Tag Archives: Nurburgring

BMW

ROWE Racing finishes 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers on the rostrum – Three BMW M4 GT3s within the prime six.

Nürburgring. The BMW M Motorsport groups ROWE Racing and RMG efficiently accomplished crucial race weekend on the Nordschleife earlier than the 24 Hours of Nürburgring (GER). During the 24h Qualifiers, all three BMW M4 GT3s accomplished many laps and picked up precious information. In addition, there was racing success within the 4-hour race on Sunday. Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER) drove the #98 ROWE Racing automotive to a second-place end on the rostrum. The sister #99 automotive and the BMW M Team RMV #72 BMW M4 GT3 completed in fourth and sixth locations, respectively.

The 24h Qualifiers consisted of two races, every 4 hours lengthy. On Saturday, the BMW M Motorsport groups targeted on set-up work. Dan Harper (GBR), Max Hesse (GER), and Charles Weerts (BEL) have been the highest-placed crew as tenth within the #72 BMW M4 GT3. Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) completed twelfth within the ROWE Racing automotive #99. The #98 BMW M4 GT3 retired after an unavoidable collision however made up for it with the rostrum end on Sunday. The race weekend was notably precious for Weerts and Marciello, as each accomplished their first races within the BMW M4 GT3 on the Nordschleife and have been capable of full many laps. Marciello additionally celebrated his first podium as a BMW M works driver.

At the 24h Qualifiers – additionally rounds three and 4 of the Nürburgring Endurance Series NLS – quite a few different classes have been current alongside the GT3 automobiles. BMW M Motorsport groups achieved a complete of 9 class victories within the two races.

Reactions after the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers:

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): “Our team and our drivers did a very good job this weekend. Despite the unprovoked retirement in the race on Saturday, we covered many kilometres and gained valuable insights about the new tyres. Our drivers were able to get used to the Nordschleife and the tuning again. We have already got into a good groove with Raffaele Marciello. Thanks to the good work of the team and some lucky circumstances, we were rewarded with a podium on Sunday, the second within eight days after our victory in the GT World Challenge Europe. It’s a nice reward for the intensive work in the past weeks.”

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW M Team RMG): “Overall, it was a good test run for the 24-hour race. On Saturday, we still had some things to sort out with the set-up and couldn’t keep up with the lead. Things went better on Sunday, although we had a slight collision in the first corner of the race and had to repair the car during the first stop. Charles Weerts has integrated very well into our team and was able to complete many valuable laps this weekend.”

Raffaele Marciello (#98 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “We can be very happy with the podium today. Our pace was good, and we had a good strategy. The main goal this weekend was to prepare ourselves as well as possible for the 24-hour race because that’s where it really counts. Of course, you can never be one hundred percent perfectly prepared for such a special race, but I think we are in a good position.”

Sheldon van der Linde (#99 BMW M4 GT3, ROWE Racing): “Fourth place is a good result to end the weekend. We may not have had the fastest car, but our pit stops were great and ultimately got us to this position. Of course, the preparation for the 24-hour race was the main focus, and we ticked all the boxes on our list. That also applies to me personally. It was my first time this season on the Nordschleife, and I was able to complete many laps which helped me a lot. I feel very well prepared.”

Charles Weerts (#72 BMW M4 GT3, BMW M Team RMG): “It was a good weekend for us, where we could finish both races without major problems. As a team, we are still finding the perfect tuning for the new tyres. That worked out much better on Sunday than on Saturday. Personally, I learn something new with every single lap on the Nordschleife and am gathering many valuable experiences. Things are already going quite well, but I can certainly continue to improve.”

BMW

24h Nürburgring Qualifiers: BMW M Motorsport groups face a very powerful endurance check earlier than the 24-hour race.

Nürburgring. The brief and intensive preparation section for the Nürburgring 24 Hours (GER, 1st/2nd June) reaches its climax this coming weekend on the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers. There, BMW M Motorsport groups RMG and ROWE Racing will compete in necessary preparatory races for the season spotlight. Nine BMW M works drivers shall be deployed in three BMW M4 GT3s.

