Opening hours with good perspective for Mercedes-AMG in 24-hour race at the Nürburgring 29.05.2022: Customer Racing: ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring The 50th running of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring has got off to a turbulent start. In ideal weather and track conditions, a race that was fast and thrilling in equal manners with numerous

Customer Racing: ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring


The 50th running of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring has got off to a turbulent start. In ideal weather and track conditions, a race that was fast and thrilling in equal manners with numerous duels and overtaking manoeuvres unfolded from the first second onwards. For the teams with the Mercedes-AMG GT3s, next no some positions gained, there were also some slight setbacks to report.



 With increasing duration of the race, three GT3s from Affalterbach were able to cement their positions in the top ten of the race: the #3 and #4 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed car and the #6 Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN entry. As darkness is falling, all seven Mercedes-AMG GT3s are still in the race and are taking on the upcoming hours with good perspectives.


•    Intermediate standings after six hours of racing: three Mercedes-AMG GT3s in the top ten
Maro Engel (GER) in particular was able to make good use of the start of the race: the driver of the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed charged ahead with his #4 GT3 from 14th place on the grid all the way up to P7 in the first few corners.

The other six Mercedes-AMG GT3s also managed to make it through the turbulent first stints largely without any damage. Subsequently, the field sorted itself out and the AMG driver, doing double stints for most of the time, held on to their positions.



In the process, close duels and contact between opponents occurred frequently at the around 25 kilometres long combination of the Grand Prix circuit and the Nordschleife. On lap 19, it also affected the #12 BILSTEIN GT3. Contact with a slower car led to a puncture that put the co-favourite a bit over 1.5 laps down. After the necessary repair in the pits, the trio with Phillip Ellis (SUI), Raffaele Marciello (SUI) and Luca Stolz (GER) is able to keep up with the times of the front runners during its recovery drive. There was also setback for the #55 Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf car that lost valuable positions following a damper failure.



As darkness sets in, there are still four Mercedes-AMG GT3s on the lead lap of the race: next to the #3 and #4 Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed cars, these also include the #6 Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN and the #34 Team Schnitzelalm entries. As a result, the two Pro-Am cars rank among the top candidates for class honours.



Maro Engel, Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #4: “Our Mercedes-AMG GT3 is running well. We had a super start and made up ground right away. Then, sadly, we also lost some time again during the duels. All the cars are still incredibly closely together.”



Maximilian Götz, Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #3: “My double stint at the beginning of the race, these really were two intense hours of racing. For us, it was a good sign how trouble-free the car is running. Now, we have to improve our position and keep on fighting.”



Hubert Haupt, Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN #6: “During the code 60s, it really is a lottery. Sometimes you benefit, sometimes they make you drop back. During my stint, I sadly lost some time in the process as well, but we are only just a few hours into the race, many things can still happen.”



Luca Stolz, Mercedes-AMG Team BILSTEIN #12: “After the accident, there was a puncture at Hatzenbach and I had to drive back slowly all the way to the pits. That cost a massive amount of time. But we aren’t giving up.”



Marek Böckmann, Schnitzelalm Racing #34: “The start was risky. It felt rather like a sprint race. Due to the many collisions, there currently are many debris on the track as well. I am happy that we are still running without any damage and able to drive in a clean way.”



Patrick Assenheimer, Mercedes-AMG Team Landgraf #55: “The start was difficult for me because here, it is much more competitive than in other races. We were able to hold our ground quite nicely. Unfortunately, we then had a broken damper at the left rear. That cost a lot of time, but the team did a super job and replaced the damper within just four minutes. Now, we are back on track and continue to fight.”




 
Jochen Übler,  photos Marc Hilger