Report from 24h of Nurburgring

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Forget what you know about stereotypes. Germanic order seems to be lost on the 24 Hours of Nurburgring. This iconic racecourse aptly named 멒reen Hell� features 14+ miles of winding undulating graffiti-marked pavement and turns known crassly as the 멦oilet Bowl�. The 24-hour race that happens here each year features 20-some classes with a field of about 200 racecars encompassing a little bit of everything. One need only look at the burgeoning field of factory and privateer Audis to witness the eclecticism of the mix � from D1 V8 to brawny R8 LMS in full FIA GT3 spec plus a few extra driving lights for blasting through the mountains in the middle of the night. It seems like chaos. Then again, maybe this race couldn뭪 be anywhere other than Germany. Only the most orderly could pull it off � organizing the chaos as it were.

No less than19 Audis hit the tarmac for the 24-hour enduro this year, up considerably from an already impressive13 in 2009. Leading the charge were no less than seven R8 LMS racers in the oft-victorious SP9 GT3 category. Another lone R8 4.2 FSI racer, likely a Dubai 24H veteran, joined that aforementioned D1 Audi V8, a D2 Audi A8 W12 and an RS 4 in the SP 8 class. A lone TTS contested SP 4T, while a raft of A3s, TTs and second TTS heavily populated the turbocharged sub 2-liter SP 3T class. And just like last year, a lone A4 3.0 TDI fought for the D 3T against a mix of all BMW diesels.

Not surprisingly, many Audi past and current factory drivers could be found on the grid and mainly in Audis. Those driving cars other than those built in Ingolstadt included Timo Berhard and Romain Dumas returning as 2009 victors in their #1 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3R. Timo was shooting for and missed his 5th overall win that would have tied him with the most successful drivers ever at the Nordschleife.

Ex Audi DTM driver Vanina Ickx took a seat this year in one of Volkswagen Motorsport뭩 factory-backed CNG-powered Sciroccos. She and her teammates landed an impressive finish, netting first place in the car뭩 AT class.

Finally, Audi Sport R15 squad newcomer Andre Lotterer made use of his Japanese racing experience and landed a seat in the #51 Team Gazoo Lexus LF-A. And while an LF-A did win its SP8 class, Lotterer and his teammates had to settle for 9th in class.

Audi rallying great Walter Rohrl was also signed to drive a standard street legal 911 GT3 RS as a showing of the car뭩 stock capabilities but the racing and rallying icon was forced to withdraw before the race due to health issues.

How did the field of Audis fare? Follow the action class-by-class and car-by-car below.

TEAMS FIELDING AUDIS, SORTED BY CLASS:

Class Details
To be eligible for SP 9 (FIA GT3), cars must have gone through FIA Balance of Performance of the current year and be homologated in group GT3.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi R8 LMS, BMW Z4 GT3, Dodge Viper, Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (997), Porsche 911 GT3 Cup S, Porsche 911 GT3 R

Class Race Summary
Considering no less than seven examples of the dominant FIA GT3-spec R8 LMS came to the 24 hours this year it is obvious that Audi Sport is upping their game, specifically by three. Quasi-factory DTM teams Abt Sportsline and Team Phoenix returned this year thick with top-shelf Audi DTM drivers and semi-retired Le Mans drivers.

Phoenix added a third car this year, while the more independent Black Falcon squad appeared here for the first time with two more R8s including now a third generation of Stuck, Johannes, to pilot a four-ringer around the so-called Green Hell. Stuck뭩 grandfather Hans raced Auto Union silver arrows here in the era before World War II and his father Hans-Joachim returned this year also in an R8 LMS.

In qualifying Audi came out strong. Marco Werner set pole with a blistering 8:24.753 and a new average speed record of 181 km/h. He뭗 be joined in the first four places on the grid by R8s from Phoenix and Abt.

No surprise, The SP9 Audi R8s started the race strong. Holding either first or second place much of the race though attrition would eventually catch up to the teams. In the end they had to relinquish the idea of an all-out win but the Phoenix Racing #97 car with DTM star Markus Winkelhock did manage third overall and an SP9 class win. He was joined on the podium by the #102 Black Falcon R8 and its drivers including Johannes Stuck.

#2 Abt Sportsline Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Abt, Christian (D)
Collard, Emmanuel (F)
Luhr, Lucas (D)
Mies, Christopher (D)

Results
Overall Position: 62
Class Position: 14
Laps Completed: 125

#100 Abt Sportsline Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Ekstrom, Mattias (S)
Jarvis, Oliver (UK)
Scheider, Timo (D)
Werner, Marco (D)

Results
Overall Position: 169
Class Position: 23
Laps Completed: 47

#102 Black Falcon Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Joens, Christer (D)
Breslin, Jean Paul (UK)
Stuck, Johannes (D)
Heyer, Kenneth (D)

Results
Overall Position: 5
Class Position: 3
Laps Completed: 152

#111 Black Falcon Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Mehta, Vimal (UK)
Breslin, Sean-Patrick (UK)
Wilson, Rob (UK)

