An Eventful 24 Hours: The 54th Edition of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24H

What an event to cover. The atmosphere was electric, fuelled by the buzz surrounding Max Verstappen’s 24-hour debut, Manthey’s milestone anniversaries, and, of course, the legendary BMW Touring 24H SPX GT3. It was a weekend that embodied the good, the bad, and the ugly of endurance racing.

…The Good…

At the sharp end of the field, the ‘Good’ was defined by a clinical performance from the Mercedes-AMG Team Winward Racing crew. The #80 Mercedes-AMG GT3 claimed a hard-fought overall victory, piloted by the formidable line-up of Maro Engel, Luca Stolz, Fabian Schiller, and Maxime Martin. It was a masterclass in endurance racing, with the quartet navigating the treacherous Eifel conditions to secure the top step of the podium and cement Mercedes-AMG’s dominance at the Nordschleife.

Equally impressive was the story of the BMW M3 Touring. What famously began life as a cheeky April Fool’s prank proved its mettle on the world’s toughest circuit, taking the SPX class win and a staggering fifth place overall. It was a flawless performance that saw the high-performance estate rubbing shoulders with the GT3 elite.

Finally, the cult-hero Dacia Logan proved why it remains the sentimental favourite of the “Ring” faithful. Despite looking like it was out of the running following damage at the 21-hour mark, the pit crew’s determination saw it return to the fray. It successfully completed 92 laps, and while its 107th place overall (and sixth in class) might look modest on the timing screens, for the fans on the ground, its survival was a triumph in itself.

…The Bad…

The race was, however, defined by a brutal attrition rate that saw several heavy hitters sidelined. One of the most significant losses was the Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Christopher Haase. Haase had been a standout performer in the early stages, providing a thrilling challenge to Max Verstappen and keeping the leaders under immense pressure before his race came to a premature end.

The treacherous nature of the Nordschleife was never more apparent than during a chaotic sequence of events triggered by an oil leak from a Porsche Cup car. The resulting slick turned the track into a skating rink, claiming two major victims at the very same corner: the #64 HRT Ford Mustang GT3 and the iconic ‘Grello’ Manthey EMA Porsche. Both cars were caught out by the lack of grip, spinning into the barriers in a heartbreaking double-retirement that robbed the fans of two of the field’s most popular entries.

As the race moved into the punishing night shift, the “Green Hell” continued to take its toll. The Falken Porsche squad, perennial contenders for the podium, saw their charge halted by misfortune. They were joined on the retirement list by the #632 FANATEC Porsche of Misha Charoudin, Steve Brown, and Jimmy Broadbent; despite a valiant effort from the popular trio, the unforgiving nature of the 24-hour marathon brought their journey to an early and disappointing conclusion.

…And The Ugly

Finally, heartbreak was suffered by the car carrying the most famous name on the grid. The #3 Mercedes-AMG, featuring Max Verstappen in its formidable line-up, had dominated huge swathes of the race, looking almost untouchable at the head of the field. However, the Nordschleife is indifferent to reputation; cruel mechanical failure struck while the car was in a commanding position, causing it to plummet down the leaderboard and stripping it of a near-certain victory.

In a touching display of perseverance, the mechanics refused to give up, working tirelessly to get the car back into a running state for the final moments of the race. This allowed for a bittersweet “parade lap,” where the #3 car joined the victorious Winward Racing Mercedes-AMGs to cross the line in a symbolic formation finish. While it provided the fans with a spectacular sight as the cars took the chequered flag in a “1-2” formation, for the #3 crew, the result was a painful reminder of what could have been.