Race report NLS 3

Walkenhorst Motorsport without racing luck at NLS 3

After winning NLS 2, Walkenhorst Motorsport ran out of luck in this Nürburgring long-distance series race.

Nürburgring. On Saturday, the Nordschleife was the venue for the 54th Adenauer ADAC Circuit Trophy. 134 vehicles entered the race, including five Walkenhorst Motorsport cars. The #34 driven by Jakub Giermaziak and Jesse Krohn, who won the second NLS race, delivered strong lap times in qualifying on the 24.358 kilometer long track. The race then started from fourth starting position. The BMW M4 GT3 got into a collision at the start through no fault of its own. The repair work cost the team one lap, which is why it was decided to use the remaining time for set-up work for the 24-hour race.

The M4 GT3 with #35, with Thomas Neubauer, Jens Klingmann and Jake Dennis behind the wheel, placed 14th in qualifying. The trio was able to complete the four-hour distance without any incidents and made up a few places. The trio was within striking distance of the leaders throughout the race and were in seventh place just before the end when a defective alternator unfortunately led to the car being parked early.

Both the M4 #34 and the #35 had the performance to keep up with the front of the field at every point in the NLS run. Important test kilometers with regard to the 24H race were gained.

The #36 Pro-Am BMW M4 GT3 had a very positive weekend. Starting from 37th on the grid, the race went smoothly and rewarded Henry Walkenhorst, Jörg Breuer and Peter Posavac with 3rd place in their class.

The #191 Walkenhorst Motorsport M4 GT4 was driven by only two drivers in the third NLS race. Aris Balanian and Florian Weber were able to prepare even more intensively for the upcoming 24-hour race. They crossed the finish line in 52nd place overall.

The team of the Hyundai i30N with the #466, driven by Jarno D’Hauw, James Kell and Flavia Fernandes Pellegrino, was able to complete the permit laps well despite two unscheduled stops, but had to settle for 10th place in the class. With this run, D’Hauw meets all the permit requirements and will therefore drive the M4 GT4 from the 24H qualifying race next week.

Despite the not entirely satisfactory results of the pro vehicles, valuable experience was gained for the highlight of the season. While the Endurance Cup opening weekend is coming up next week in Monza for the Fanatec GT World Challenge powered by AWS team, the rest of the crew will be at the 24H Qualifier race from April 22nd to 23rd.