Throughout the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring weekend, Moritz Kranz will share behind-the-scenes updates from inside the #904 Mühlner Motorsport powered by H&R Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

In this debrief, Kranz looks back on a chaotic opening day of qualifying in mixed conditions, explains a small technical issue during the night session, and outlines why the focus at this stage of the weekend is simply getting laps in and staying out of trouble around the Nordschleife.

Day one is done with Qualifying 1 and 2 completed, and the conditions were quite tricky throughout the day.

The main focus for us was getting everybody into the car, completing the minimum laps and doing a proper shakedown to make sure everything was running smoothly. Especially during Qualifying 1, the conditions made things difficult. I think everybody could see how chaotic it was at times with a lot of incidents on track.

In Qualifying 2, we actually had a small issue straight away. On the first flying lap, the engine suddenly stopped because of a problem with the crankshaft sensor. Fortunately, the mechanics fixed it quite quickly and we were able to get back out without losing too much time. After that, the priority was simply getting some night laps done, making sure everybody had seen the track in the dark and double-checking that everything, including the lights, was working properly.

For us in the Cup car, where we’re not fighting for the Top Qualifying sessions overall, this part of the weekend is mainly about getting laps in, finding a rhythm and making sure everything is prepared for Saturday. With the changing conditions we had, pushing flat out is always relative anyway.

Of course you still want to be quick, but whether you start P3, P4 or P5 in class doesn’t make a huge difference at this stage. Around the Nordschleife, the level of risk is always something you have to keep in mind, especially in conditions like these.