The first hour of the Blancpain Endurance Series finale at the Nürburgring saw some misty conditions around the circuit, a few spots of rain and total dominance by Max Götz and the #84 HTP Mercedes SLS.
The run down to the first corner saw the usual dices for positions, but it was still the #84 HTP Mercedes leading the #90 ESTA Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi as they made their way through the Mercedes complex.
It was not all standard procedure though, as the #34 Pro GT by Almeras Porsche’s left rear bumper caught fire on the formation lap. Eric Dermont managed to drive the entire lap, all be it a bit slowly after turn 4 with the flames damaging the right rear tyre, the Porsche would later re-join the race after 50 minutes of garage time.
There was also an incident in the run down to the Ford Kurves, as the #10 Sofrev and #73 SMP Ferrari’s went off on the outside and made contact with the barriers. Moments later the #17 Flex Box 458 and the #59 AF Corse Ferrari sustained damage through contact, with the #17 stopping on track and the #59 limping to the pits.
There was plenty of action going on up and down the field in the opening laps, but the main focus for the TV cameras was the #16 Phoenix Audi driven by Markus Winkelhock. Winkelhock was guilty of some aggressive driving, as he attempted to pass cars including the Hexis McLaren and JRM Nissan, no flags were thrown though.
While all the squabbling was happening behind, the two leaders rapidly drove off into the distance. The running order after 10 laps of racing was then #84, #90, #11, #72, #13, #19, #69, #32, #5, #23, which would mean that Max Buhk on his own would be crowned the drivers champion.
By the 30 minute mark, the gap between Götz and Piere Guidi was extended to 7 seconds as they begun to hit traffic. Meanwhile a battle was brewing between Alvaro Parente in the Hexis McLaren and Daniel Zampieri in the #44 Kessel Ferrari just outside the top 10. They diced their way through the Mercedes complex, but a feisty Zampieri stuck his nose up the inside and turned round the McLaren.
This earned him and the team a drive through penalty, effectively ending their chances of winning the championship.
It hadn’t been quite the start to the race that the two Marc VDS BMW’s had hoped for, as they fell back early in the race. But by the end of the hour, the two BMW’s had made their way into the top ten, keeping their chances of winning the drivers and teams title alive.
Leading the Pro-Am class by the end of the hour was the #5 Boutsen McLaren which sat fifth overall, but even with such a good result, RJN would still win both titles as the #32 GT-R sat fifth in class.
It was a good first hour for HTP once again, as they held a 13 second lead over the rest of the field, continuing where they left off at Spa.
Stephen Kilbey
