Class podium for W&S Motorsport at the 24h Nürburgring 2024

The qualifying sessions on Thursday and Friday went smoothly and the drivers were able to familiarise themselves with the 25.378-kilometre combination of Grand Prix circuit and Nordschleife. With two second places on the grid in the SP10 (#164) and Cup3 (#962) and fifth place (#961), a good starting position was created for the endurance classic in the Eifel.

It began to rain shortly after the start of the race, making for difficult conditions. The #164 had an accident on the wet track on the first lap and had to pit for repairs. After 40 minutes, the car was able to rejoin the race and set off to catch up. However, this was interrupted by dense fog and the red flag at 23:22 after almost seven and a half hours of driving.

After more than 14 hours break, the race resumed on Sunday at 13:30. However, after five laps behind the safety car, it was waved off at 15:00 one hour before the end of the 24 hours and, with a driving time of less than nine hours, will go down as the shortest race in the history of the 24h Nürburgring.

Before the race was interrupted, the two Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport #962 and #961 were well in contention for a place on the podium in the Cup3 class. Wiedmann/Miemois/Bednarski/Udell in the #962 started from second place and drove a faultless race. Thanks to a good performance and clever strategy, they led the Cup3 class for a while and with a gap of just four seconds to first place when the race was stopped, victory was within their grasp. Unfortunately, the race was not restarted and they finished second in class and 34th overall.

Höber/Duffner/Gabler/Müller in the #961 also made it through the first third of the race without a scratch and had high hopes of a podium finish. However, they too had no chance of improving their position due to the safety car and were classified fourth in the Cup3 class and 54th overall.

Quotes after the race

Patrick Wagner, Team Principal W&S Motorsport: "Qualifying went quite well with two second places in the Cup3 and SP10 classes and fifth position in Cup3. Unfortunately, it suddenly started to rain and our #164 had an impact on the first lap. This damaged the radiator and the right front axle. The repair worked well, but we lost a lot of time in the pits. In Cup3, we were in first place for a while with the #962 and the pace was good. The #961 was also good and faultless. We were very happy with the performance of our drivers. Then the fog came in during the night and the race was interrupted. Unfortunately, it was not restarted and with five laps behind the safety car, we had no chance of improving our positions. It is a shame for all the participants and fans that there was no more racing. But we are happy to have brought all three cars to the finish and the team did a great job!"

Finn Zulauf, Driver #164: "It was an incredible experience to have competed in the 24h Nürburgring for the first time. The atmosphere around the track and on the grid was something I have never experienced before and I am so grateful that it worked out with the race. Unfortunately, the weather put a spanner in the works after about eight hours, but unfortunately you can't influence that. Nevertheless, I had a lot of fun and would like to thank the team for their hard work and my great team-mates for a great weekend!"

René Höber, Driver #961: "An unusual 24-hour race in 2024 has come to an end. Despite the adverse circumstances, we are very happy to have been part of it. The track was always a challenge and until the race was stopped at night, we were on track to finish on the podium despite incurring a time penalty in Q2. We would like to thank the entire W&S Motorsport team for their excellent work, organisation and hospitality. We will be back next year!"

Niclas Wiedmann, Driver #962: "I really enjoyed finally being back in the car and competing with W&S Motorsport. With second place in qualifying, we had a good starting position for the race and were also able to fight our way up to first place in the meantime. Unfortunately, the race was interrupted shortly after we dropped back to second position due to a pit stop. Unfortunately, there was no restart the next day after several formation laps. Despite the second place, it was a bit disappointing for everyone, because we definitely had the potential to win this race. All in all, it was still a successful weekend and, as always, I had a lot of fun with the team and my driver colleagues Alec, Joshua and Philip. A big thank you to the W&S Motorsport team!"