Results
Overall Position: 152
Class Position: 20
Laps Completed: 69

#97 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Bronzel, Marc (D)
Ludwig, Luca (D)
Rosteck, Dennis (D)
Winkelhock, Markus (D)

Results
Overall Position: 3
Class Position: 1
Laps Completed: 153

#98 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Basseng, Marc (D)
Rockenfeller, Mike (CH)
Stippler, Frank (D)
Stuck, Hans-Joachim (A)

Results
Overall Position: 170
Class Position: 24
Laps Completed: 41

#99 Phoenix Racing Audi R8 LMS
Engine: 10 cyl. / 5.200 ccm
Weight: 1350 kg

Drivers
Biela, Frank (MC)
Fassler, Marcel (CH)
Kaffer, Pierre (CH)
Hennerici, Marc (D)

Results
Overall Position: 116
Class Position: 17
Laps Completed: 103

Class Details
To be eligible for SP 8 4000-6200, cars must have a normally-aspirated engine with displacement between 4,000 and 6,200 cc.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi A8 W12 (D2), Audi R8 4.2 FSI, Audi RS 4 (B7), Audi V8 D11, Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24, Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Aston Martin Rapide, Chevrolet Corvette, Lexus LF-A, Lexus IS-F

Class Race Summary
For Audi enthusiasts, one need look no further than the SP8 class to get a feel for the very breadth of racecars one might find lapping the Nordschleife. From an R8 4.2 FSI originally race-prepped for a series in the Middle East and B7 RS 4 sedan driven by New Zealanders to a team of drivers basically fielding two aging executive sedans at the same time shows just how bizarre this race can be.

In a class made up primarily of factory-backed Aston Martins, factory-backed Lexus LF-As and other notable performance cars, the chips were decidedly stacked against the Audis in big displacement SP8. Not surprisingly it was the R8 that performed best, finishing sixth in class.

Perhaps even more impressive was the performance of the D1 V8 and D2 A8 W12 fielded by Derichs Rennwagen e.V. Essentially, the same squad of drivers seems to have fielded two cars at the same time in order to double their chances of a win. Consistent driving brought home both cars essentially together and netting 7th and 8th in class.

#79 Derichs Rennwagen e.V. Audi A8 W12 D2
Engine: 12 cyl. / 5,998 ccm
Weight: 1500 kg

Drivers
Ahlers, Keith (UK)
Derichs, Erwin (D)
Dornhege, Hans George (D)
Kubik, Manfred (A)

Results
Overall Position: 107
Class Position: 7
Laps Completed: 111

#78 Derichs Rennwagen e.V. Audi V8 D11
Engine: 8 cyl. / 4,172 ccm
Weight: 1380 kg

Drivers
Ahlers, Keith (UK)
Derichs, Erwin (D)
Kubik, Manfred (A)
Stephano, Don (D)

Results
Overall Position: 109
Class Position: 8
Laps Completed: 110

#71 KIWI Team Nurburgring Audi RS 4 B7
Engine: 8 cyl. / 4,163 ccm
Weight: k.A.

Drivers
Booth, Andy (NZ)
Owers, Stuart (NZ)
Scott, Lewis (NZ)
Taylor, Alistair (NZ)

Results
Overall Position: 158
Class Position: 10
Laps Completed: 66

#49 Team Alexander Krebs Audi R8 4.2 FSI
Engine: 8 cyl. / 4,167 ccm
Weight: 1500 kg

Drivers
Krebs, Alexander (D)
Naumann, Guido (D)
Lohr, Ellen (MC)
Vogler, Chris (D)

Results
Overall Position: 95
Class Position: 6
Laps Completed: 117

Class Details
To be eligible for SP 8T 2500-4000, cars must have a turbocharged engine with displacement between 2,500 and 4,000 cc.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi RS 4 (B7), BMW 135i

Class Race Summary
One of the more interesting Audi privateer entries must certainly be the #70 Gotz Motorsport Audi RS 4 running in SP8T. The T in the class name is for turbo and we뭨e left most curious about the engine setup used in the car. At 3960 cc that뭩 less displacement than the old RS 6 V8 biturbo and closer to the planned 4.0T that will serve in the next-gen S8, S6, S7 and more.

Whether the setup is a factory unit or one fitted with an aftermarket induction system remains unclear but either way the fact that it finished the 24 hours is very impressive. That the car scored #1 in class and 24th overall isn뭪 bad either.

#70 Gotz Motorsport Audi RS 4 (B7)
Engine: 8 cyl. / 3,960 ccm
Weight: k.A.

