We’re an hour into the 2019 running of the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Manthey Racing’s #1 Porsche holds the lead following a frantic opening sequence of action in bright sunshine at the Nordschleife.
Drama struck before the race even began. Alex Brundle struggled to start the #37 AMR Performance Centre SP8T-entered Vantage AMR GT4 at the rear of Grid 1, but eventually started with the assistance of marshals and came around to rejoin in grid position.
Up front though, the action was mostly clean when the race did finally get away. Maro Engel got away cleanly from pole position in his #2 Black Falcon Mercedes. Further back in the pack though Farfus was turned around at the exit of T2 in the #42 Schnitzer BMW.
Pierre Kaffer meanwhile dropped back as the #31 Frikadelli Racing and #1 Manthey Porsches both made progress. The #911 sister Manthey 911 was also on the move and climbed to second place on Dottinger Hohe, Kevin Estre getting the better of Lance David Arnold in the #48 HTP Mercedes.
Onto Lap 2 and the #1 was still on the move, passing #31 for fourth overall.
David Arnold in the #48 Mann Filter HTP AMG was then massively caught out by a backmarker in an Opel Astra at the Karussel – losing two positions in the process to the charging #1 and #31. This meant it Porsches were running 2, 3, 4.
At the end of the lap, Yelmer Buurman (#6 Black Falcon AMG) passed David Arnold in traffic too.
The first car in real trouble was the #82 Hofor Racing SP6-entered BMW M3 GTR, off the track at Hatzenbach in a cloud of smoke just as the overall leaders closed in. The response to the slow zone allowed Pilet right on the rear of the second-placed Estre.
The other AMR Performance Centre Vantage GT4, the #36, then pitted end of lap 2, together with the SP10 Kraemer Ginetta GT4, issues for both cars forcing them in. The #92 SP3T Giti Tire VW Golf also crawled back with a front left puncture.
Moments later, there was trouble between the #304 Cayman and #246 BMW M240i Racing, both ending up in the gravel at T1 after contact. And a second Giti Tired Golf was into the garage – the all-woman-crewed #89 in trouble too!
After 46 minutes of racing, the first of the SP9 class runners began to come in for their first scheduled stops of the race. At the front, though a battle was raging for the lead between Kevin Estre in the #911 Manthey Porsche and the still very feisty Maro Engel in the #2 Black Falcon Mercedes.
The #1 Manthey Porsche led the next round of pit callers, Patrick Pilet out, replaced by Fred Makowiecki.
Engel meanwhile had pulled clear again from Estre before coming around at the end of his seventh lap.
The Frenchman in the #911 and the remaining cars from the lead group that had not yet pitted followed the #2 down pit lane. An excellent out lap from Makowiecki though saw the #1 Manthey Porsche take the lead of the race as the second hour began.
There are 23 hours to go, and there promises to be plenty more action up front. Nothing is settled yet. It never is this early in a 24-hour race. As it stands though, it looks to be Porsche vs Mercedes for the overall win, with the advantage with Porsche after the opening melee.
