- Kévin Estre, Ayhancan Güven und Thomas Preining classified second
- 100-second penalty proves decisive in final race result
- Dinamic GT customer team celebrates podium finish
- Three Porsche 911 GT3 R finish in the top ten after gruelling 24 hours
The “Grello” of the Porsche customer team Manthey EMA crossed the finish line first at the Nürburgring 24 Hours but was ultimately classified second: A 100-second penalty relegated the 911 GT3 R of Ayhancan Güven and factory drivers Thomas Preining and Kévin Estre to second place. Third place went to the Dinamic GT 911, which crowned a remarkable comeback to earn a podium finish. Next weekend, the third of five rounds of the Intercontinental GT Challenge is scheduled for Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, with yet another 24-hour race on the calendar.
Spectacular incidents and a high retirement rate also marked the final third of the Nürburgring 24 Hours. The decisive moment occurred at approximately 10:15 am. While still in the lead, factory driver Kévin Estre in the 911 GT3 R of the Manthey EMA customer team came under increasing pressure from the No. 98 BMW. In the “Miss-Hit-Miss” section of the circuit, the Frenchman encountered an Aston Martin and attempted to overtake the car on the inside at the third corner apex. This resulted in contact, causing the British sports car to crash. A good three hours later, race control imposed a 100-second stop-and-go penalty for this incident, which was added retrospectively to the car’s overall time after the finish.
Despite the setback, the fierce battle continued between the “Grello”, now with Ayhancan Güven at the wheel, and the Rowe BMW. At around 12:30 pm, the former Porsche Junior from Turkey was forced to relinquish the lead after losing momentum while lapping slower cars just before the long “Döttinger Höhe.” However, a longer service stop by the BMW about 45 minutes later allowed Güven to move back into first place following his own pit stop. Estre took over the final stint and held the lead to the chequered flag. Austrian Factory driver Thomas Preining completed the trio in the No. 911 car as the third driver.
Thanks to an impressive comeback drive, Dinamic GT’s No. 54 Porsche crossed the finish line in third place after 24 hours. Joel Sturm from Germany, Dutchman Loek Hartog and the two former Porsche Juniors Matteo Cairoli (Italy) and Bastian Buus (Denmark) delivered a flawless performance, steadily powering their way up from 19th on the grid. The quartet made consistent progress on the historic 25.378-kilometre circuit and, with less than 30 minutes remaining on the clock, moved into a podium position. The 911 GT3 R fielded by Hankook Competition finished ninth overall. Canadian Steven Cho shared the cockpit with Germany’s Marco Holzer, Recardo Bruins from the Netherlands, and South Korea’s Jongkyum Kim.
“24 hours in the ‘Green Hell’ – we experienced a roller coaster of a race and unfortunately lost cars to technical issues and accidents during the race. But we’ve nothing to hide and we defended the lead for many, many hours. Still, our drivers demonstrated just how competitive the 911 GT3 R is. The final stint demanded everything. Emotionally, and in terms of commitment from our drivers and teams. Although we crossed the line in first place, a 100-second time penalty for a sporting infringement cost us the victory. As a result, we finished the Nürburgring 24 Hours in second place overall with Manthey EMA,” explained Sebastian Golz, Project Manager Porsche 911 GT3 R. “Dinamic GT with drivers Bastian Buus, Joel Sturm, Loek Hartog, and Matteo Cairoli sharing the cockpit, achieved a tremendous result running on Pirelli tyres. They fought their way through the entire 24 hours, delivering an exemplary race from 19th on the grid. Congratulations also to Hankook Competition, with Marco Holzer leading the team as the pro behind the wheel. Despite very limited preparation time and extremely challenging conditions, they persevered and never gave up.”
Following the retirements of both Falken Motorsports 911 GT3 R entries within the first 17 hours of the endurance classic (for further information, see the interim report , the Black Falcon 911 was also forced to retire during the morning. The car driven by Dutchman Daan Arrow, Italian Gabriele Piana, German Ben Bünnagel, and Mustafa Mehmet Kaya from Turkey overheated while attempting to reach the pits at low speed following a tyre puncture.
Like the 12 Hours of Bathurst (Australia), the 24-hour endurance classic in the Eifel region is part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge. Next up is the 24-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, next weekend, followed by the 1,000 kilometres of Suzuka in Japan and the 8 Hours of Indianapolis (USA). Porsche won the manufacturers’ title in this unofficial GT3 World Championship in 2024.
Driver comments after the race
Kévin Estre (Porsche 911 GT3 R #911): “100 seconds – that’s a harsh penalty. I saw the gap on the inside and went for it. The other car had already been shown three blue flags but still turned into the corner. I had nowhere to go, despite swerving over the kerbs and onto the grass. That led to the contact, which sadly had serious consequences and caused the other car to roll. I’m very relieved the other driver is okay. Unlike my penultimate stint, the final one went well – the tyres held up better, and the Porsche was performing brilliantly again. We raced the entire 24 hours with relentless determination and gave it everything. I think we did a fantastic job.”
Joel Sturm (Porsche 911 GT3 R #54): “Unbelievable, I still don’t know what to say. We never would’ve thought we could make it onto the podium. Everyone did a flawless job and I’m incredibly proud of the whole team. The boys really deserve this success. I’m just incredibly happy.”
Marco Holzer (Porsche 911 GT3 R #55): “This ninth-place result feels like a podium for us – we’re only at the very beginning of this project. The team has never fielded a GT3 racing car before. The original plan was just to do a test race, but the team didn’t put a foot wrong for the whole 24 hours. The fact that we got through without any technical problems in these high temperatures and made it into the top ten makes me incredibly happy.”
Race result after 24 hours:
1. Farfus/Krohn/Marciello/van der Linde (BRA/FIN/ITA/DEU), BMW #98, 141 laps
2. Estre/Güven/Preining (FRA/TUR/AUT), Porsche 911 GT3 R #911, Manthey EMA, +1.17.810 minutes
3. Buus/Cairoli/Hartog/Sturm (DEN/ITA/NLD/DEU), Porsche 911 GT3 R #54, Dinamic GT, -1 lap
9. Bruins/Kim/Holzer/Cho (NLD/KOR/DEU/CDN), Porsche 911 GT3 R #55, Hankook Competition, -5 laps
