NURBURG, Germany — The battle for the best grid positions at the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring has begun. In the first two qualifying sessions of the weekend, the almost 130 teams started the hunt for the best times in changeable weather.
While for the majority of the teams it was already about the pre-decisive grid positions in the 25 different classes, this first day of the endurance classic was primarily a warm-up for the first big showdown for the GT3 cars with the fastest times on the day.
This is because they will be battling for grid positions on the front rows in top qualifying late on Friday afternoon from 5:30 p.m. – 15 top-class GT3 cars will then fight for the five remaining places in the decisive Top Qualifying 2 before the final battle for pole: a dramatic climax to a day full of attractions and thrilling racing action.
Fans can catch all of the action on SPEED SPORT 1, including Saturday’s race at 9:30 a.m. ET
Dan Harper, who set the fastest time in the RMG-BMW No. 72 in the first qualifying session and improved it again in the second qualifying session, set the clearest exclamation mark in qualifying: His 8:17.236 minutes on Thursday were significantly faster than the times of his rivals.
“It’s going quite well for us,” said the Briton happily, “We set the fastest lap, but its value is obviously limited. The conditions today are really challenging. On my fastest lap, the track was largely dry, but there are treacherous, slippery spots, especially where the rain has washed mud onto the track. In Q1, we concentrated on our mandatory laps, which every driver has to complete. In Q2, the focus was more on completing a few fast laps. In four GT3 starts at the 24h, I’ve yet to finish – that’s why this is the most important task for me. We have shown in the past that we are really fast and I believe that if we finish the race, we can finish well up front.” The class leader set a clear time with his best time along the way: The second-placed brand colleagues in the Rowe-BMW No. 98 and the Mercedes-AMG #11 from Schnitzelalm-Racing only cracked the 8:21 mark on the 25.378 km circuit. What all three of the fastest drivers in practice have in common is that they are not yet guaranteed a grid position in Top Qualifying 2, where the best grid positions will be allocated on Friday.
The direction taken in the GT3 class, which is capable of overall victory, was completely different, with the teams focusing on a concentrated testing and set-up program. After all, the weather on the Nordschleife this weekend has been changeable and damp or wet, unlike in the preparation races.
Slippery sections of the track therefore caused a few slips with Code 60 phases, which often prevented fast laps. In addition, there was heavy rainfall in the second half of qualifying 1, which meant that the best laps were more like scent marks for the two-part individual time trial on Friday, after which the polesitter and his pursuers will be determined.
