The remaining three Aston Martin’s running in the ADAC Nϋrburgring 24-hour race are entering the final three hours after rain had again poured in the Eifel, transforming race conditions once more.
With 21 hours now complete, Aston Martin’s number 8 Vantage N24 occupies 5th place in the SP8 class, with the number 9 car now in 9th. The Herreman Racing Vantage N24 is currently 6th in class.
Just before taking the wheel to complete the final stint in the number 8 car, Aston Martin Chief Executive, Dr Ulich Bez said: “First we must finish now and we’re not there yet. We want to see all three cars finish and then we will have something to celebrate.
“This is very useful development race – at the speeds we’re now driving we’ve reached the limits of the production car and it is good to see the car coping.”
In the number 9 car, Richard Meaden finally completed his second stint after initially being interrupted by the dramatic night time stoppage to the race, caused by fog: “It was certainly quite exciting. It was nice to get the chance to be on a dry track and enjoy the car – I was improving my times lap on lap, so I’m pleased.”
Just a few hours earlier, with the race approaching the 19-hour mark, the Phoenix Racing/Aston Martin Austria DBRS9 had retired from the race. After running exceptionally well, the DBRS9 had been in 4th place overall, pushing hard for the podium positions.
Shortly after the retirement, a philosophical Dirk Theimann, Team Manager, Phoenix Racing said: “We were really pleased with how competitive the car was, particularly in the wet conditions at the start of the race. We were cautious in the fog during the night and the car was performing very well.
“Our last lap of 8 minutes 54 seconds lap was fantastic and shows the potential for this car.”
The number 8 Vantage N24 is currently the front runner amongst Aston Martin’s remaining three cars at the Nϋrburgring, but both the number 9 sister car and the Herreman Racing N24 continue to make solid progress as heavy surface water slows race pace for the entire field of almost 200 cars.
On the verge of the 21-hour milestone rain began to cease with the circuit gradually drying out.
The race ends just before 5pm EST.