The second NLS race of the double-header weekend to open the season ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday afternoon, with the #911 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 taking the victory by just 0.042 after a pass for the lead across the line.
Laurens Vanthoor was in the #911 at the end of the race and darted past Jordan Pepper’s Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini in the run to the flag. The Huracan GT3 Evo II slowed up in the final seconds of the race, allowing the Porsche through. Pepper was running out of fuel and trying to prevent the race from being extended by an additional lap.
The photo finish proved to be the closest winning margin in NLS history, capping off a successful opening weekend for the Nordschleife-based endurance series and a perfect weekend for Porsche, which won both races overall.
Time for the closest finish in NLS history! 😳
___#NLS #Nürburgring #Nordschleife #myraceisfairplay #dasoriginal pic.twitter.com/9M96KCn02u— Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie (@vln_de) April 7, 2024
“That was a dream start to the NLS season,” said VLN managing director Mike Jäger. “Two days of thrilling racing action in fantastic weather at the Nürburgring in front of a fantastic backdrop – that leaves you wanting more! Many thanks to participants and fans who made it an unforgettable weekend.”
19 seconds further back the #4 Falken Motorsports Porsche, which won VLN1 yesterday, added to the team’s successful weekend with a podium finish after another impressive run from Joel Eriksson and Tim Heinemann.
Before the final sequence of the race, it appeared that the Manthey and Falken Porsche would occupy the top two places on the podium. But a Code 60 period cost both cars dearly at the final round of stops, and vaulted the ABT Lamborghini to the lead, Pepper holding an eight-second advantage heading into the final lap.
With the car running on air, he did his best but couldn’t quite hold on for the win.
“I tried everything to keep Laurens behind me until the line, unfortunately, it didn’t work,” said Pepper. “I’m just at a loss for words. This is so bitter!”
The #14 HRT Mercedes of Daniel Juncadella and Frank Bird took fourth, ahead of the #706 SPX class Glickenhaus SCG004C which crossed the line two minutes back from the winning car.
Further down the order #786 Renazzo Motorsport Lamborghini took its first SP9 Am win with a ninth-place finish, while the victory in the SP9 Pro-Am classification went to Hubert Haupt, Dennis Fetzer and Ralf Aron in the ADVAN x HRT Mercedes, the trio coming home 13th.
Meanwhile, Cup 2 was won by the seventh-place finishing #148 Black Falcon Team 48 LOSCH Porsche Cup car. Like SP9, it was extremely close until the very end, with the #124 Mühlner Porsche just under three-tenths back at the flag.
SP10 was won by the #169 Aston Martin Vantage GT4.
Elsewhere in the field, a pair of former F1 drivers made headlines. Former Formula 1 driver Timo Glock drove both of the weekend’s NLS races in a BMW M240i operated by Up2Race team, with the aim of completing the mandatory laps for the Nordschleife permit.
Kamui Kobayashi also enjoyed the weekend, which was his racing debut at the Nürburgring.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “The Nordschleife is a huge challenge. But things went better from lap to lap. The fact is, I still have a lot to learn.”
Kobayashi completed both races of the opening weekend together with his compatriot Kazuto Kotoka in a Toyota Supra Evo GT4. Like Glock his intention was to obtain the Nordschleife permit, but he remained tight-lipped about specific goals:
“First of all, I would like to keep open the possibility of racing in the Green Hell. When that happens, only time will tell.”
Races three and four of this year’s NLS season will take place next weekend (April 13-14).
Images courtesy of Frozenspeed
