This year’s 47th running of the Nürburgring 24 hours was memorable for reasons that had little to do with the weather (for a change), unless of course you conclude that the warm dry conditions encouraged even more bravery and commitment from the more than 150 drivers taking part.
It was won by the number-4 car of Team Phoenix racing, driven by Frédéric Vervisch, Dries Vanthoor, Pierre Kaffer and Frank Stippler, the latter of whom won it with Audi in 2012.
But the folks from Ingolstadt didn’t have it all their own way. Despite the number-4 car leading the final 16 laps, three other makes held the top spot throughout an action-packed 24 hours including the pole-sitting Black Falcon AMG-Mercedes GT and the Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R which led for 14 hours straight.
Vervisch crossed the line in exactly 24 hours 8 minutes and 14.647 seconds, at an average speed of 165.1km/h (102.6mph) and completed 157 laps, just short of the absolute distance record of 159 laps set by, yes you guessed it – and Audi R8 – in 2014.
As always, we were there and have chosen 20 of our favourite images to share with you. Enjoy..
(L) Roman Dumas takes the record setting all electric ID.R on a demonstration lap before the start of the 47th ADAC TOTAL 24H Race. (R) With 158 cars in the race it takes a staggered rolling start to manage them all. Maro Engel leads the opening lap closely followed by the Mann Filter HTP Motorsport AMG and the Manthey Racing Porsche.
(L) With so many BMW M2s taking part they get their own class (K1.KUP) The total number of M240i Racing cars was 13. (R) This is the famous Kesling Motorsport Opel Manta “foxtail” named after the foxtail adorning its aerial. This car has raced in every race since 1998 and is loved by all followers of the N24. The Foxtail even has its own twitter account!!
(L) The Team from Hyundai Motorsports made their presence felt even more so this year with a track sponsorship for two TCR class entries including this Hyundai Motorsport N Veloster aimed at an American audience. (R) In a league of its own was the Scuderia Cameron Glickenhaus SCG0003C running in a single class of SP X. This car was no slouch and managed to rise to third during the race. It would finish in 9th following extensive rebuild after an accident. After the race Jim Glickenhaus threw on some plates and drove it to the Red Bull ring to take part in the parade lap at this weekend’s F1 race!!
(L) Following a serious crash which all but finished the Manta’s chances of completing the race, it finally manages to exit its garage for the last time. As this might be the last time we see the Foxtail race, it receives a standing ovation from all in the pitlane. ‘Everyone’ stopped what they were doing to show their appreciation. (R) Just seconds before taking the lead (after 1st place was given a 5 minute penalty) the Audi Sport Team Land R8 suffered a blowout effectively preventing its change of position and taking it completely out of the race.
Original words and images: © Kevin Mc Glone (Red Square Images)
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Red Square Images
Red Square Images, headed up by Kevin Mc Glone, specialise in motorsport and automotive photography covering Industry trade shows and launches, FIA GT1, GT3, GT4, LMES, ALMS, British GT, Britcar, BTCC, Blancpain Endurance Series and GT Cup.
The team are available across Europe to capture the action at every major event in the calendar. They offer an extensive range of services from their headquarters situated at the heart of Britain's motorsport industry, near Silverstone Circuit, and can process and deliver images rapidly around the world.
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