Ferrari eighth at 3 Hours of Nürburgring

The Ferraris of AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors finished eighth and tenth in the third round of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup. The number 51 car, crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Davide Rigon, and Alessio Rovera, recovered around 40 places, while the number 71 car, with Thomas Neubauer, Vincent Abril, and David Vidales, finished tenth. In the Bronze class, Sky Tempesta Racing’s number 93 was the best-performing Ferrari, in fifth, while crews 333 (Frikadelli Racing) and 52 (AF Corse) finished eighth and 11th, respectively.

Qualifying. In the morning session on a dry track, Ferrari number 71 secured sixth place on the grid with a combined time of 1’54”386, achieved by Thomas Neubauer, Vincent Abril, and David Vidales. Sister car number 51 failed to complete Q3 because of a collision at the pit exit in the last part of the session, resulting in a 48th position qualification (20^th in class). In the Bronze class, Eddie Cheever, Jonathan Hui, and Christopher Froggatt in Sky Tempesta Racing’s number 93 posted the ninth fastest time in their class, just two places ahead of AF Corse’s 296 GT3 number 52, driven by Andrea Bertolini, Louis Machiels, and Jef Machiels. Frikadelli Racing’s number 333, with Klaus Abbelen, David Perel, and Felipe Fernandez-Laser, finished 14th (the cars set the 38th, 40th, and 45th fastest times respectively).

The race. Pro Class. Rovera made an extraordinary start in the number 51 car. Despite the traffic and a position towards the back of the grid, he gained over 30 positions in the first 43 minutes, allowing Rigon to enter the top 10 during the second stint. In the last hour, Pier Guidi took the wheel of the AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors car in 11th position. He put in some excellent laps to recover three positions. After completing 90 laps, the Italian driver finished eighth, 1 minute 13 seconds behind the race-winning Lamborghini number 163.

The sister car, number 71, made an aggressive start with Vidales at the wheel, completing the first lap in fourth and holding steady in the top five. However, a drive-through penalty for contact at the first turn between the Spanish driver and another car lost the team a few positions. Abril was competitive in the second stint, while Ferrari official driver Neubauer finished the job in the final stint by placing the Ferrari with red livery and yellow details in the top 10.

Bronze Class. Always among the leaders, the Sky Tempesta Racing 296 GT3 driven by Froggatt at the start, immediately entered the contest for the top five. Cheever, who took the second stint, kept himself at the top of the standings, allowing Hui, in the last stage, to cross the finish line in fifth position (33rd overall).

The Frikadelli Racing 296 GT3 number 333 was eighth in the professional and gentleman drivers’ class. The trio of Abbelen, Perel, and Fernandez-Laser (the latter the winner of the 24 Hours of Nürburgring 2023 in a Ferrari of the same team) completed an excellent performance in Germany, finishing 36th overall on their GT WC Europe debut.

AF Corse’s Ferrari number 52 had a trickier time. It was involved in an accident at the first corner with Louis Machiels, who lost a few positions in a frenetic phase of the race and suffered some damage to the car. At mid-race, the experienced Prancing Horse official driver Bertolini protected tenth position before passing the baton to Jef Machiels, who finished 11th in the Bronze class (40th overall).

2025 calendar. Meanwhile, the championship organisers have confirmed next season’s Endurance Cup dates. It will kick off at Paul Ricard (France) with the six-hour event from 11 to 13 April on the same track that will host the prologue on 10 and 11 March. Following this, the series will visit Italy for the 3 Hours of Monza from 30 May to 1 June, Belgium for the 24 Hours of Spa from 26 to 29 June, Germany for the 3 Hours of Nürburgring from 29 to 31 August, and Barcelona in Spain from 10 to 12 October, which will host the 3 Hours that completes the year.