Nürburgring 24 Hours 20 Hour update: Rowe BMW hunts Manthey Porsche with four hours to go; incident under review

After a dramatic Saturday that saw the red flag waved due to a widespread power outage, the 2025 ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring roared back to life with a four-way fight for the lead. As we enter the final four hours, the #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R leads the way, just seconds ahead of the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3. Pressure is mounting and the battle is far from over.

Red flag behind, four-car fight ahead

When racing resumed at 19:45 on Saturday after a lengthy red flag, it was the #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R that led the field back onto the Nordschleife. The Top Qualifying pole-sitter was joined up front by the #33 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R and the #98 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3, but as night fell, the order began to shift. Taking advantage of pit strategy, the #45 REALIZE KONDO RACING with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3 rejoined in fourth and climbed into podium contention.

GT3: Changing fortunes overnight

The Falken challenge unravelled early in the night. The #33 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R, which had started from the front row, was eliminated when Julien Andlauer hit a spun car at the second corner. Although he walked away uninjured, the damage forced retirement. The sister #44 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R retired Sunday morning with a driveshaft failure after stopping at Galgenkopf.

The second-placed #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 made headlines during the night as it chased down the leaders, only to be forced into retirement around 5:45 due to an engine issue after a system reset failed. That heartbreak elevated the Ferrari and BMW into second and third respectively.

Meanwhile, the #17 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3 driven by Ralf Aron climbed up to fourth by passing the #28 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3, but was later wheeled into the garage with a broken front-left shock absorber. A long repair followed before rejoining. The #7 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 remained in the top 10 despite a costly 245-second penalty for Code 60 speeding by Pavel Lefterov.

Manthey in control, Ferrari and BMW in pursuit

The #911 Manthey Porsche held the lead throughout the night thanks to a faultless run by Kévin Estre, Ayhancan Güven and Thomas Preining. The trio maintained consistent pace while avoiding trouble and managing pit sequences with clinical precision. Behind them, the #45 Kondo Racing Ferrari ran a long stint with Axcil Jefferies at the wheel, then handed over to Thomas Neubauer in the morning. The car’s earlier puncture just after the restart was a setback, but the team has recovered well.

The #98 Rowe BMW, the lone BMW M4 GT3 in the field, emerged as another podium contender during the night. Jesse Krohn, Augusto Farfus, Raffaele Marciello and Kelvin van der Linde kept the car within striking distance, with Van der Linde noting the BMW had finally come into its window as temperatures dropped. Raffaele Marciello later took over and began closing in on the leader during Hour 19, with Estre and Marciello trading fast laps.

Halfway into the morning, drama struck at the front when Estre collided with the #179 Dörr Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 at the fast Kallenhard sweepers in a miscommunication while lapping. The GT4 rolled over after being sent into the guardrail, though driver Rolf Scheibner walked away uninjured. Marciello narrowly avoided the incident, and Jordan Pepper in the #27 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3 made an emergency stop. No penalty has yet been issued.

Notable class action and incidents

The night brought cleaner racing than the chaotic evening before, though several incidents still shaped the race:

The #303 Hyundai Motor Company Elantra N Cup was hit by the #27 Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 while exiting a Code 60 near Pflanzgarten, ending the Hyundai’s race.
A heavy collision between the #74 PROsport Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 and the #300 MSC Wahlscheid Dacia Logan at the airfield section ended both cars’ races and triggered a prolonged Code 60.
In GT4, the #175 Dörr Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 continued a competitive run before suffering a puncture that cost it ground.
The #88 Subaru Tecnica International Subaru WRX returned after a three-and-a-half hour repair following a crash with Tim Schrick at the wheel.
In the Cup2 class, the #948 Black Falcon Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) of Müller, Nagelsdiek, Pereira and Rivas leads with a clean run.

4 Hours remain

With just four hours remaining, the #911 Manthey Porsche continues to set the pace – but with a possible penalty looming. The #98 Rowe BMW is in hot pursuit, while the #28 Abt Sportsline Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 remains a few minutes adrift in third. The #65 HRT Ford Performance Ford Mustang GT3 has made impressive progress through the night and morning to touch the top five, the #45 Kondo Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 remains a podium threat, and the #27 Red Bull Team Abt Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 is the final car on the lead lap.

Catch the final hours of the race on GT.REPORT/live.