- Successful counterattack with tire poker after a bitter setback
- Audi Sport Team WRT wins again
- Rowe Racing takes second place in the final
First deeply saddened, then in the land of dreams: thanks to an up-to-date poker at the last pit stop two laps before the end, Markus Winkelhock, Kelvin van der Linde, Christopher Mies and Connor de Phillippi fought for victory in the 45th ADAC Zurich 24-hour race the Nürburgring, which actually seemed lost. 90 minutes before the end, a defective sensor on the Audi R8 LMS with # 29 had cost the team of Wolfgang Land the lead after many hours at the top and apparently let the dream of victory burst. However, when rain suddenly set in two laps before the end, the team put on rain tires at the last second of the already misplaced pit stop and caught up with the rivals that had already rushed. The tangible victory on profile-free slicks still slipped through the fingers of the leading WRT-Audi # 9 at the time. Final driver René Rast even had to hand over second place to Nick Catsburg in the Rowe Racing BMW M6 GT3 # 98 after both had switched to rain tires for the last lap.
"I do not know what to say, for me the race was actually already lost," said an almost speechless Markus Winkelhock after his overall third Nürburgring triumph after 2012 and 2014, the 205.000 spectators witnessed throughout the weekend. For Christopher Mies it was the second success on the ring after 2015, Kelvin van der Linde, Connor de Philippi and team boss Wolfgang Land climbed for the first time on top of the podium.
Hitchcock thriller in the last minutes
"Now I finally understand why the Nürburgring is called 'Green Hell'," said de Phillippi. "I only got the command over the radio: Push, push, push," revealed driver van der Linde. "That was a real Hitchcock thriller. I am relieved and immensely proud of my troupe, which has never given up and has always said: the race is not over until the black and white checkered flag. Now it's just a celebration, "said Wolfgang Land.
Three-time Le Mans winner Marcel Fässler, who shared the #9 alongside Rast with Nico Müller and Robin Frijns, also went the day after his 41. Birthday in the Eifel again empty. Despite all the disappointment, the Swiss allowed the success of the brand colleagues "who deserve the victory". By contrast, Rowe Racing was in high spirits. "That was absolute chaos. One has only decided on feeling. Second place is a win for everyone. The show was gigantic. That was motorsport in a class of its own ", said team boss Hans-Peter Naundorf after the best placing so far of his team on the ring, which Catsburg fought with Markus Palttala, Alexander Sims and Richard Westbrook.
"That was a hot race weekend in the proverbial sense! Incredibly great weather, tough position fights to the last minute and fans who have celebrated a huge party: The 24h race was a real motorsport festival, "said race director Wolfgang Hornung, after 23 ¾ hours with Eifel-untypical sunshine, a spectacular finale in the rain experienced. Because a cloudburst in the last minutes turned the race again on its head. While Rast and Catsburg skidded helplessly over the Nordschleife in the penultimate round with slick tires without a clue, van der Linde fought his way back to the top in his Land-Audi with his rain tires.
Best Mercedes-AMG was last year's winner of Black Falcon with the #1 in fifth place right in front of the Frikadelli Porsche #31 in sixth place. The weekly mirror Ferrari #22 took seventh place, best Bentley was the #37 by Abt on the 16. Place.
All photos: SB-Medien, Stefan Baldauf, Guido ten Brink