Nicki Thiim, Marco Sorensen and Mattia Drudi will start the GT World Challenge Europe Powered by AWS Endurance Cup at the Nürburgring from pole position. Aston Martin was challenged by McLaren, Porsche and BMW, but came out on top.
The three laps drivers’ laps gave Comtoyou Racing the best average of 1:53.591, more than a tenth ahead of the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes. Lionspeed GP looked competitive with both cars and especially with the #80 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, but didn’t manage to catch the #7 Aston Martin.
Thiim was behind the wheel in Q3 to get pole. He thanked his teammates and team for that as well. “It’s every boy’s, every man’s, every racing driver’s dream just to be able to drive this car with low fuel, new tires,” Thiim tells GT REPORT after the qualifying session. “It’s really always an adventure because you really want to come out on top and don’t know what to expect.
“It’s fantastic, one lap was really what was in it, then the tires were dead. Obviously you have to nail it, but it feels fantastic,” the Danish driver says. McLaren and BMW were very competitive in the beginning of the session, where quick track evolution was visible. Thiim, Sorensen and Drudi struck when they needed to.
Nürburgring puts a smile on Thiim’s face
While the weather and the circumstances can be unpredictable and situations can quickly change, everybody loves the Nürburgring. Thiim praises the iconic track after getting out of the car, full of adrenaline: “One lap and that’s all that was in the tyres. I don’t have much to say! You just have to nail it, because you could obviously feel the rear sliding around. But what a cool track,” he says.
“I love coming here to the Nürburgring, especially this track layout is so much fun,” he refers to the Grand Prix track that GT World Challenge uses, instead of the sprint layout the DTM championship races on. “This was only half of the job. Let’s go into the three hours. It’s obviously a good place to be around here and it’s hard to overtake. Let’s give it a go.”
With qualifying done, the race is next on the schedule. The three-hour race at the Nürburgring will start at 15:00 hrs on Sunday afternoon.
