Top Qualifying beckons
Next up on track is the shootout for outright pole position, with the two-stage Top Qualifying session set to start at 17:30 local time.
What should we be looking out for? The performance of the BMW M4s in Top Qualifying 1, as ROWE and Team RMG battle to secure spaces for the second and final session to determine the top 17 spaces on the grid.
Currently, the Bavarian brand has no cars on through to Q2 via performances in the N24H Qualifiers weekend.
The full list of cars and drivers participating in Top Qualifying, in the order they will take to the track, can be found HERE >>>
For teams running outside of SP9 and SPX it’s time to prep for Warm Up and the race start tomorrow, as the grid is now set after the three sessions.
The combined times by class, featuring all the pole-sitters from the lower classes, can be found HERE >>>
Frikadelli’s Q1 disqualification
News came through yesterday afternoon that the #1 Frikadelli Ferrari 296 had been disqualified from the first session of the week after failing to meet the BoP parameters set for the event. The team fell afoul of the allowed Boost Pressure for the 296, and was excluded from the session.
The BoP for the 296 had changed since the Qualifying Races a few weeks ago.
While the #1 Frikadelli Ferrari was already assured a spot in Top Qualifying later today, the consequence of the exclusion from the session was the removal of all laps for the session, effectively setting the driver’s laps to zero. This meant that the drivers had to re-complete their required 2 practice laps in order to be eligible to compete in the race on Saturday.
Further down the field, the SP10-class #177 Prosport Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was also pinged for the same infringement. That car set a 9:17.277 in the evening qualifying, to sit 12th place in class.
YouTuber Brown excluded from meeting after speeding in Code 60 zone
Gamer/YouTuber to Racer Steve Alvarez Brown has been excluded from the remainder of proceedings after speeding into a Code 60 area (for the Raffaele Marciello incident) in the SP8T pole-setting #150 Team Bilstein by Black Falcon BMW M4 GT4.
The car was timed at 145.5 kmh in the Code 60 zone around Wippermann at 22:39 last night, a speed that triggers the maximum available penalties.
Brown has therefore been excluded and has had his ‘Ring permit withdrawn. In addition, the car will serve a 90-second stop-and-go penalty in the race.
“I’ve been disqualified from participating in the Nurburgring 24 hour. As you can imagine I’m totally devastated to not be taking part in what would have been the biggest race of my life,” he said in a statement on social media.
“The reason for this is that I was speeding into a code 60 zone (60kph max speed) during last night’s qualifying session. Entering these areas and I was unquestionably above the required speed.
“I’ve always valued myself as a respectful and safe driver – I’m fully aware that the Nurburgring races only happen if respect is maintained to the safety of everyone at the event at all times. It’s really tough to take as it was really my first mistake in my 2 seasons of racing.
I will stay at the event and continue supporting my teammates and help in whatever way I can. Sorry to my supporters who now won’t see me on track but I urge you still support our car to the end! The reason I’m even here at all is because of the huge support over many years so it really hurts to not be able to compete.
“Thank you to Bilstein for being so understanding in this situation and for even giving me a chance to be here. I will do my utmost to turn this around and get back to racing in the future – and hopefully do an N24 another year.”
The #150 will now compete with three drivers, with former Nurburgring 24 hour overall winner Manuel Metzger joined by popular YouTube streamers Jimmy Broadbent, and Mikhail Charoudin.
The stewards decision can be found HERE >>>
Further penalties handed out
Brown’s exclusion was raft of penalties announced overnight for violations of the ‘Ring’s stringent Slow Zone and Code 60 regulations.
In total, there were seven penalties handed out for “Non-respect of flag signals exceeding the speed limit – double yellow and Code 60”, ranging from being 17km/h over the limit up to 85 km/h over the Code 60 speed limit.
All the violations took place after sunset, between 10:20pm and the end of the session.
The #747 V4 Rockstar Games BMW, #89 SP4T HY Racing Porsche, and #961 Cup 3 W&S Motorsport Porsche all received level 2 violations and will serve a drive-through at the end of lap 1.
