2024 Nurburgring 24 Hours

At the start of a month which has been heralded as the greatest month in endurance racing history, all eyes were on the mountainous Eifel region in Germany, where the first of three 24h races in Europe was to take place. June 2024 will see a gargantuan month of racing. Ahead of both Le Mans 24h and the 24h of Spa Francorchamps, perhaps the toughest challenge of the three, the 24 hours of Nurburgring started proceedings.

The densely forested hills of the Vulkaneifel which surround the Nurburgring, craft the perfect setting for a racetrack, winding, cambered corners, undulating terrain, rising and falling with alarming regularity, and spectacular views in moments where the thick forest reveals the far reaching views beyond. The track itself is nothing less than a legend, one which transcends all expectations, and brings together generations in their appreciation of the challenge of the Nordschleife, a track revered by seasoned race fans, and younger generations too.

A celebrated racing venue for over 100 years, host to Formula One races, the Nurburgring has become synonymous with endurance racing. The first 1000km Nurburgring was held in 1953, only 17 years before the first 24h race, which paved the way for the Nurburging Norschleife to be cemented into endurance racing legend. A track unlike any other, which has a sense of allure and mystique intertwined with the dense, foreboding atmosphere that hangs in the woodland air like a thick mist. The moniker “Green Hell” is richly deserved, and while the modern era has seen a sterilization of the track of sorts with the surface remodelled in numerous parts to eradicate many of the bumps and undulations, the legendary circuit offers a challenge unlike any other racetrack on the planet.

An atmosphere like no other.

Upon arrival at the Nurburgring, the first thing that strikes you is the atmosphere. This venue is unlike anything else I have seen at a race. Almost the entirety of the circuit, even before any racing had begun, was lined with makeshift grandstands, huge marquees, and campsites which extended far into the woods. Over 240,000 spectators attended the event over the weekend, with a vigor and passion which has to be up there with the most intense spectator atmospheres at any sporting event on the planet, once thing can be sure, that the German beer industry certainly thanks the Nurburgring for hosting this event year on year. As your eyes absorb the festival atmosphere around you, momentarily, it almost passes unnoticed that the mud is up to a foot deep in places, and with the clouds overhead threatening, it seemed unlikely that conditions underfoot would have any chance of improvement over the course of the weekend. It made for hellish conditions for the thousands of fans camped around the perimeter of the circuit. If the weather held out, it might just be ok!

Practice sessions

The weather did not comply, and this was to be a theme as the weekend progressed. The first practice session was held in supremely wet conditions as a barrage of torrential downpours barraged the Eifel region. The brightly liveried #72 BMW of Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Charles Weerts set the fastest time of the session, with an 8.21.487 seeing off the challenge of the #11 Schnitzelalm Mercedes and the #911 Manthey Porsche. The threat of rain was always in close proximity, but dry conditions prevailed for the second practice session, where Dan Harper once again topped the time sheets with an 8.17.236, clearly ahead of the rest of the field. Harper had been on blistering form throughout the first day, mastering the treacherous conditions to cement the #72 BMW in many people’s minds as the favorite to take the checkered flag on Sunday afternoon.

Qualifying

Qualifying saw the #911 ‘Grello’ Porsche 911 hit fine form, lighting up the timing sectors and looking very sharp at the top of the field. The form of the #72 BMW looked momentarily like it had dried up, as it missed out on initial progression through to the final shootout, relying upon the talent of Dan Harper to lay down an 8m12 lap to squeeze them through into the final push for pole. As reward for Harpers relentless pace over the weekend, Max Hesse put in a blistering lap to claim pole in a very close session – the only driver to drop into the 8.10s, narrowly edging out the Grello #911 Porsche and the #16 Audi R8 to consolidate the top three positions to take the start. Seeing the SP9 class at the jump at Pflanzgarten in qualifying is supremely thrilling, cars leaving the ground at high speed showcases the level of risk that is taken to push these GT3 cars to the limit. It richly deserves the accolades it gathers, for being one of the most spectacular spectator spots in Europe for experiencing the thrill of motorsport. The blistering speed, the crunch as bodywork contacts the asphalt upon touchdown, the cacophony of engine notes. It really is a spot that has it all.

