138 teams, including 36 in SP9 (FIA GT3) and SP-X, will start the 2022 Nürburgring 24 Hours, this the 50th edition of the race, and the first of a trio of milestones for major 24 Hour races in the next three years with the Le Mans 24 Hours’centenary year in 2023 and the Spa 24 Hours hitting the same mark in 2024.
There’s great news for the fans too, with COVID restrictions lifted.
Starting number #1 naturally belongs to last year’s winners: With Michael Christensen and Kevin Estre, Manthey Racing is sending two of the winning drivers back into the race in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, who will be joined by Frédéric Makowiecki and Laurens Vanthoor.
Rowe Racing (two BMW M4 GT3 #98 and #99) and the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed (two Mercedes-AMG GT3 #3 and #4) will also be battling for victory, having won the two qualification races last weekend.
Audi was also represented on the podium of the 24h Qualifiers, by the Lionspeed by Car Collection Motorsport team (P3 in race 2), which competes with the #23 car. In addition, Audi Sport Team Phoenix (#15) will be looking to add a sixth overall 24-hour victory, behind Manthey as the second most successful team of all time in the 24-hour race.
The form book in the VLN has seen the BMW teams with the advantage on the Nordschleife this year. Rowe Racing and the BMW Junior Team were in top form at the 24h Qualifiers but there’s no room for complacency at the ‘Green Hell’:
“All manufacturers will be on an equal footing in the 24-hour race, I’m sure of that,” says Max Hesse (BMW Junior Team), “During preparation, we showed everything that’s in the BMW M4 GT3, what efforts the other manufacturers have made, we can of course not answer. We focus on ourselves.”
“In the BoP we have a few adjustments to make, and we will still fine-tune nuances before the 24h,” reveals race director Walter Hornung. “If necessary, we can even make improvements ourselves over the 24-hour weekend. Because a balanced field guarantees the most exciting sport for the spectators.”