BMW M Team RMG is as soon as once more counting on a younger, extremely proficient line-up of drivers in 2024, with three members of the Gen2K group created by BMW M Motorsport (BMW M works drivers born in 2000 or later). Dan Harper (GBR) and Max Hesse (GER) will compete for the fourth time along with the workforce led by Team Principal Stefan Reinhold within the prime class on the 24-hour race. Joining them within the cockpit of the #72 BMW M4 GT3, sporting the design of BMW M Motorsport Premium Technology Partner Shell, is Charles Weerts (BEL). The 23-year-old will make his debut on the 24h Nürburgring however already has a formidable and profitable GT3 profession, particularly within the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, the place he was the general winner in 2021. In current weeks, Weerts, Harper, and Hesse have already accomplished a number of check laps on the Nordschleife and have been intensively making ready for his or her race entries.

ROWE Racing will area two vehicles. This coming weekend, BMW M works drivers Raffaele Marciello (SUI), Maxime Martin (BEL), and Marco Wittmann (GER) will take turns within the #98 BMW M4 GT3. In the sister #99 automobile, Augusto Farfus (BRA), Sheldon van der Linde (RSA), and Dries Vanthoor (BEL) shall be within the cockpit. As the seventh driver, Robin Frijns (NED) will compete within the 24-hour race, nonetheless he shall be absent from the Qualifiers as a consequence of a scheduling battle with Formula E. Nevertheless, Frijns has additionally managed to finish a number of check laps on the Nordschleife previously weeks.

At the season opener of the Nürburgring Endurance Series (NLS) final weekend, no BMW M4 GT3 might participate as a result of most drivers had been taking part within the concurrent GT World Challenge Europe occasion at Le Castellet (FRA), the place Harper, Hesse, and Farfus gained along with the ROWE Racing Team.

BMW is the official automobile companion of the Nürburgring.

Good information for all BMW followers got here a couple of weeks in the past at the beginning of the Nürburgring season. From the 2024 season, BMW is the official automobile companion of the Nürburgring. At least till 2026, the service and monitor security autos for the racetrack employees will come from BMW. In addition to the prevailing dedication of BMW M on the Nürburgring, the newly determined automobile partnership represents an extra enlargement of collaboration and the presence of BMW on the legendary racetrack.

A complete of 25 new BMWs will initially strengthen the Nürburgring’s fleet. Nine of them shall be used on the racetrack as a part of monitor security. Eight BMW 3 Series Touring and one BMW X1 shall be deployed on the Nordschleife and Grand Prix circuit to make sure security. For this objective, the autos shall be given a particular Nürburgring design with warning components to be simply seen by all racetrack customers, corresponding to vacationer drivers or members in driver coaching classes. As service autos, the 1 Series, 3 Series, and the X1 and X3 shall be out there to workers, additionally that includes design components of the Nürburgring silhouette and the Nürburgring emblem, making them interesting representatives of the versatile occasion location.

Comments on the 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers:

Andreas Roos (Head of BMW M Motorsport): “The 24h Nürburgring Qualifiers are very important for us, as they are every year. This coming weekend, we will test all our race procedures and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the season highlight. Our advantage is that the BMW M Motorsport engineers, as well as our teams ROWE Racing and RMG, have a lot of experience on the Nordschleife and do not need much time to optimally adjust to the 24-hour race. Accordingly, we approach the coming weeks with confidence. Seeing that BMW is now even more prominently represented at the Nürburgring as the official vehicle partner pleases me greatly. The brand is extremely popular with fans – whether in racing or for everyone on the road.”

Stefan Reinhold (Team Principal BMW M Team RMG): “This season, the preparation for the 24-hour race is extremely short. Therefore, the two races we will compete in this coming weekend are all the more important. Our team now has experience on the Nordschleife, which will surely help us. Nevertheless, it is always about training all procedures under competitive conditions to be optimally coordinated when it comes to racing in the big one in June. We have already completed several test days under various weather conditions in advance, during which we covered many kilometres and collected valuable data. Our new driver Charles Weerts also had plenty of time to adjust to our team and the BMW M4 GT3 on the Nordschleife. He has made a great impression and harmonises very well with Dan Harper and Max Hesse. I am convinced that we will present ourselves as a strong team.”

