Black Falcon wins with Mercedes at the 24 Hours of Nürburgring

The 24 Hours of the Nürburgring were reduced to 15 hours of racing following heavy showers that fell overnight, forcing the stewards to neutralize the event from 23 p.m. to 8 a.m. The teams then had to deal with variations in track conditions by choosing the best tires for the drivers.

The Black Falcon was the most effective in these difficult conditions by placing the Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 n°9 of Bernd Schneider, Jeroen Bleekemolen, Sean Edwards and Nicki Thiim at the head of the event to offer victory to the Stuttgart manufacturer. But the star-studded brand was threatened in the final laps by a fantastic stint by Maxime Martin at the wheel of the #4 Trophy Team Marc VDS BMW Z25. The Belgian, who shared his wheel with Andrea Piccini, Yelmer Buurman and Richard Göransson, only fell 2'39 from first place when crossing the finish line.

Rowe Racing finished in good places of honor, confirming the excellent performances of the Mercedes in the Green Hell. The #22 SLS of Klaus Graf, Thomas Jäger, Jan Seyffart and Nico Bastian completed the podium one lap behind the winners, ahead of the #23 sister car of Lance David Arnold, Alexander Roloff, Jan Seyffarth and Thomas Jäger (entered in the two cars). Audi secures fifth with the R8 LMS ultra n°1 of G-Drive Racing by Phoenix driven by Mike Rockenfeller (victorious on Sunday in DTM at Brands Hatch), Marcel Fässler, Franck Stippler, (poleman on sister car no. 4) and Markus Winkelhock.

Discover the report of the 24 Hours of the Nürburgring in the Guide 24 Hours of Le Mans from AUTOhebdo, available tomorrow in digital version on all platforms, and the next day on newsstands.