2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours – Mid-Race Report
Manthey EMA in Command with #911 Porsche; ROWE Racing Struggles with Penalties
As the 2025 Nürburgring 24 Hours reaches its halfway mark, Manthey EMA leads the pack with its #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R 992, holding a substantial margin of over two and a half minutes. Kevin Estre has demonstrated consistent performance, maintaining a faultless run through the first 12 hours.
ROWE Racing’s #98 BMW M4 GT3 EVO, currently piloted by Augusto Farfus, remains in second place. However, the team has faced challenges, including a 32-second pit stop penalty due to earlier contact, which was later rescinded. Despite this, the BMW has seen its gap to the leading Porsche expand from 15 seconds to 2.5 minutes post-nightfall.
The #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin, driven by Nicki Thiim, has capitalized on the #98’s struggles, sitting just 3.3 seconds behind in third. The competitive field features seven manufacturers within the top ten, highlighting a series of penalties and mechanical issues affecting many SP9 contenders.
The #28 ABT Lamborghini has climbed to fourth, while the #17 GetSpeed Mercedes AMG GT3, having encountered a 46-second time penalty for a pit stop infraction, currently ranks fifth, approaching four minutes adrift of the leader. After initial strong performances, the sister #14 Mercedes fell victim to a drivetrain issue and was forced to retire.
Falken Motorsports contends with difficulties as well; the team’s #33 car was retired due to a heavy crash, while the remaining #44 entry dropped to tenth after a right-rear puncture. However, it remains competitive within the top segment, having recently gained ground.
Scherer Sport PHX withdrew its #1 Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II after sustaining suspension damage from an off-track incident. Team manager Ron Moser confirmed that an electronics fault contributed to the early exit, mirroring a challenging week that also witnessed the withdrawal of their #16 Porsche due to a crash during qualifying.
HRT’s #64 Ford Mustang also succumbed to incident-related issues, ultimately retiring after damage from an accident. Despite setbacks, the #65 Mustang is holding seventh overall and leads in the SP9 Pro/Am category.
In class battles, Hyundai maintains a stronghold with a 1-2 in TCR, the #830 Elantra N TCR leading the #831 by over three minutes. The competing segments show mounting excitement, with FK Performance’s BMW M4 GT4 leading the GT4 charge.
The race continues to unfold with potential for further shifts in standings and strategy as teams adapt to the challenging Nürburgring circuit.
Key Quotes:
- Ron Moser, Scherer Sport PHX: “It wasn’t our weekend, but we’ll come back stronger next year.”
- Ulrich Fritz, HRT: “We are well on the road in the Pro-Am, but there is still a long way to go.”
Current Top 5 Standings:
-
911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R – 62 laps
-
98 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO – 59 laps
-
34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage – 59 laps
-
28 ABT Lamborghini Huracan – 58 laps
-
17 GetSpeed Mercedes AMG GT3 – 59 laps
Images courtesy of Porsche & Frozenspeed
