tires come in different configurations, with teams choosing between “full-wet” or “drying-wet” options.

The Nordschleife remained true to its character. While some sections began to dry, others remained damp. By 10 p.m., the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife had dried considerably, leading to another round of tire changes in the pit lane.

The decision to risk slick tires or use cut slicks for the night stint became a significant concern for many teams. Ultimately, the situation took a dramatic turn as the fog intensified. With marshals unable to maintain visibility, race control had no choice but to red-flag the event.

Given the persistent fog in the Eifel region, it became apparent during the night that resuming the race before Sunday morning wouldn’t be possible. Even by morning, visibility remained extremely poor.

However, hope remained. Race control ultimately allowed the race cars to return to the starting grid. While the Nürburgring 24-hour race didn’t truly restart, five formation laps behind the safety car were completed around the combined Grand Prix circuit and Nürburgring Nordschleife.

Race control decided to end the Nürburgring 24-hour race prematurely due to persistent fog, which rendered the weather conditions “opaque” at the time of the decision.

Ultimately, 105 of the 127 race cars that started crossed the finish line, marking the shortest 24-hour race at the Nürburgring to date. Our motorsport customers celebrated eleven class victories and 28 podium finishes.

In the AT3 class, Team Hofor Racing by Bonk Motorsport secured second place with their BMW M4 GT4 (#888). eFuel Team Griesemann finished third with their Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo 2023 (#227).

In the AT2 class, Four Motors claimed the top spot with their Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (#320), which featured alternative fuel and sustainable components.

Adrenalin Motorsport dominated the BMW M240i class, with their cars #650, #651, and #652 finishing first, second, and third, respectively.

In Cup 3, which includes all Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport and Porsche Cayman GT4 CS (Type 981) homologated with KW Racing suspensions, SRS Team Sorg Rennsport (#959) won, with the sister car (#969, Type 981) taking third place. Second place went to the W&S Motorsport Cayman (#962).

FK Performance Motorsport celebrated a double victory in the SP10 class with their BMW M4 GT4 (type G82). The #188 finished first, and the #187 second. Third place went to the Schnitzelalm Racing Mercedes-AMG GT4 (#111).

Bulldog Racing entered a Mini John Coopers Works Pro (#317) with our KW Racing suspensions in SP3T and crossed the finish line as class winners ahead of the “Fly and Help” VW Beetle RSR (#13).

In the BMW 325 CI (#152) and alone in the class, the trio Ingo Oepen, Hendrik Launhardt, and Thorsten Köppert completed their shortened 24-hour race and crossed the finish line as winners in SP4. The Auto-Motor-Club in SS4T had to settle for second place with their Porsche 718 Cayman (#89).

It was a similar picture in SP7, where Team Krämer Racing (#978) finished second with their GT4 CS Cayman (Type 981).

Timo Scheider, Timo Glock, Jeroen Bleekemolen, and Peter Cate impressed in SS8T, confidently bringing their BMW M4 GT4 (#145) home as class winners.

Back on the Nürburgring Nordschleife and back in the hearts of the fans, Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus Racing, with their prototype sports car SCG 004c (#706), was the fastest in the SP-X class as usual.

Third place in the V4 class went to the BMW 325i (#750) of Keevin Sports and Racing, driven by their Swedish-Brazilian driver quartet.

The Adrenalin Motorsport team also triumphed in the V5 class, finishing as class winners with their Porsche Cayman CM12 (#444).

In the V6 class, the Adrenalin Motorsport Cayman (#396) and the Cayman GTS of MSC Adenau e.V. took second and third place, respectively.

In the VT2 Front class, our customer teams Auto Thomas by Jung Motorsport in the Cupra Leon KL (#495) and the Mini John Cooper Works from Bulldog Racing (#474) secured first and second place.

The KW Motorsport customer team Keeevin Sports and Racing celebrated another class victory with their BMW 335i (#599) in VT3.

Manthey EMA celebrated second place overall in the Nürburgring 24-hour race and second place in SP9 with their Grello-Porsche (#911). Additionally, the Manthey team competed in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, securing its second victory of the 2024 season.

BMW M Team RMG (#72) finished third overall and in SP9.

Other motorsport customers of the KW automotive group finished in the top 10: Falken Motorsports (#33, Porsche 911 GT3 R) in sixth, Rowe Racing (#98, BMW M4 GT3) in seventh, Lionspeed GP (#24, Porsche 911 GT3 R) in ninth, and Falken Motorsports (#44, Porsche 911 GT3 R) in tenth.

Dinamic GT SRL (#54, Porsche 911 GT3 R), Herberth Motorsport (#5, Porsche 911 GT3 R), and Walkenhorst Motorsport (#35, Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo) finished 13th, 16th, and 19th, respectively.

Photos by Gruppe C Photography

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