Race day

After a brief and sparsely populated warm up session in cool, damp conditions, Saturday afternoon welcomed an electrifying atmosphere around the Nurburgring. Fans around the Nordschleife were admirably still on their feet, after close to a week of continuous partying. The public gridwalk saw huge numbers of fans crowd the grid, with grandstands packed to the rafters. The traditional parade lap saw a superb atmosphere, where fans were allowed to line the sides of the track to cheers as the cars took formation for the start, smoke and flares thickening the air, as the first drops of rain fell.

As the lights went green and the cars took the start, the pole #72 BMW dived into the pits to ditch its dry tyres, leaving the Grello Porsche and the #98 BMW to contest the lead. Dan Harper put in a supreme shift to drag his BMW back to a mere 44 seconds off the lead, but it was looking in the early stages that the Grello Porsche had the pace to stake a claim for the victory. The rain showers in the first hour amounted to very little, yet made track conditions unpredictable and somewhat challenging. Certainly towards Hatzenbach it appeared that no one was immune to a twitchy rear end as they applied the throttle out of the slow left hander.

The decision for the #911 to extend the stint, a couple of hours into the race saw them fall down the order, with the #98 Rowe BMW in the hands of Augusto Farfus leading the order. The #16 Scherer Audi an ever-present in the upper echelons of the race standings.

As day turned to night, the headline of the weekend started to unfurl. While rain looked unlikely, visibility was starting to worsen. It was noticeable, while photographing, that the headlights seemed more dazzling, and the rear lights diffusing an ever-increasing red glow. The night had arrived, the Nordschleife living up to its fierce reputation, with a huge fire taking hold in one of the cars near Brunnchen, and the swirling mist making visibility difficult, and a number of competitors having moments as the racing line dampened under the falling fog. At this moment, the Scherer Audi of Stippler, Mies and Marschall was in the lead, having played the strategic game well. A glance at the clock, not even midnight, and suddenly, red flags were waved.

No clear sight to the checkered flag.

With 16 hours and 37 minutes left to race of the 2024 Nurburgring 24h, the red flags were brought out. Visibility had gotten so poor, particularly around the GP circuit, that marshals were unable to see from post to post, and conditions were deemed unsafe to continue racing. In the depths of the forest, news had traveled that the race would not restart until the morning, and updates would be given no sooner than 7am the following morning.

A brief night of unexpected sleep, and back to the circuit. Visibility was atrocious, whilst the surrounding area was overcast, the Nurburgring, like a magnet, seemed to be attracting the thickest fog in all of Germany. In the media center, updates were broadcast from Race Control, each one delivering no new news, just advising that another update would follow. This long, unrewarding game continued for hours, with a glance out of the window confirming that it looked unlikely that much would change.

Around lunchtime, a message was delivered, that the race would recommence behind the safety cars for five sighter laps. If it was deemed safe, the race would restart following these five laps, if conditions remained the same, then the checkered flag would fall at the end of the fifth lap. By this point, the dawning realization had struck that it was unlikely that anything would change, and over the course of five slow, tentative laps around the Nordschleife, we were seeing an extended lap of honor for the race winning car, the #16 Scherer Sport Audi R8 GT3.

Decisions like this are tough to make, and while it can feel like a sucker punch, essentially it was the correct decision. Kudos to the team at the Nurburgring for making the right call at the right time, and despite the desire of a quarter of a million spectators to see some race cars joust for a full 24 hours, the conditions were just not suitable to go racing. It seems that the curtailment of endurance races has become a ‘thing’ over the past twelve months, but with Le Mans looming large on the horizon, let’s hope that this dawn of a new golden age of endurance racing, delivers an all-timer for us all to enjoy.