Drivers
Duffner, Axel (D)
Lewis, Shane (USA)
Pflanz, Karl (D)
Rice, Victor (USA)

Results
Overall Position: 24
Class Position: 1
Laps Completed: 140

Class Details
To be eligible for SP 4T 2000-2500, cars must have a turbocharged engine with displacement between 2,000 and 2,500 cc.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi TTS (type 8J), Ford Focus RS, Ford Focus ST, Ford Mondeo, Volvo C30 BioEthanol HS3, Volvo S60 Turbo

Class Race Summary
Two of Audi뭩 latest TTS model contested the 24 hours this year and while one chose to keep displacement down and compete in SP 3T, the other came in above 2-liters and took on the SP 4T group. pro handicap e.V. returned to the 24 hours for the sixth time this year, swapping their previous Opel ride for a TTS. Giving opportunities to drivers with disabilities didn뭪 slow the team any and the team landed a 2nd place in class for their maiden run in an Audi.

#125 pro handicap e.V. Audi TTS (type 8J)
Engine: k.A.
Weight: k.A.

Drivers
Muller, Wolfgang (D)
Rudolph, Oliver (D)

Results
Overall Position: 66
Class Position: 2
Laps Completed: 125

Class Details
To be eligible for SP 3T 1750-2000, cars must have a turbocharged engine with displacement between 1,750 and 2,000 cc.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi TT (type 8J), Audi A3 (type 8P), Audi TTS (type 8J), MINI Cooper, MINI Cooper S, Lotus Exige, Lotus Exige Cup, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII, Mitsubishi Lancer EVO X, Opel Astra OPC, Peugeot 207 RC, SEAT Leon Supercopa, Subaru Impreza WRX, Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Volkswagen Golf 24h Spezial

Class Race Summary
Though small displacement, SP3T makes up one of the biggest classes on the 24 hours grid. Sub 2-liter turbocharged engines make this group very popular for Audi A3s and TTs, though they fought for their title against factory-backed efforts from Subaru and Opel for 2010.

No less than five Audis took part in SP3T, and the team that dominated the class does not surprise us. The driving trio Breuer, Deegener and Whohlfahrt captured second last year in an A3 2.0T and grabbed the top spot on the podium this year with their Recaro liveried TTS this year. Even more impressive, the trio came in 15th place over all ahead of some very, very serious competitors including the entire field of the Aston Martins to name but a few.

#132 Hakon Schjaerin Audi TT (type 8J)
Engine: k.A.
Weight: k.A.

Drivers
Gulbrandsen, Atle (N)
Krognes, Christian (N)
Oberndorfer, Peter (D)
Schjaerin, Hakon (N)

Results
Overall Position: 154
Class Position: 16
Laps Completed: 68

#135 Konig Komfort und Rennsitze Audi A3 (type 8P)
Engine: 4 cyl., 1,781 ccm
Weight: 1140 kg

Drivers
Erlebach, Friedhelm (D)
Speich, Rudi (D)
Waschkau, Roland (D)
Wei�enfels, Rolf (D)

Results
Overall Position: 84
Class Position: 10
Laps Completed: 121

#184 S. Pace Racing Audi A3 (type 8P)
Engine: 4 cyl., 1,984 ccm
Weight: 1105 kg

Drivers
Breuer, Christoph (D)
Deegener, Elmar (D)
Wohlfahrt, Jurgen (D)

Results
Overall Position: 36
Class Position: 6
Laps Completed: 133

#133 Team Elmar Deegener Audi TTS (type 8J)
Engine: 4 cyl., k.A.
Weight: k.A.

Drivers
Breuer, Christoph (D)
Deegener, Elmar (D)
Wohlfarth, Jurgen (D)

Results
Overall Position: 15
Class Position: 1
Laps Completed: 144

#147 ROWE Motorsport Audi TT (type 8J)
Engine: 4 cyl., 1,984 ccm
Weight: 1100 kg

Drivers
Bleck, Uwe (D)
Rohr, Franz-Xaver (D)

Results
Overall Position: 162
Class Position: 18
Laps Completed: 61

Class Details
To be eligible for D 3T 3500-3000, cars must have a turbocharged diesel engine with displacement between 2,500 and 3,000 cc.

Vehicles Competing in Class
Audi A4 3.0 TDI (B7), BMW 135d, BMW 135d Coupe, BMW 330d, BMW 335d GTR

Class Race Summary
Returning with three of their four drivers, the Aachen University team fielding an A4 3.0 TDI proved competitive again this year. Though far off the pace of the winning BMW 330d, the collegiate crew from Aachen still managed an impressive 2nd place on the podium.

#195 RWTH Aachen University Audi A4 3.0 TDI quattro
Engine: 6 cyl. / 2.967 ccm
Weight: 1550 kg

Drivers:
Hanisch, Thomas (D)
Keutmann, Hans (D)
Leinfelder, Klaus (D)
Trenery, Spencer (USA)

Results:
Overall Position: 129
Class Position: 2
Laps Completed: 89

Audi Factory Drivers Also Competing (Past & Present)
Bernhard, Timo - #1 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R � 4 wins here dnf
Dumas, Romain - #1 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R � 3 wins here dnf
Ickx, Vanina - #117 Volkswagen Motorsport Scirocco CNG � class win this year
Lotterer, Andre - #51 Team Gazoo Lexus LF-A 9th in class

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