Walkenhorst Motorsport announces ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring line-up

Walkenhorst Motorsport contests the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring with four vehicles. The #101 and #102 BMW M4 GT3s are fighting for overall victory in the Yokohama livery.

Nürburgring. The 51st edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring will take place from May 18th to 21st, 2023. The legendary endurance race attracts more than two hundred thousand fans to the Nordschleife every year. It is also the highlight of the season for Walkenhorst Motorsport, which has been a fixture on the team calendar for years. The team is sending four vehicles to the start this year. 

Two BMW M4 GT3 will compete with top crews in the Pro category for overall victory. The #101 will be driven by Christian Krognes, Jakub Giermaziak, Jesse Krohn and Andy Soucek. In the #102, Thomas Neubauer, Jens Klingmann, Jake Dennis and Christian Krognes, who is in double action, take their places. Both racing cars have the unmistakable Yokohama Advan design, which shall be reflected in the strong line-ups on the podium.

The team owners Henry Walkenhorst and Jörg Breuer take the wheel in the #100 together with Christian Bollrath and the Fin Sami-Matti Trogen. They are also chasing victory in the Pro-Am category.

In the #74 BMW M4 GT4, Florian Weber, Aris Balanian and Jarno D’Hauw step on the accelerator.

In the run-up to the legendary 24 Hours, Walkenhorst Motorsport took part in all of the NLS races and in the qualifying race. These events made clear that the successful German team brings a strong performance to the table. A first victory was celebrated at the second Nürburgring long-distance series event.

In two weeks, the lights will go green, and the team has set itself the goal of fighting for the prestigious overall victory and the respective class trophies.

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Niclas Königbauer: “We are proud to have put together such an incredibly good package as a private team. We have what it takes to be at the front and our aim is to fight for the win. Especially with the Pro-cars and the partnership with Yokohama it’s about pushing to the top of the field. I’m optimistic and looking forward to the race.”

Thomas Neubauer: “I am really looking forward to driving the Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW M4 GT3. It’s my first 24-hour race at the Nürburgring in a GT3. I’m really looking forward to the night stint. That is why the anticipation is particularly high. The overall package consisting of the line-up and the tire support from Yokohama is very strong. The podium is the goal!”

Chris Krognes: “It’s a great honor to be part of two such amazing line-ups. My teammates, Walkenhorst Motorsport and Yokohama have been trying very hard in the first part of the season to improve and refine our package and our aim is now very clear to fight for the overall win. Personally, I’ve been waiting for this moment since May last year and I’m very excited to get back on track to achieve my big highlight and goal for the season.”

Jens Klingmann: „ In preparation for the 24H races at the Nürburgring we’ve tried to maximize the drive time as well as fine tuning our M4GT3. As we ran different driver line-ups from event to event we‘ve all grown together and the exchange between our cars is very open and productive. Ultimately sharing the car with Jake, Thomas and Christian is a great pairing and especially Christian, who has by far the most experience with the Yokohama tires, is a true benefit to our car. In a 24h race it’s all about teamwork and we can only win together as a team. We support each other, the spirit is very good and I’m looking forward to Saturday when the starting lights finally turn green after all the efforts we’ve put in this project.”

Andy Soucek: “We have successfully completed our program prior to the 24h of Nürburgring with the qualification race. Our package is very strong, the BMW M4 GT3 is working at its best, the team is very experienced, my teammates are top level drivers and Nordschleife experts and Yokohama has provided tires that cover all ranges and conditions. I could not ask for more and look forward to the biggest GT3 race in the world.”

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Schedule ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nürburgring 

Thursday, 18. May 2023 

13:15 – 15:00 Qualifying 1

20:00 – 23:30 Qualifying 2 

Friday, 19. May 2023 

13:30 – 14:45 Qualifying 3 

17:30 – 19:15 Top Qualifying 

Saturday, 20. May 2023 

16:00 Start