24h Nürburgring: Unforgettable race despite setbacks for Christian Engelhart

On 26 to 29 May 2022, the 50th edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race took place on the legendary Nordschleife. A total of 138 racing cars from different brands competed in different classes on the 25.378-kilometre combination of the Nordschleife and the Nürburgring Grand Prix circuit. Behind two steering wheels in the starting field: Christian Engelhart with Dinamic Motorsport on two Porsche 911 GT3 R in the SP9 class.

A gigantic and almost unimaginable 230,000 motorsport fans from all over the world travelled to the Eifel last weekend and experienced not only an exciting race but also the extraordinary and unique atmosphere at the Nürburgring.

After a smooth start from 16th and 28th places, it was off to the Nordschleife. Christian was in the car on start number #29 and had a very good start. Initially, the aim at the endurance classic was to find the rhythm and to create a good basis for the upcoming hours twice "around the clock".

Due to the extremely high power density of the SP9 class cars and the top-class drivers, there were already many intense fights for positions during the first laps. Christian was also involved on his way to the front of the field. After almost 2 hours, a very unfortunate situation occurred in the Bergwerk area, when a brand colleague pushed Christian's Porsche, which had been in 10th place in the meantime, off the road in such a way that the #29 ended up in the crash barrier at 200 km/h, resulting in a total loss of the race.

"That was a really unnecessary action at that point on the track, but it doesn't help now. I feel sorry for our team. Unfortunately, we had to abandon the #29 and now fully concentrate on the run with our #28."

Through a very good strategy and fast stints as well as error-free pit stops, Christian's teammate Matteo Cairoli was able to put the sister car with the #28 in a promising position in the starting phase as well. In the end, the Dinamic Porsche found itself in a promising fifth place in the morning hours. "We had a super car and the night stints went extremely well. Our lap times were promising and we were running very well. In my stints I had a lot of fun with our Porsche," said Christian in the early hours of the morning.

However, the second Porsche from Dinamic Motorsport was not going to make it to the finish line either. Christian's team-mate unfortunately suffered damage to the front axle in the morning when he came into contact, "Nürburgring-style", with a car in a slower class. Unfortunately, the steering was damaged so badly that the #28 had to retire as well.

"There was definitely more in it for our team! To lose both Porsches at a 24h race like that is not pleasing, especially as we were doing very well with both cars. Both cars were in top condition for the race after meticulous and very good work by the team and were perfectly prepared," Christian summarises the race weekend at the Nordschleife with disappointment.

"My thanks go to Dinamic Motorsport, Porsche, Pirelli and my partners and fans who made this race an unforgettable event despite the two setbacks! Racing with over 230,000 fans on site was very special!"