World Endurance Champions and 24 Hours of Le Mans winners Porsche will be headlining a 33-strong field for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring, the fourth round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The German round will take place at the legendary 5.148 km (3.349 mile) track in the Eifel mountains between 22-24 July.
Among the star-studded entry will be two teams which have strong ties to Cologne, the city located less than 85km from the Nürburgring. Toyota Gazoo Racing will be more determined than ever, after its heart-breaking Le Mans, to prove its race-winning credentials, and 24 Hours LMGTE race winners Ford will be keen to put on an equally thrilling performance for all of the Blue Oval’s employees and fans from its Cologne plant.
In the LMP1 spotlight: Porsche and Audi
LMP1 will, as usual, feature nine cars and 27 drivers, with German manufacturers Porsche and Audi looking for top honours at home with a pair of entries each. The spotlight will undoubtedly be on Le Mans winners Marc Lieb, Neel Jani and Romain Dumas (No.2 Porsche 919 Hybrid) but both Audi R18 and Toyota TS050 HYBRIDS will be seeking revenge on ‘home’ turf.
After showing great speed and strong performances from all its drivers, and with the No.6 Toyota finishing in second place overall at Le Mans – a small recompense for what happened to the No.5 in the final minutes of the race – the Japanese team will without doubt wish to look forward to the remainder of the WEC season and its first victory for the TS050 HYBRID.
Following strong opening WEC rounds, Rebellion Racing had an ultimately disappointing Le Mans. With Nelson Piquet Jr only contracted for the first three races, the identity of a team mate for Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld in the No.12 R-One AER has yet to be finalised. Pierre Kaffer will once again be alongside the Trummer-Webb pairing in the No.4 ByKolles CLM P1/01.
Who can challenge Signatech Alpine in LMP2?
The LMP2 class has only one German driver on the entry list, Rene Rast from G-Drive Racing. He, along with his team mate Roman Rusinov and a yet-to-be-confirmed third driver, will be determined to close the gap in the points battle to the current LMP2 leader, Signatech Alpine, which won at Spa and of course at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The victorious Alpine A460 Nissan line up of Nicolas Lapierre, Gustavo Menezes and Stéphane Richelmi put on a flawless display of driving in France, but the competition in the category is fierce and any one of 11 entries could upset the balance and take home the victor’s laurels.
Ford v Ferrari v Porsche v Aston Martin v Corvette in LMGTE: names to set pulses racing
The Ford v Ferrari battle at Le Mans was one for the history books, with the American marque recording a triumphant return to top line competition first time out. The AF Corse Ferrari 488s both suffered technical issues at Le Mans but will be looking to return to their winning form in the WEC, while Aston Martin and Porsche will also be looking to take maximum points at a venue which has strong ties for both.
Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK’s Stefan Mücke is the only German driver on the LMGTE Pro grid and the GT Drivers’ points leader will be racing the No.66 Ford GT alongside regular team mate Olivier Pla, looking to consolidate their lead. The German-entered No.77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche 911 RSR of current GT World Champion Richard Lietz and team mate Michael Christensen will be upholding national honour at a circuit which is well-known to both team and drivers.
The LMGTE Am category has just one driving placing still to be confirmed, with injured Paolo Ruberti in the No.50 Larbre Competition Corvette C7 still unsure if he will be fit to compete. With the AF Corse trio of François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Rui Aguas taking maximum points at Le Mans, Abu-Dhabi Proton Racing and KCMG – both German based – will be hoping to reverse the balance and bring home a perfect result for Porsche.
A full provisional entry list for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring is available to download HERE
Tickets are now on sale for the 6 Hours of Nürburgring. CLICK HERE for more information
