Nürburgring. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Markus Palttala (FIN),
Christian Krognes (NOR) and Fabian Schiller (GER) in the #102 Shell
Helix BMW M6 GT3 finished 13th overall at the Nürburgring
24 Hours (GER), making them the best-placed BMW representative. The
quartet lost time in the opening stages, following a minor
collision, but then progressed without any major issues for the rest
of the race. In unsettled weather conditions and after many
incidents, only two of the four BMW M6 GT3s that started in the SP9
class actually finished the race. The race was suspended with 3:30
hours remaining and was eventually restarted after a break of about
two hours. Victory went to the #912 Porsche. Private BMW teams
claimed three victories in the remaining classes.
Having finished runner-up last year, luck once again deserted ROWE
Racing. The #99 BMW M6 GT3 – with drivers Connor De Phillippi (USA),
Alexander Sims (GBR), Jesse Krohn (FIN) and Martin Tomczyk (GER) – was
forced to retire on Saturday evening, following a chain of unfortunate
circumstances: As a consequence of a damaged radiator following a
minor collision, the engine was damaged to such a degree that the car
could not continue. The #98 car, with Nick Catsburg (NED), John
Edwards (USA), Richard Westbrook (GBR) and Tom Blomqvist (GBR) at the
wheel, led the race several times early on, but was then handed a time
penalty that saw them drop back through the field. They then
encountered issues with the electric drive by wire system in the
night, which cost them any chances of a good position and led them to retire.
The #33 Falken Motorsports BMW M6 GT3 also lost time during repairs
in the first third of the race, but did come home 15th at
the end of the 24 hours. Jens Klingmann (GER), Alexandre Imperatori
(SUI), Stef Dusseldorp (NED) and Peter Dumbreck (GBR) shared the
driving duties.
Victory in the fiercely-competitive BMW M235i Racing Cup class, in
which 15 cars were involved, went to Heiko Eichenberg, Yannick Mettler
(both GER), Torsten Kratz (AUT) and Tristan Viidas (EST) of the
Securtal Sorg Rennsport team. They finished ahead of the Hofor Racing
powered by Bonk Motorsport and Pixum Team Adrenalin Motorsport cars in
second and third place. BMW customer teams celebrated a further two
victories in the V4 and SP4 classes.
After technical issues with the #60 BMW M4 GT4, which they shared
with Dirk Adorf (GER) and Tom Coronel (NED), BMW Motorsport Juniors
Beitske Visser (NED) and Nico Menzel (GER) came home sixth in the SP
8T class and gained valuable experience during the marathon in the
“Green Hell”.
Quotes after the Nürburgring 24 Hours:
Jens Marquardt (BMW Motorsport Director):
“Unfortunately, that was not the 24-hour race we had hoped for. We
were right up there with the leading group in terms of pace, and had
the fastest car in the field at times. That makes it all the more
disappointing that incidents and technical difficulties prevented us
from being involved in the battle for the top positions in the overall
standings. That is bitter for everyone who worked so hard during the
preparations and in the race. In the end, the #102 BMW M6 GT3 was the
best-placed BMW in 13th place. The BMW teams fought
superbly in the other classes and claimed three victories. That is the
positive side of what has, on the whole, been a very tough race for
us. Congratulations to Porsche on their overall victory. We will be
back next year.”
Augusto Farfus (#102 Shell Helix BMW M6 GT3):
“It is always a great experience to be able to drive in this race. I
would like to thank BMW Motorsport for giving me that opportunity
again this year. The new combination of team, car, tyre and drivers
was a challenge. With that in mind, we did a good job. We are the best
BMW team and got the Shell Helix BMW M6 GT3 home in one piece.”
Jens Klingmann (#33 BMW M6 GT3, Falken Motorsports):
“BMW Motorsport came here with the goal of claiming its
20th overall victory. We also wanted to achieve a maiden
win for Falken Motorsports. It was obviously disappointing to be three
laps down just a few hours into the race, due to technical issues.
Despite this, we did our best, did not make any mistakes, and brought
the car home without any further problems. Unfortunately, we were
lacking a little pace compared to the leaders, particularly in the
wet. All in all, I had a great time with Falken Motorsports. The team
is very professional and did a fantastic job.”
John Edwards (#98 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing):
“A retirement at a 24-hour race is always disappointing, but it is
particularly painful when you would have been in with a chance of
winning – and we were in with a chance. The BMW M6 GT3 was very fast
in the first few hours, in which we led the race at times. I was very
confident ahead of the rest of the race. Unfortunately, we then had issues.”
Connor De Phillippi (#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing):
“I was the third car in a chain at the start of a Code 60 zone. The
first car braked very early, which resulted in collisions behind it. I
drove into the rear of the Audi in front of me and damaged the
radiator on my car. We did not have any water pressure and I was
unable to continue. I feel very sorry for the team and my team-mates.”
Nico Menzel (#60 BMW M4 GT4, Sorg Rennsport):
“It is obviously very frustrating that we had technical issues, but
it was still nice to cross the finish line with the BMW M4 GT4. On the
whole, it was a fantastic experience. I was able to drive at the start
of my home race. Seeing all the fans along the track during the
warm-up lap almost brought a tear to my eye. I enjoyed the atmosphere.
The fact that our BMW M4 GT4 featured prominently in the TV coverage
was also great fun. I would like to say a big thank you to the Sorg
Rennsport team, which put their all into the car and did an awesome job.”
Beitske Visser (#60 BMW M4 GT4, Sorg Rennsport):
“I am very grateful that BMW made this fantastic experience possible.
It was my first 24-hour race and my long stint in the night, in
particular, was really crazy. It is very dark out there, but it is
still great fun. Generally speaking, we had a great team in our BMW M4
GT4. The atmosphere was superb and I benefitted an awful lot from the
experience of Dirk Adorf and Tom Coronel.”