The 54th edition of the ADAC RAVENOL Nürburgring 24 Hours immediately delivered chaos around the Nordschleife, with punctures, penalties, crashes and multiple lead changes shaping the opening two hours of the race. A strategic offset in the pit cycle briefly brought the #45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3 to the front, but the race-leading Ferrari was later eliminated after a heavy crash for Thierry Vermeulen.
Close Fight at The Front
At the start, Marco Mapelli in the #130 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 jumped the lights to take the lead from second on the grid. Mirko Bortolotti in the #84 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracán GT3 slotted into second from pole position, followed by Daniel Juncadella in the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 who had a slight but consequential touch with Bortolotti’s Lambo in the first corner.
Juncadella immediately began putting pressure on the two Lamborghinis during the opening lap. While battling with the Mercedes-AMG driver, Bortolotti suffered contact that later caused a left-rear puncture on the #84 Lamborghini. The Italian driver was forced to return to the pits immediately, dropping the polesitting car out of the fight for the lead before a single lap was completed.
Maximilian Paul in the #7 Konrad Motorsport Lamborghini Huracán GT3 moved ahead of Kévin Estre in the #911 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R after wheel-to-wheel contact. Juncadella also tried another attack on Marco Mapelli but briefly went onto the grass during the battle.
The first problems came very early. Dan Harper spun the #99 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3 at the Goodyear hairpin, while the #320 Four Motors Bioconcept-Car Porsche 911 GT3 Cup of Henrik Bollerslev went into the gravel.
After Bortolotti’s puncture, Marco Mapelli inherited the race lead in the #130 Lamborghini. However, the battle with Juncadella soon came under investigation. Race control later gave the #130 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini a 32-second penalty for a jump start.
Another problem came for Aston Martin when the #35 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 of Felipe Fernández Laser stopped at Hohe Acht.
Verstappen Climbs Through The Field
Maximilian Paul briefly moved into the lead after passing Kévin Estre, while several front-running cars came into the pits, including Mapelli, Frank Stippler, Augusto Farfus, Adam Christodoulou, Marco Wittmann, and David Schumacher.
After the stops, Thomas Neubauer in the #45 Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi Ferrari 296 GT3 moved to the front of the race after the team’s earlier stop allowed them to complete a shorter pitstop sequence than the cars around them. Christopher Mies in the #64 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 followed behind, with Nicki Thiim in the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 also running near the front.
Max Verstappen charged forward, being one of the biggest moments of the opening hours after Daniel Juncadella handed the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 over to Max Verstappen.
Verstappen nearly had an accident on his out lap after the car went airborne at Pflanzgarten. The Dutch driver almost hit the barriers but managed to keep the car under control.
After that moment, Verstappen quickly began moving forward through the field. He overtook Adam Christodoulou and Christian Engelhart before later passing Jesse Krohn to move into fifth place.
Raffaele Marciello also made progress in the #1 Rowe Racing BMW M4 GT3, climbing into the top ten after overtaking Christodoulou.
Meanwhile, the #67 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3 of Frank Stippler received a 10-second penalty for earlier contact with Volker Strycek in the #40 W.I.S Racing Team BMW Z4 GT3.
Race-Leading Ferrari Crashes Out
The first big crash happened at Schwedenkreuz. Dominik Fugel in the #75 Max Kruse Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 suffered a right-rear tyre failure and crashed heavily into the barriers. The damage ended the race for the AT1 class-leading Audi.
At the front, Thomas Neubauer continued to control the race for Realize Kondo Racing with Rinaldi. By the end of the second hour, he held a ten-second lead over Christopher Mies, while Thomas Preining, Jesse Krohn, Frank Stippler, and Max Verstappen remained close behind.
Not long after, the #45 Kondo Ferrari completed a driver change, with Thierry Vermeulen taking over the car from race leader Thomas Neubauer.
However, the Ferrari’s strong run came to a sudden end soon after. Vermeulen crashed heavily while trying to pass the #969 Sorg Rennsport Porsche Cayman of Joshua Jacobs. The Dutch driver touched the grass during the move and lost control, sending the Ferrari into the barriers and out of the race.
As different pit strategies begin to unfold, the #3 Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 leads the race ahead of the #67 HRT Ford Racing Ford Mustang GT3, with the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 closely following in third.
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