# The Official 24 hours Nurburgring thread



## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

The 24 hours Nurburgring is officially starting on Friday with the first training at 10.00am CET 

*Official Homepage *

Last year, I had managed to find a site with the live broadcast, where the cars could be tracked on the track map in real time. I'll check the boards to see if I can find something similar this year again.

BMW Team

*BMW MOTORSPORT*

*# 42 BMW M3 GTR*

MULLER, Dirk MC - Monaco E1 
MULLER, Jorg MC - Monaco
STUCK, Hans-Joachim A - Austria










*# 43 BMW M3 GTR*

LAMY, Pedro P - Portugal
SAID, Boris USA - United States of America
HUISMAN, Duncan NL - Netherlands










_Cars in the pictures are in training trim. All images are courtesy of ADAC - German Automobil Club, Germany_

:thumbup:


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

:thumbup:

Good to see Boris there again.

And great to see Hans is still at it. Yo-del-eh-i-tee!


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

That was a T-Mobil site that you found last year, wasn't it?


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## scottn2retro (Mar 20, 2002)

What about Johann? :dunno:


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## Bruce (Dec 24, 2001)

This was the live stie from last year. 
http://www.auto.t-online.de/AU/DE/de/static_html/content/24h/index.html


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

scottn2retro said:


> What about Johann? :dunno:


Unfortunately, they are not running this weekend


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## Desertnate (Mar 11, 2002)

I wonder when/if the TV coverage will air. I just scanned Speed TV for those of us in the US (and possesing digital cable  ) I couldn't find it.

However, the 24Hrs of LeMans will be aired off an on all weekend.

LeMans and Nurburgring run at the same time :dunno: I had never noticed that.


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## BMWRacerITS (Mar 17, 2004)

What a great weekend of race watching! 24 Hours of LeMans all day/night on Saturday. Nextel Cup at Pocono (one of the more interesting ovals) and F1 at Canada on Sunday!


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

Here is BMW Motorsport's live timing link.

BMW Live Timing


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

At least both cars are safe in the race. :eeps:


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## racerdave (Sep 15, 2003)

BMWRacerITS said:


> What a great weekend of race watching! 24 Hours of LeMans all day/night on Saturday. Nextel Cup at Pocono (one of the more interesting ovals) and F1 at Canada on Sunday!


:stupid:

BUT... Don't forget MotoGP at Barcelona! It will be tape-delayed and shown on Speed right after Canada... and it will probably be the best race of the weekend. 

This is *such* a gearhead weekend!


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

Currently on lap 20 the 42 car is shown in the lead.

:thumbup: 

With a 1 lap lead!

The 43 car in 4th.

Rain showers have affected the situation.


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Great news indeed 

Yeah, it's raining like crazy here


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

Alex Baumann said:


> Great news indeed
> 
> Yeah, it's raining like crazy here


Rain kind of goes with the territory doesn't it?

Has there been any commentary there about running the 24 hours at the 'Ring the same weekend as LeMans? Are they trying to make some sort of a statement or is there someone behind the scheduling who wants to go up against the ACO? Like BMW?


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

SteveT said:


> Rain kind of goes with the territory doesn't it?
> 
> Has there been any commentary there about running the 24 hours at the 'Ring the same weekend as LeMans? Are they trying to make some sort of a statement or is there someone behind the scheduling who wants to go up against the ACO? Like BMW?


Well, rain surely goes with the territory, but if you have watched on-board cameras on the 'Ring, you'll notice how the rain could be fatal for some cars on those slopes.

As for the scheduling, I don't believe that there's someone behind there. In the last 2-3 years, all the three big events are in the same weekend (Le Mans, 24 hours Nurburgring and F1 Canada).

A lot of people lost interest in Le Mans after Mercedes, BMW and Bentley is not taking part in the race. If you have checked the team list this year, there will be only 48 cars in the race. For a historical race like Le Mans, it's way too low, IMO.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

At lap 58, 9 hours and 50 minutes into the race, it's BMW M3 GTR's in 1 and 2 place. I don't know exactly when BMW took the top two places.


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## GimpyMcFarlan (Aug 13, 2002)

SteveT said:


> At lap 58, 9 hours and 50 minutes into the race, it's BMW M3 GTR's in 1 and 2 place. I don't know exactly when BMW took the top two places.


Great news! Go BMW!

: popcorn:


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## LarryN (Dec 24, 2001)

WooHoo! Still in #1 and #2!! Go # 42 and #43! GTR's rock! :bigpimp:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

4 hours to go, still in 1 and 2 place :thumbup:


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## Dirtboy (Apr 19, 2002)

Congrats BMW!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :bigpimp:


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

The M3 GTR's have gone 1 2 in winning the 24 Hours Nuburgring race.