Meanwhile, the #501 VT2 Adrenalin Motorsport BMW, #832 TCR Hyundai Motorsports Elantra, and #488 VT2 Keeevin Sports Renault received level 3 violations and will serve a 45-second stop-and-hold penalty at the end of the opening lap.
Classic 24
On the support bill for this weekend is the ADAC 24hr Classic, which will take the track for a three-and-a-half-hour race on Saturday morning. Up for grabs is the ‘YoungTimers Trophy’, with over 200 cars entered among a variety of historical touring and sportscar categories.
Notable entries on the list include Olaf Manthey, who is running as part of the #508 BMW 635 CSI, and Henry Walkenhorst, in the #463 BMW E30 M3.
Also in the entry is the fan-favourite Opel Foxtail Manta, which used to run the full 24-hour event, complete with a foxtail attached to the radio antenna.
Saturday morning’s race will be streamed live on the Nurburgring channel.
Traffic!
One of the constant topics of discussion at the Nurburgring Nordschleife is navigating traffic, especially with the difficulty of the track and the variety of cars and closing speeds between the SP9 class and some of the lower classes.
Speaking to Scherer Sport PHX drivers Christopher Haase and Markus Winkelhock, two very experienced campaigners at the ‘Ring, shed some light on the mentality of being fast through traffic.
“At the Nordschleife, we have so many cars, so many different cars speeds, and we have different classes,” Christopher Haase says. “Every lap I have, I don’t know, lets say five situations where it’s close to something going wrong.
“But this is every single lap, for every single driver.”
Markus Winkelhock echoed his teammate’s words.
“You have to be really careful in traffic,” commented Winkelhock. “But, sometimes I will overtake 10, 12, 15 cars in one lap.
“If you go too careful and you lose let’s say, one second per car, that’s 10 seconds per lap.”
When asked to compare that experience to some of the other major GT3 races around the world, specifically the Bathurst 12 Hour and the 24 Hours of Spa Francorchamps, Haase said that all three felt different.
“In Spa, you only have GT3 cars, and the biggest difference is that you share the race with different drivers – Pro class, the gentleman drivers, the Pro-Am, the Semi Pro’s,” Haase said. “Just because you’re fast it doesn’t mean that you can pass another car straight away.
“At Bathurst, you have the slower cars. If they don’t let you pass, you have to go offline, and it’s quite tricky sometimes. Actually, it’s always tricky when you go offline at Bathurst!
“The biggest opportunity is of course Conrod Straight, so you want to make sure you have a good run out of Forrest Elbow.
“The Nordschleife… Is more similar to Bathurst, just in a much longer way. When you’re battling, if you catch traffic or if they catch traffic, it’s what you have to play with.”
With weather looming ahead of the race, the prospect of a Nurburgring 24 Hour in the rain is very real. Winkelhock expects that to play into the Scherer Sport PHX team’s chances.
“It’s all about being on the right tyre at the right time,” said Winkelhock. “It’s about the driver’s call, on how the conditions are, but also the team – they see the whole track.
“There’s people informing the team about the conditions all around the track, because it’s so big compared to the Grand Prix circuit.
“This year will be a proper team race. It’s driver-centric, but the team has to do a lot of work, to manage as best as possible to make the best choice for [the driver].”
Dacia added to IGTC entry!
SRO has dubbed the Dacia Logan as an ‘honourable’ additional IGTC entry for the weekend!
An honorary Intercontinental entry 🫡 #IGTC | #24hNBR 🌲 pic.twitter.com/pYo2MB0Flm
— Intercontinental GT Challenge (@IntercontGTC) May 30, 2024
IGTC elements explained
SRO’s Tom Hornsby has released a video explaining how the IGTC aspects of the event will work at the N24 – Notable this race will not feature on the regular SRO ‘GTWorld’ YouTube Channel.
N24 EXPLAINED 🤔
New to @24hNBR? Same here! But we’ve got you covered…#IGTC | #24hNBR 🌲 pic.twitter.com/JwbKSvgkQY
— Intercontinental GT Challenge (@IntercontGTC) May 31, 2024
