NLS2 qualifying report: Third straight pole for Stippler on damp Nordschleife

Scherer Sport Team Phoenix driver Frank Stippler took his third VLN Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) pole position in a row in qualifying for NLS2 beating teammate Kuba Giermaziak by a mere 0.062sec.

Fog delayed the final qualifying session of the year by 30 minutes, shortening the session to one hour. Cold temperatures and rain overnight meant the track remained slippery until the end and different ideas of which tyres to start the session on, but it became clear quickly that rain tyres were the ones to go with.

In the three-way fight for pole between the #5 Scherer Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Frank Stippler, #16 Scherer Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS GT3 of Kuba Giermaziak and #25 Huber Motorsport Porsche 991.2 GT3R of Nico Menzel, it was Stippler who beat them in the final moments by setting an 8m47.988sec.

Giermaziak looked en route to steal pole from his German teammate as he had completed previous sectors faster than anyone else but came up short just 0.062sec in the final sector, still making it a full Phoenix Racing front row.

Between the three, Nico Menzel crossed the line first but his 8m49.328sec would not hold up for pole position. However, with Dennis Fetzer as his teammate the Huber Motorsport team starts with a full Pro line-up and a real chance to win outright.

Luca-Sandro Trefz put the #55 Landgraf Motorsport Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Menzel on the third row with a lap time of 8m50.915sec, while Christian Krognes in the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT3 (8m59.076sec) and the #107 Team Mathol Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Dorian Boccolacci 9m07.525sec complete the third row. Matteo Cairoli qualified the SP-X-classed #30 Dinamic Motorsport Porsche 992 GT3R (9m01.186sec) on sixth place but due to the Porsche being a GT3 prototype will have to start from the back of the first starting group.