Congratulations BMW Motorsport! :thumbup:

42: MÜLLER Dirk, MÜLLER Jörg, STUCK Hans-Joachim, LAMY Pedro
43: LAMY Pedro, SAID Boris, HUISMAN Duncan, STUCK Hans-Joachim


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## GimpyMcFarlan (Aug 13, 2002)

SteveT said:


> Congratulations BMW Motorsport! :thumbup:


I concur... Congrats team BMW Motorsport! What a fantastic effort! I cannot wait for the rebroadcast of the highlights on Speed. I wonder if Minichamps will come out with 1/8th scale models of this version of the GTR? :bigpimp:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

:clap:

Excellent performance ! :thumbup:


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

Fastest Laps

*BMW M3 GTR 42* 8:33.957
*BMW M3 GTR 43* 8:37.372

*PORSCHE 911 GT3 MR* 8:37.039

*AUDI Abt-Audi TT R* 8:29.681


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## christy98M3 (Mar 29, 2004)

CONGRATS :thumbup:


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## scottn2retro (Mar 20, 2002)

Wow! A 1-2 finish! :thumbup: :bigpimp: 

Hopefully BMW Motorsport will use this great accomplishment as momentum to continue making attempts at the big endurance races.


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## SteveT (Dec 22, 2001)

scottn2retro said:


> Wow! A 1-2 finish! :thumbup: :bigpimp:
> 
> Hopefully BMW Motorsport will use this great accomplishment as momentum to continue making attempts at the big endurance races.


They are going to do the Spa 24 hour race on July 31/August 1 and they were supposed to do the Bathurst 24 hours in November, but it might have been cancelled. Just doing the Spa race will be very interesting.


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## Plaz (Dec 19, 2001)

Excellent turnaround from last year's disappointment!

:thumbup:


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## GimpyMcFarlan (Aug 13, 2002)

*The Winning Interview*

From the BMW Motorsport newsletter...

21.06.2004 
24hrs Nürburgring
Dirk Müller in our winner interview 
Together with Jörg Müller and Hans-Joachim Stuck, Dirk Müller has won the Nürburgring 24 Hour Race. Learn more in our winner exclusive winner interview.

Question: Dirk, in the meantime, some days have gone by since your victory at the Nordschleife. Have you already realised what you and your team have achieved at the legendary 'Green Hell'?

Dirk Müller: I have to admit that it took some time. When we had crossed the line on Sunday, all the tautness was gone and we had an excessive celebration. But only in the following days, I realised step by step what a success we have achieved. The reaction of the fans who sent me loads of emails has been overwhelming.

Question: How do you rate this victory at the Nürburgring?

Müller: It was a victory in a single race, and it's difficult to compare a race victory with a won championship. On the other hand, it has been my first win in a 24-hour race, therefore, it was something very special. Furthermore, it has been the toughest race in my career so far. It was the icing on the cake that we succeeded in making it a one-two.

Question: Usually, you are contesting the FIA ETCC. Has the 24-hour race been a nice change?

Müller: When it comes to ETCC racing, it's all about using the car's full potential from the very first lap. At a 24-hour race, however, you've got to opt for a more conservative style of driving. You've got to find a good rhythm and to come to terms with your team-mates. At the Nordschleife, this has worked perfectly. Never before have I experienced a team-work as good as in this race.

Question: You were the driver who had had to complete the final stint at the Nürburgring. Was it a special feeling to take the chequered flag after this endurance race?

Müller: Just to recall this moment gives me goose bumps once again. Most definitely this has been the greatest moment in my career so far. But I had to be extremely focused until I had crossed the line. When I had made it, the emotions were absolutely overwhelming.

Question: How big was the fear to make a mistake in the closing stages?

Müller: Of course you are afraid of making a mistake. That's why you have to stay focused until the race is over. A retirement would have been really frustrating, particularly as we had been in the lead for more than 23 hours. But everything worked out - and we could celebrate.

Question: Have you been impressed by the flawless performance of the team?

Müller: You can't praise the performance of the Schnitzer crew often enough. Our ETCC crew has delivered an incredible job. I'd like to also thank all the unsung heroes who have been contributing behind the curtains to our cars' preparation.

Question: Late in July, BMW will contest another 24-hour race, at Spa-Francorchamps. What are your expectations concerning this event?

Müller: This will be a completely different race than the one at the Nürburgring where we had been among of the favourites. At Spa, however, the faster GT cars are regarded to be the favourites. Nevertheless, I think we should have a chance over the distance. And once again it has to be our goal to avoid any mistakes. Should we succeed in doing so, Spa should offer us the opportunity to score another great result.


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