Nürburgring NLS2 race: Top 5

NLS

Apr 2

The BMW M4 GT3 was again the benchmark in the second race of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (Nürburgring NLS2 race) season. After ROWE Racing won the opening event two weeks ago, first place this time around went to Walkenhorst Motorsport. BMW M works driver Jesse Krohn and his team-mate Jakub Giermaziak in the #34 car overcame difficult conditions to claim victory as the track dried out.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring NLS2 2023. Cairoli with Porsche 911 GT3 3 #21 leading the pack of GT3 at 12:00.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring NLS2 2023. Starting from second place, BMW M works driver Philipp Eng quickly moved into the lead in the #99 car, only to spin on the damp surface and hit the crash barriers on the section of track known as Flugplatz.
Philipp Eng (#99 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “That was my mistake and I feel extremely sorry for the whole team and my driving team-mates. The conditions were difficult. There was a dry line through the Flugplatz section and unfortunately my left rear tyre went into the wet area. I spun halfway round and nearly caught it, but then I just wasn’t able to stop it from spinning completely into the crash barriers. Of course, it’s really annoying that we had to retire, but if there’s a team and a manufacturer that can come back from that, it’s ROWE Racing and BMW M Motorsport.“

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring NLS2 2023.

The teams that relied on slicks were successful and took an authoritarian lead at the end of first lap with the Mercedes-AMG GT3 of the Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed #12 ahead of Giermaziak with Walkenhorst #34 BMW M4 GT3 and Cairoli with Porsche 911 GT3 R #21.

The 23 GT3 PROs were already distancing themselves at the end of the first lap with a second group including Porsche #911 and #3 and Audi #16, followed by Porsche #18 and a group of 5 cars including the two Lamborghini’s and Rowe Team BMW M4 GT3 #98. Junior Team BMW M4 GT3 #44 and Mercedes-AMG #8 were even further down in the ranking.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring NLS2 2023. Walkenhorst Motorsport #34 with Jesse Krohn and Jakub Giermaziak.

Giermaziak with Walkenhorst #34 BMW M4 GT3 took the lead on lap two almost until the end if it was not for the Porsche 911 GT3 R #911 taking twice the lead with a different pit strategy.

Jesse Krohn (#34 BMW M4 GT3, Walkenhorst Motorsport): “I simply can’t remember when I last won here on the Nordschleife. It’s a brilliant feeling. A big thank you is due to the team, BMW M Motorsport and our tyre partner Yokohama, who have provided us with a fantastic package. We were competitive on our tyres in all conditions. I always had total confidence in the car and it was a pleasure to be out on the circuit. We couldn’t have wished for a better start to the preparations for the 24-hour race.”

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Nürburgring NLS2 2023.

After taking over #12 Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the second lap, the duo Matteo Cairoli and Julien Andlauer with Rurtronik Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R #21 clung firmly to second place despite Picariello's onslaught with the #3 Porsche

Dan Harper, Max Hesse and Neil Verhagen lost a few positions during the opening stage before applying great speed and a smart strategy to battle back and put the #44 on the podium.

Neil Verhagen (#44 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “The conditions were tricky. We took a risk at the start and went with slicks. I overdid it a bit at the start and lost a few places after some wheelspin. However, our strategy did pay off in the end. We changed our pit stop rhythm to get out of the procession of GT3 cars, where it is very difficult to overtake. With a clear track, our speed was great and we caught up so much time that we reached the podium. We weren’t even thinking about that after the first lap.”

Source: BMW Group

Alessio Picariello and Klaus Bachler with Falken Motorsports #3 Porsche 911 GT3 R docked all the way in P2 until a drive through penalty caused them to lose it and end fourth overall.

After qualifying in P10, Kevin Estre and Thomas Preining with the #911 Porsche 911 GT3 R led the race twice for five and four laps thanks to a different pit strategy to end P5.

Get photos and stories of P6 to P10 overall as well as Pro-Am and Am winners here.

Nürburgring NLS2 race: Top 5

Nürburgring NLS2: race 6 to 10, AM, Pro-Am

Nürburgring: NLS2 entries