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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 24

Another Nürburgring 24 hour race has been run and won. To see how the Aussies and Kiwis at the race finished up just check the list below.

Congratulations to the Honda Civics from New Zealand who ran a strong race to take out first and second in the N2 class.

There was an Aussie in the top 10 with Rodney Forbes and his team finishing tenth in their Porsche GT3 Cup car. Australian Nürburgring stalwart Mal Rose had a solid day in unfamiliar surrounds, at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza STI, finishing the race in the top 40.

Well done and big respect to all the teams and drivers who have made the long trek from the southern hemisphere to Germany. AUSringers wishes you all a safe and peaceful journey home where you can take a well earned rest.

UPDATE 23 May: I had misread the car number for the Barton Mawer entry. Unfortunately it turns out his car suffered accident damage early in the race and retired after 20 laps.

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BMW M3 GT2 wins 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour

The #25 BMW M3 GT2 driven by Jörg Müller, Augusto Farfus, Uwe Alzen and Pedro Lamy has won the Nürburgring 24 hour race. It’s an especially important result for Lamy who now joins Marcel Tiemann as a five-time N24 winner.

In second place was the one and only Ferrari in the race, the #43 F430 GTC with Dominik Farnbacher, Allan Simonsen, Lehman Keen and Marco Seefried at the wheel. Crossing the line in third was the #97 Audi R8 LMS driven by Dennis Rostek, Luca Ludwig, Marc Bronzel and Markus Winkelhock.

The 2010 race proved the old motorsport adage—to finish first, first you have to finish. Porsche and Audi enjoyed long stints at the top of the leaderboard. However, mechanical and accident problems forced early retirements. The BMW M3 GT2 was able to keep out of trouble and cross the line first for a well deserved win.

Both the first and second placed cars completed 154 laps, one lap off equalling the race record which was set by the winning Manthey Porsche in 2009.

Congratulations to all the competitors, their teams and the race officials. Thanks also to Radio Le Mans and those responsible for the live stream via the official ADAC website. It’s great to be able to follow the race so closely, from so far, as it happens. See you in 2011!

Final placings for Australian and New Zealand teams to follow soon.

2010 N24 Australian update - hour 23

Drama at the head of the race with the #9 Porsche GT3 R Hybrid retiring with what is believed to be a transmission fault. The #25 BMW M3 GT2 inherited the lead and is currently over 8 minutes in front of the #43 Ferrari F430 GTC. Reports suggest the BMW is having transmission problems of its own. There could be more drama to come in the final hour.

You have to feel for the Porsche Hybrid, too. It showed exceptional pace and completed around 22 and half hours of race time, much of it in the lead.

The live timing feed has been playing up and the updated list of Aussies and Kiwis is as best as can be managed under the circumstances.

[Pic: Frozenspeed via twitter]

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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 21

A few moments ahead of hour 21 this is where the Australians and New Zealanders sit. The first six cars in the list have been circulating with good consistency. Special mention to the two Honda Civics (cars #243 and #244) that have been lapping pretty much in unison since last night. They are leading their class (N2), as well.

The Porsche Prius is still enjoying a very healthy lead. Helped in no part by its closest challenger the #2 Audi R8 LMS withdrawing from the event. That leaves the #25 BMW M3 GT2 in second, a bit over one lap behind the #9 Porsche.

[Pic: Frozenspeed via twitter]

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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 18

Latest updated placings for Aussies and neighbouring Kiwis can be found below. I’ve got my hands on the most recent entry list (120kb PDF) thanks to Radio Le Mans, so there’s a couple of changes to the entries below.

This update was compiled a few minutes prior to hour 18 ticking over, due to time constraints at my end. The live timer seems a bit flaky at the moment, too, so not sure how accurate these results are. Next update at hour 21.

Rodney Forbes is listed as a German driver, but we can assume that is an error. He’s doing well, too, sitting inside the top 20.

Oh, at the front of the field the #9 Porsche Hybrid is starting to look very comfortable with a lead now in the minutes, rather than seconds.

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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 15

The sun has now risen at the Nürburgring 24 hour race and there are developments at the head of the field. The #9 Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid now holds the lead over the #2 and #99 Audi R8 LMS cars. That’s a very impressive result for the Hybrid which is making its N24 debut this year.

Updated placings for the Aussies and Kiwis is given below. After that is a press release from Porsche explaining what happened with the #1 Manthey Racing Porsche GT3 R.

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2010 N24 - TV highlights to hour 12

The 2010 Nürburgring 24 hour race is now well into its second half. If you’ve missed some of the action then tip your hat to the MT89Motorsports channel on YouTube. Included after the jump are five clips from the race so far:

1. Opening lap – includes all three starting groups
2. #98 Audi R8 LMS on board
3. #26 BMW M3 GT2 crashing at Aremberg
4. #25 BMW M3 GT2 on board
5. Very big brown trouser moment for Evo journo Richard Green in his Lotus Exige

[via Drive Cult]
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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 11

The Nürburgring 24 hour race is approaching half distance and the field is currently deep into night time racing. Sunrise is still a couple of hours away and when the sun does come up race goers will welcome a new leader.

The #1 Manthey Porsche was comfortably in the lead until it was involved in a crash with a slower car. The drama didn’t end there, either, as the #100 Audi R8 LMS which was running in second place also crashed out in a separate incident.

This has left the #99 Audi R8 LMS and the #9 Porsche GT3 R Hybrid in first and second place, with the Audi holding a slender 03s lead after 72 completed laps. Amazing stuff!

An updated list of placings for Aussies and Kiwis is provided below and, thankfully, here is a working link to LIVE TIMING. Next update will come in a few hours.

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2010 N24 Australian update - hour 3

Three hours of the Nürburgring 24 hour race have elapsed and after the break you can see the placings of the teams with Australian and New Zealand drivers. It’s been a bit tricky to compile this information as the live results from the official website do not appear to be working properly. Therefore the results have been sourced via the N24 iPhone App.

At the head of the field the #1 Manthey Racing Porsche GT3 R put in a cracking opening lap. Starting from fifth on the grid Marcel Tiemann took the lead of the race before the cars entered the Nordschleife. At this stage it is looking very comfortable as well.

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2010 Nurburgring 24 hour race - LIVE streaming

Here is the link to the live stream for the 38th Nürburgring 24 hour race:

• Streaming 38. ADAC-Zurich 24h-Race

Remember, live audio in English is provided by Radio Le Mans. For a guide to other ways of following the race see this earlier AUSringers post.