Hans-Peter Naundorf (Team Principal ROWE Racing): “After the fantastic start to the season at Le Castellet, we want to continue in the same vein this coming weekend. The Qualifiers are not just a preparation programme for the big race at the beginning of June for us. We want to race this weekend, push hard, and as always, fight for podium places. Our driver line-up is already well sorted out; five of the six BMW M works drivers who will be competing this weekend know the team and our processes, some for many years. The schedule gives us enough opportunity to give Raffaele Marciello as many kilometres as possible in the BMW M4 GT3 on the Nordschleife.”

Motorsport

Second-Hand Mercedes-AMG One Will Cost You An Eye-Watering $5.45 Million

The Mercedes-AMG One is an automotive superhero, holding lap information at legendary tracks corresponding to the Nürburgring and Monza. Now, there’s one on the market for the equal of $5.45 million.

Exotic automobile seller F1rst Motors, situated in Dubai, is asking 20 million United Arab Emirates Dirham for this AMG One. The seller would not present any particulars concerning the automobile’s provenance, and claims there are zero miles on the odometer. While we’re positive the mileage is low, this automobile should’ve rolled not less than a couple of ft in some unspecified time in the future in its life, so the true mileage cannot be zero.


Motorsport

New Porsche Taycan Buries The Tesla Model S Plaid With 7:07 Ring Lap Record

Porsche has a brand new extremely high-performance Taycan on the way in which, and it simply set a document across the Nurburgring. Giddy with pleasure, the Stuttgart automaker hasn’t even confirmed what the automotive known as or detailed any of its efficiency metrics. It has simply informed us the time. A ‘pre-series Taycan’ lapped the ring in simply 7:07.55. This makes it the quickest electrical Porsche to ever flip a wheel in anger across the legendary monitor. It has additionally buried the Tesla Model S Plaid’s earlier record-holding 7:25.231 time by 17.681 seconds.

The new top-dog Taycan’s time is 26 seconds sooner than the present Taycan Turbo S, and inside spitting distance of the Rimac Nevera’s time of 7:05.298. The Porsche did obtain minor modifications to make it safer and extra trackable. Racing bucket seats and a roll cage have been put in.

According to Porsche, a video of the drive shall be launched in mid-March. That will seemingly coincide with extra details about the automotive itself in addition to a mid-cycle refresh for your entire Taycan vary.


BMW

New John Cooper Works logo debut: Bulldog Racing is once again competing with a MINI John Cooper Works.

Nürburg. The season finale of the Rundstrecken-Challenge Nürburgring 2023, one of Germany’s most thrilling motorsport events, was the perfect stage for Bulldog Racing to showcase the new John Cooper Works logo in action. The logo’s dynamic design reflects the performance of John Cooper Works and stood out amidst the thrilling, rainy racing action.

The new John Cooper Works logo embodies passion and the sporty character of the brand. It will replace the previous JCW logo on all vehicles in the new MINI family, which was unveiled in September. Stefanie Wurst, MINI Brand Director, says, “The new John Cooper Works logo is a testament to the boundless enthusiasm and pride we have for John Cooper Works. John Cooper Works and motorsport are at the heart of MINI’s DNA. They will continue to drive our innovative spirit and creativity in the future.”

During the wet race, the MINI John Cooper Works Edition with a 6-speed manual transmission and the number #616 put up a solid performance, finishing 53rd out of 158 cars after completing 13 laps. In the class for production-based cars with 1,600 to 2,000 cc engines and turbochargers, the black MINI John Cooper Works Edition secured the 13th position out of 23 competing cars.

The MINI John Cooper Works Edition was raced by Sebastian Sauerbrei and Friedhelm Thelen, both from Germany. Sebastian Sauerbrei achieved his personal best placement in a 24-hour race this year while driving this particular car. Friedhelm Thelen, an expert of the Nürburgring, served as the team boss of Bulldog Racing.

Motorsport

Spot the Changes on the Facelifted Porsche Taycan

The facelifted Porsche Taycan is well into its development stage, undergoing testing on the Nurburgring and nearby roads. The camouflaging is limited to the headlights, giving us a clear view of the styling updates. The car is expected to be available for purchase in 2024.

