Yahoo Autos Nürburgring 24: The Live Blog
Greetings from the Nürburgring!
Friday, 5:58 PM.
You know you're in Germany when the situation gets widebody Manta. Best of GM Europe, no question about it.
Friday, 6:13 PM.
Why would you race anything else than a Morgan or an NSU? Nobody can touch the Kremer Porsches in the Classic, but I guess the hardest part is that it's a three hour long race. In the heat, with no power steering, around the most physical track on the planet. These drivers are amazing.
Friday, 8:09 PM.
The Glickenhaus car gets the pole. Built to FIA-spec but packing LMP2-levels of downforce, the SCG 003C might have a slight advantage in the aero-department, but these is a huge achievement nevertheless. Now, Jim Glickenhuas is aiming for an overall win against Audi's, AMG's, BMW's, Bentley's, Ferrari's, Lamborghini's and Porsche's best. They have two cars to do a miracle with.
Saturday, 1:04 PM.
AMG turned 50 this year. To celebrate at the Nürburgring, not only did they bring the Project 1's guts, but also half of their high performance collection.
Talk about making some noise!
BMW M just across the track from AMG's place. Classy, and Team Haribo's bear gave them a thumbs up for it.
The SCG 003C continues its reign, 58 minutes in.
Saturday, 5:32 PM.
After a few pit stops and even more crashes, the order has changed significantly. The faster Glickenhaus car got into an accident as well, so it has a lot of catching up to do in the next 18+ hours. Bentleys, Audis hitting the fence one after another, and we still have two hours before the sun goes down. Carnage is just business as usual at the Green Hell.
I met Jim Glickenhaus earlier in the pits, who told me that some bloke just bought two of his SCGs. A race car and a road car, just to make sure he's covered. These guys play with cars at a whole new level.
Saturday, 6:16 PM.
There are only two reasons why I felt the need to leave the race for a couple of hours: for starters, the surprisingly pleasant, therefore very desirable E55 AMG. Slow steering, but other than that, a fun wagon from the understated side.
The other is the SLS Black Series. This needs no further explanation.
Saturday, 8:20 PM.
If you expected a deep coverage of the 24 Rennen, I'm sorry for letting you down. This should get much more entertaining once I make it into the forest. In the meantime, if you're really keen to know how many R8 LMSes remain after just five and a half hours, 24h-rennen.de/live-timing-ticker/, plus Google Translate. Neat!
Saturday, 9:47 PM.
Since I took these about an hour ago, you've guessed it right: it's dark at the N24. Which means that in the next eight hours or so, drivers can get away with minor crashes as long as their headlights stay wired up.
Oh, in case you're wondering! Just past 11 PM, the situation is this: Audi, Audi, BMW, BMW, AMG, AMG, BMW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Ferrari...
Saturday, 11:10 PM
Remember how Hyundai is here with two of their Golf GTI competitors? Well, they are here alright!
Sunday, 5:49 AM
You may be asking: Is this the Audi R8 LMS that's been leading the Nürburgring 24 Hours since yesterday afternoon?
No, that's #29. But since they look identical, I would say that's an easy mistake to make.
Sunday, 6:11 AM
Your questions regarding "what's happening in the woods at night?" shall be answered.
Can I get a used Audi R8 LMS tire free of charge from the Marshals?
Yes, but only if you and your friends are annoying enough for the Marshals to give it to you just so that you'd finally let them be.
Are there enough dirty swimming pools to put out the large number of unattended fires?
Yes, there are plenty of pools you would't want to get in contact with. These can be helpful in case of a sudden inferno.
I'm sorry, but is that Volvo a swimming pool?
Yes, indeed.
Will I make new friends at the Nürburgring?
I don't know. Are you a social drinker equipped with a headlamp?
Can I keep track of the results by the fence without using my phone?
Yes. The locals got their video feed dialed in.
Are there swings around the track I can play with?
Yes, but you have to make friends with those who built them first.
Are fireworks illegal in Colorado?
Depends on the area, but in most cases, yes. Luckily, Germany is not in Colorado.
Are there neat trucks that are the exact opposites of my mom's F-150?
Yes, with rather low tow ratings.
Is there a shortage of alcohol by the end of the week?
They will never run out of Bitburger, there's really no need to worry.
Is the Karussell kind to cars?
No, but it makes them corner faster.
Is it true that the campers feel an urge to burn everything after having the third shot of Jager on day 1?
Plastic tents, chairs, car seats...you name it.
What's the best vehicle for the job?
A fire truck camper, hands down.
Can I just show up with my tent?
Sure! Just make sure its waterproof, because the microclimate here provides plenty of rain in May.
How about sex dolls and toilet humour?
They are happy campers.
I don't know if I'm comfortable with that. Now what?
Listen to what is most likely to hit your ear around the track, and you'll be ready in no time.
Is duct tape superior to carbon fiber?
Motorsport says yes.
Okay. I'm almost convinced now that the N24 is the most insane endurance race experience on the planet.
Sunday, 11:06 AM
Well, this was their faster one.
It's Audi, Audi, BMW, BMW, AMG, AMG at the moment. Four hours and eighteen minutes to go.
Sunday, 15:12 PM
18 minutes before the end, it's raining on the Nordschleife! The former leader is back at third, but his car is on rain tires, while the others are struggling in the wet.
Sunday, 15:30 PM
The privateer R8 wins the Nürburgring 24 Hours on the rain tires against the factory team! Big comeback for Audi, very strong performance by both AMG and BMW. The SCGs are fast, but not fast enough I guess. Fabulous drive from the team behind the class-winning VW Golf, and a huge thumbs up to the two Hyundai i30 N prototypes for completing the challenge. What an end!
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