STRONG PACE NO RACING LUCK @NBR24
An exciting atmosphere, 136 cars at the start and the a crowd of 135.000 spectators along the track.
With a total of nine GT3 cars, the Mercedes-AMG faction was the strongest participating brand in the top class this year, with Schnitzelalm also relying on it alongside GetSpeed and HRT. Professional and non-professionals aiming for the podium.
After more than successful preparation, Schnitzelalm Racing wanted to fight for victory in the PRO-AM classification with the two Mercedes-AMG GT3 at the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring. But despite the tireless commitment and tremendous team spirit, the team from Niederzissen ultimately lacked the necessary racing luck to successfully complete the hunt twice around the clock.
“It’s difficult to find the right words after a weekend like this. We did everything to be sorted out for the 24-hour race in the best possible way. The entire team invested day and night in the preparations, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to reap the rewards of our hard work with the two Mercedes-AMG GT3. The fact is: since today we have a score to settle with the 24-hour race” said team manager Thomas Angerer.
The first point of tension on the race weekend of the year was the top qualifying, for which the two Mercedes-AMG GT3s were already pre-qualified due to the strong preliminary performance. Colin Caresani withstood the great pressure and ended the two-round showdown with #11 in 18th place on the grid (P4 in the PRO-AM classification) despite a broken screw on the underbody. Patrick Assenheimer, Marcel Marchewicz and Marek Böckmann drove the #11 Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside him.
In the race, Schnitzelalm Racing was not only able to fight for the top spot in the PRO-AM classification with both Mercedes-AMG GT3s, but was also able to compete in the top 10 of the overall classification.
With the #11 Mercedes-AMG GT3, the team turned up the heat just in time for nightfall after initially taking a somewhat more defensive approach. At times Assenheimer, Marchewicz, Böckmann and Caresani were in the top 5 of the overall classification and impressively defied the factory-supported teams. However, an accident during a lapping maneuver shattered the legitimate dream of a top finish in this year’s 24-hour race during the night.
“It just wasn’t meant to be this year. When lapping, Colin kept his distance from the other vehicle and shortly landed on the grass, which led to impact. This shows that even the smallest mistake on the Nordschleife is punished severely. Nevertheless, at 19, he is by far our greatest talent. Up to this point, he has done a first-class job and also proved with the lap times that he is one of the greats. We will see a lot more from him in the future and support him in the best possible way. Just as we have already managed to bring our own talents to the top with Marcel Marchewicz and Jay Mo Härtling over the past three years,” Angerer continues.
Obviously, Caresani was very disappointed: “Sorry to everyone who put everything in this project. The guys from Schnitzel-Alm worked day & night and I threw it all away in a split second. I went around the outside before Kesselchen and just lost grip on the front and went straight on in the wall at 200 km/h”.
The 24h Nürburgring stays the most brutal and difficult endurance race in the world: “I’m proud of where we were at the time with this incredible team, fighting for the top 8 positions in between all the factory teams. Thank you for pushing the car, strategy and me to the limit”.