The revised Taycan boasts a completely redesigned front end. The lower fascia now features angular sections that lead to inlets in the corners, creating a more complex shape. The bottom portion has a more horizontal layout. The headlights are now seamlessly integrated into the bodywork.

The profile of the Taycan remains largely unchanged. However, it sports a new set of wheels with five black spokes and a white rim.

At the rear, the Taycan receives a re-sculpted bumper with a slightly sharper appearance. The taillight strip still stretches across the entire width of the car.

Motorsport

BMW i5 Touring Seen Testing at Nurburgring with Light Camouflage

The latest sighting of the BMW i5 Touring shows the electric wagon speeding around the iconic Nürburgring Nordschleife and nearby roads. While partially camouflaged, the rear section is the only area covered.

The front of the vehicle is identical to the i5 sedan. It features the signature closed-off kidney grilles and a trapezoidal inlet in the lower fascia. The outer edges of the front also have vertical openings.


Motorsport

Porsche Taycan GT Demonstrates Incredible Speed During Testing for Nürburgring Lap Record

Porsche and Tesla have been locked in a battle for the title of the fastest electric vehicle at the Nürburgring for several years. While Tesla currently holds the record among non-supercars, Porsche is ready to strike back. A recent spy video showcases the upcoming flagship version of the Taycan as it confidently attacks the challenging Nürburgring track. There are reports suggesting that the German electric sedan has already completed a faster lap time than Tesla’s Plaid, although no official confirmation has been made yet.

According to the professional spy photographer who captured the video footage, the Taycan Turbo GT (name not officially confirmed) was actually closer in lap time to the Rimac Nevera than the Model S Plaid. As a reminder, the Croatian electric supercar completed a lap around the famous track in 7 minutes and 5.298 seconds, while the Model S Plaid Track Pack required approximately 20 seconds longer. The photographer asserts that “for sure they [Porsche] have beaten the Tesla.”


Motorsport

Watch Sebastian Vettel And David Coulthard Drive Red Bull F1 Cars At The Nürburgring

# Watch Sebastian Vettel And David Coulthard Drive Red Bull F1 Cars At The Nürburgring

We usually share videos of camouflaged prototypes of future road cars at the Nürburgring. However, this video is quite different and even more entertaining. It features not just one, but two Formula 1 cars, driven by a four-time F1 champion and a 13-time Grand Prix winner. Sebastian Vettel was reunited with his RB7, the championship-winning car from 2011 when Red Bull Racing secured both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

David Coulthard, on the other hand, drove the RB8 that Red Bull Racing used in the 2012 season, when Vettel won another title and the team secured the constructors’ championship. Coulthard is a former Red Bull driver himself, having raced for the team from 2005 to 2008.

Unfortunately, the video doesn’t show a full lap at full throttle around the Nürburgring. The ex-F1 drivers didn’t push the cars to their maximum potential. Additionally, they were accompanied by a previous-generation BMW M4 Coupe, which served as the safety car. Nevertheless, it is still a joy to watch these masters at work, driving an F1 car on one of the most challenging circuits in the world. The soundtrack also adds to the experience, reminding us of the V8 era that ended after the 2013 season.

It’s worth mentioning that Sebastian Vettel, who is currently 36 years old, has not completely ruled out a comeback to F1 after his retirement at the end of the 2022 season. If Lewis Hamilton (38 years old) and Fernando Alonso (42 years old) can still be competitive in 2023, why shouldn’t a younger driver and a winner of 53 F1 races consider returning?

Motorsport

Volkswagen ID. Buzz GTX Seen Testing on the Nurburgring

It is not very common to witness vans driving on the Nürburgring, but Volkswagen is currently developing the performance-oriented ID. Buzz GTX model there. It is logical for VW to assess the performance of this sporty variant on the renowned track.

This particular Buzz GTX test vehicle, which has been spotted wearing the BSVF410E license plate, appears to be the same as the one captured in previous spy shots (see gallery below). The color and appearance of both vehicles are identical, further hinting that they are one and the same.