Makowiecki Takes Lead of N24 After First Stops

Photo: Gruppe C

Fred Makowiecki is leading the Nürburgring 24 with the first hour of the race completed, after taking the lead in the first round of pit stops held at the end of the opening hour.

Maro Engel had led the whole stint in his Black Falcon Mercedes-AMG GT3, with Kevin Estre trailing him in the No. 911 Manthey Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

Engel and Estre pitted together at the end of the sixth lap, with Engel staying ahead of the Porsche, now driven by Michael Christensen.

Makowiecki, however, took the lead after starter Patrick Pilet a lap earlier, resulting in a shorter stop for the No. 1 Manthey Porsche which took on less fuel.

He held a 13-second lead over Engel after the Mercedes driver came out of the pits, while Christensen is a further two seconds further back in the other lead Manthey Porsche.

Several of the leading BMW M6 GT3s vaulted up the order by pitting even earlier, at the end of lap four, but without taking on fuel, which is only permitted from the end of the fifth lap.

This allowed David Pittard to run in fourth at the end of the hour despite his Walkenhorst Motorsport BMW starting 13th.

Lance David Arnold started second after co-driver Maxi Goetz’s impressive qualifying performance but he was unable to hold off assaults from a group of factory drivers behind him, dropping the Mann-Filter Mercedes down the order.

Jake Kilshaw

Jake Kilshaw is a UK-based journalist. He is a graduate of Politics and International Relations.