Fog shrouds dramatic 24 Hours of Nürburgring showdown
The 52nd 24-hour Nürburgring race battled brutal conditions as dense fog blanketed the legendary Nordschleife. The endurance classic was rocked by weather delays but still served up nail-biting moments and surprise twists.
Racing time slashed to just 7.5 hours
Drivers had a tiny window of 7½ hours of race action before a whopping 14-hour suspension kicked in. The contest finally wrapped with only five formation laps pending, cutting the grueling marathon short.
BMW M4 GT3s fight hard but face heartbreak
The #99 BMW M4 GT3, raced by Sheldon van der Linde, Dries Vanthoor, Robin Frijns, and Augusto Farfus, stormed to the front early. But their charge was cruelly ended by a crash, forcing retirement.
The #72 BMW M4 GT3 showed grit too, capturing third place on the red flag, while the #98 settled for eighth after pit stops.
Race starts chaos amid tire gamble
The foggy start turned into a tire lottery. The #72 and #98 BMW M4 GT3s switched to drying wets after the formation lap, while the #99 was already on them. Farfus blasted from seventh to lead within 20 minutes, thrilling fans.
Fog forces suspension, BMWs dominate class wins
The thickening fog forced a race halt at 23:22, ending hopes for full 24-hour glory. Still, BMW teams celebrated big with nine class victories:
- SP10: #188 BMW M4 GT4 (FK Performance Motorsport)
- SP8T: #145 BMW M4 GT4 (Cerny Motorsport) featuring ex-factory stars Timo Glock and Timo Scheider
- M240i: #650 BMW M240i Racing (Adrenalin Motorsport)
- SP3: #275 BMW 318ti
- SP4: #152 BMW 325CI
BMW’s class dominance proved their metal despite the unpredictable Nürburgring nightmare.