Weekend tip: Lots of racing around the clock 🎥
24H NÜRBURGRING AND GP MONACO Automobile sports fans will get their money's worth this weekend with the 24 Hours of Nürburgring and the GP Monaco live on site or via TV/Internet.
After two difficult years without a large audience, the 24 Hours of Nürburgring will once again be a unique folk festival this weekend. With only 135 teams, the 50th edition impresses less with mass than with class. A good two dozen teams with their sports cars from the GT3 king class SP9 or Cup-X (KTM and Glickenhaus) can hope for victory or the overall winner's podium.
Two Bernese factory drivers on one car
From a Swiss perspective, one car stands out. The Audi with start number #22 will be driven by two Swiss works drivers, Nico Müller and Patric Niederhauser. What's more, they are Bernese canton colleagues whose careers have a lot in common.
For this reason alone, it's a special race for them. Niederhauser even gets a second chance at the podium because he is also entered in the Audi #24, which is also factory-supported.
Only one Swiss winner in 49 competitions since 1970
In no other endurance race are so many factors decisive for victory and defeat, so a lot is possible for them or other strong compatriots.
Since 2015, Nico Müller has been the only Swiss to ever stand at the top of the podium and therefore knows all too well what it takes to achieve this. Ricardo Feller will also experience this as a driver in the Audi #5 at his Nürburgring debut.
Philip Ellis from Zug and Raffaele Marciello from Ticino will also share a Mercedes-AMG GT3 with start number #12 for the first time. Brand colleagues from Switzerland are Julien Apothéloz (#55) and Yannick Mettler (#34).
Octane wins race against time
In the Ferrari 488 GT3 #26 of Octane126 Jonathan Hirschi and Simon Trummer are part of the driver quartet with the Germans Luca Ludwig and Björn Grossmann. After an accident through no fault of their own at the 24H Qualifiers (shot down by a competitor) on May 7-8, the team from Wallisellen built a new car in just two weeks.
Their start alone is a success. However, due to unfair classification of the Ferrari (slowest top speed of the GT3 cars), a top result will only be achieved with a lot of racing luck and consistency.
Broad Swiss presence
At least on group or class wins many other teams with Swiss cast apart.
- Frédéric Yerly and Jasmin Preisig/Gustavo Xavier (VW Golf TCR #10 and #310, SP3T)
- Alexander Walker and Miklas Born (Aston Martin Vantage GT4 #81 and #82, SP10),
- Stanco/Stanco/Stanco (Seat Leon #113, SP3T)
- Manuel Amweg (KTM X-Bow GTX #162, Cup-X)
- Hofor Racing (BMW M3 GTR #200, SP6)
- Fabienne Wohlwend (BMW M4 GT4 #220, SP8T)
- Zünd/Zünd/Schyrba/Frei and Calamia/Jacoma/Pampanini (Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 #251 and #264, Cup3)
- Ranko Mijatovic (BMW 330i #33, VT2 RWD)
- Marco Timbal/Ivan Reggiani/Nicola Bravetti (Porsche Cayman GT4 #633, AT)
The complete current start list is available here.
Television marathon and livestream around the clock
There's a reason why we're mentioning the starting numbers. The free TV channel RTL Nitro will broadcast the entire race (start at 4 p.m. on Saturday) live with preliminary reports starting at 1:40 p.m., as well as the top-30 qualifying session on Friday evening starting at 8:15 p.m. The race action around the Nürburgring will be captured by 60 cameras.
On the YouTube channel and the organizer's homepage, the entire event, including all the supporting races (except WTCR), has also been broadcast live and free of advertising since Thursday. Under this Link there is also the livetiming and a liveticker.
So you are well informed around the clock, especially when you see the often only briefly faded in starting numbers. In the current gallery you can find some cars of the Swiss participants who were on the road in two practice sessions on Thursday.
Race premiere of Alexander Fach in Monaco
The Monaco GP is also a season highlight for all Formula 1 drivers and the drivers in the supporting races. Live from the principality, Oliver Sittler and F1 expert Marc Surer will be reporting on SRF zwei from 3.55 to 5.05 p.m. on Saturday from qualifying and on Sunday from 2.50 p.m. from the seventh round of the 2022 World Championship.
Monaco is also a special thrill for Alexander Fach. The 20-year-old from Schwyz is tackling his second Supercup race in his father's Porsche team. With a 16th-place finish in Imola, the Swiss GT3 champion got off to a good start in this top-class championship five weeks ago, as did his teammates Lorcan Hanafin and Jukka Honkavuori. The two juniors Fach and Hanafin have also cut a very good figure in the Porsche Carrera Cup Deutschland so far, with loud victories and podium finishes in the rookie classification.
In German-speaking countries, the TV channels Eurosport 2 and Sky Sport will show the race live on Sunday from 12:05. A live timing is available at this Link.
