Nürburgring 24 Hour Drama: Rowe Racing’s Appeal Fails, Scherer Sport Phx Secures Victory
In a dramatic turn of events, Rowe Racing’s appeal against the result of the Nürburgring 24 Hour race has been rejected, solidifying Scherer Sport Phx’s victory in the Intercontinental GT Challenge event. The Audi crew, consisting of Christopher Mies, Dennis Marschall, Frank Stippler, and Ricardo Feller, was initially declared the winner following the race’s premature conclusion due to thick fog.
The fog, which lasted for 14 hours overnight, led to a 54-minute remaining clock, prompting Rowe Racing to protest the race management’s decision to end the race with a black-and-white checkered flag, rather than a red flag. The team cited Article 22 of the DMSB circuit regulations, arguing that the rule was misused. However, the appeal court of the German Motor Sport Association (DMSB) in Frankfurt ruled in favor of the race management’s decision.
The court, chaired by Rainer Wicke, justified the decision, stating that the race director, Walter Hornung, had the authority to end the race after 50 laps, prioritizing the safety of participants and spectators. Article 22 of the DMSB circuit regulations supports this decision, declaring that the checkered flag’s display time is decisive for the classification.
Interestingly, Hornung revealed to Motorsport-Total.com that he had been informed by a weather station of an impending improvement in conditions, but when this did not materialize, he made the decision to end the race. Ironically, the fog lifted shortly after the announcement, but it was too late to change the outcome.
Rowe team principal Hans-Peter Naundorf had protested, believing that his BMW M4 GT3 #98 would have won the race if a red flag had been shown, as two laps would have been counted back, and the remaining minimum pit stop times would have been added. However, the placement of the finish line on the track meant that this assumption was false from the start.
The stewards and the DMSB ultimately concluded that even if the red flag had been used, the result would not have changed, as the 48th lap would have been used as the basis for the calculation. Rowe’s additional argument that the cool-down lap should be counted as the 51st lap was dismissed, as it would not have been suitable as a basis for a result.
In the end, the Scherer Sport Phx drivers took the top step of the podium, followed by the #911 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) in second place, and the #72 BMW M Team RMG BMW M4 GT3 in third.
While the Porsche Dakar, 911 Dakar, and other GT cars didn’t feature in this particular event, the Nürburgring 24 Hour race remains one of the most iconic and challenging endurance events in the world.
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