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GT Racing
GT: Phoenix Audi Wins Nürburgring 24
Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock lead a 1-2 finish for Audi...
The No. 3 Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra enjoyed a flawless run en route to victory at the Nurburgring 24. (Photo: John Dagys)
In an accident-filled around-the-clock marathon that caught out a number of contending entries, Audi broke through to claim its first overall victory in the famed Nürburgring 24.
The No. 3 Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock led a 1-2 finish for the German manufacturer, thanks to a high rate of attrition from fellow competitors in the premier SP9 category.
Thirty-one GT3-specification cars started the 40th edition of the ADAC Zurich 24h-Race but only 16 were classified at the end of a brutal 24 hours, surprisingly mostly run rain-free.
With the pole-sitting and early race-leading No. 19 BMW Team Schubert Z4 GT3 losing six laps overnight due to driveshaft failure and its sister No. 20 entry facing gearbox woes after also leading, it narrowed the race down to an Audi vs. Mercedes duel.
Audi lost its top entry in the early morning when Christopher Mies crashed the leading No. 2 Phoenix Audi when a brief spell of rain came in the 15th hour, handing the lead to the No. 22 ROWE Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of American Le Mans Series veteran Klaus Graf, who impressed in the changing weather conditions.
However, Graf’s Mercedes also hit trouble, with suspension failure ending in an eventual retirement for the gull-wing beast with six hours to go.
The flurry of incidents opened up the door for Audi’s second factory backed R8 LMS ultra to take over the lead and cruise to three-minute and 35-second victory over the No. 26 Mamerow Racing entry of Chris Mamerow, Christian Abt, Michael Ammermuller and Armin Hahne in second.
It marked a historic sweep of the top two overall positions for Audi in its fourth attempt with the R8 LMS at the N24. Additionally, it marked the second race victory for the locally based Phoenix outfit, which took top honors here with an Opel Astra V8 Coupe in 2003.
"It was a great weekend for us, for the whole team,” Winkelhock said. “We had a perfect car that had no problems. It's just amazing to stand on the podium. It was a really tough race and it was really competitive.”
The No. 3 Audi completed 155 laps, or more than 2,400 miles, around the combination Nürburgring Grand Prix and Nordschleife circuit, nearly surpassing the race's distance record after a trouble-free run for the Phoenix squad.
Runner up Chris Mamerow added: "It was a really, really tough race. During the night, we lost some time but in the end, we stayed calm and drove with no mistakes. This was the key to our success here that we are on the podium as the top Audi customer sports team."
While having earned endurance race victories at Spa, Zolder and Bathurst over the past 12 months, today's win was the first for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, which only debuted last month.
"For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands," said Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport. "Over the last 24 hours nothing whatsoever was handed to us on a plate. Our victorious drivers and teams produced a fantastic, consistent and error free performance."
The No. 66 Hankook Team Heico Mercedes of Christian Frankenhout, Andreas Simonsen, Pierre Kaffer and Lance David Arnold finished a surprise third overall and in class after its sister No. 65 machine stopped on track with 15 minutes to go with overheating issues.
PHOTOS: Nürburgring 24 Gallery
The No. 3 Audi Sport Team Phoenix Audi R8 LMS ultra of Marc Basseng, Christopher Haase, Frank Stippler and Markus Winkelhock led a 1-2 finish for the German manufacturer, thanks to a high rate of attrition from fellow competitors in the premier SP9 category.
Thirty-one GT3-specification cars started the 40th edition of the ADAC Zurich 24h-Race but only 16 were classified at the end of a brutal 24 hours, surprisingly mostly run rain-free.
With the pole-sitting and early race-leading No. 19 BMW Team Schubert Z4 GT3 losing six laps overnight due to driveshaft failure and its sister No. 20 entry facing gearbox woes after also leading, it narrowed the race down to an Audi vs. Mercedes duel.
Audi lost its top entry in the early morning when Christopher Mies crashed the leading No. 2 Phoenix Audi when a brief spell of rain came in the 15th hour, handing the lead to the No. 22 ROWE Racing Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 of American Le Mans Series veteran Klaus Graf, who impressed in the changing weather conditions.
However, Graf’s Mercedes also hit trouble, with suspension failure ending in an eventual retirement for the gull-wing beast with six hours to go.
The flurry of incidents opened up the door for Audi’s second factory backed R8 LMS ultra to take over the lead and cruise to three-minute and 35-second victory over the No. 26 Mamerow Racing entry of Chris Mamerow, Christian Abt, Michael Ammermuller and Armin Hahne in second.
It marked a historic sweep of the top two overall positions for Audi in its fourth attempt with the R8 LMS at the N24. Additionally, it marked the second race victory for the locally based Phoenix outfit, which took top honors here with an Opel Astra V8 Coupe in 2003.
"It was a great weekend for us, for the whole team,” Winkelhock said. “We had a perfect car that had no problems. It's just amazing to stand on the podium. It was a really tough race and it was really competitive.”
The No. 3 Audi completed 155 laps, or more than 2,400 miles, around the combination Nürburgring Grand Prix and Nordschleife circuit, nearly surpassing the race's distance record after a trouble-free run for the Phoenix squad.
Runner up Chris Mamerow added: "It was a really, really tough race. During the night, we lost some time but in the end, we stayed calm and drove with no mistakes. This was the key to our success here that we are on the podium as the top Audi customer sports team."
While having earned endurance race victories at Spa, Zolder and Bathurst over the past 12 months, today's win was the first for the Audi R8 LMS ultra, which only debuted last month.
"For three years the Audi R8 LMS was always the best GT3 car at the Nürburgring. Now we have taken overall victory in the fight with seven other brands," said Dieter Gass, Head of Racing Commitments at Audi Sport. "Over the last 24 hours nothing whatsoever was handed to us on a plate. Our victorious drivers and teams produced a fantastic, consistent and error free performance."
The No. 66 Hankook Team Heico Mercedes of Christian Frankenhout, Andreas Simonsen, Pierre Kaffer and Lance David Arnold finished a surprise third overall and in class after its sister No. 65 machine stopped on track with 15 minutes to go with overheating issues.
PHOTOS: Nürburgring 24 Gallery
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