Falken Motorsports 9th overall, top-placed Porsche at 50th Nürburgring 24 Hours

The #33 Falken Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R finished ninth overall, the highest-placed Porsche in a 135-car field, at the 50th ADAC TotalEnergies 24h race at Nürburgring. Around 230,000 fans were there for the august circuit’s season centrepiece event, which is an annual landmark for the Sumitomo Rubber Industries global flagship tyre brand.

Jaxon Evans, Sven Müller, Marco Seefried and Patrick Pilet battled through day and night and survived rain showers in the closing hours of the race en route to the finish, crossing the line as the highest-placed Porsche. After two trouble-free practice days, Evans, Müller, Seefried and Pilet (who drove both Falken Porsches in the race) qualified for 25^th on the grid on Friday. Klaus Bachler, Alessio Picariello, Martin Ragginger and Pilet in the #44 meanwhile, would start from 33^rd.

The opening phase of the special anniversary edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Race was frantic, featuring lengthy battles for position up and down the order and numerous incidents. Sven Müller (#33) initially climbed the order but had to pit briefly on the second lap for an early tyre change after contact. Patrick Pilet (#44) meanwhile, in the sister Falken Porsche had guardrail contact in the Hohe Acht section of the Nordschleife after a battle with a competitor but was able to continue. The two Falken Porsches managed to avoid major dramas and stayed in the hunt as night fell over the fabled German circuit, gradually climbing through the standings.

At the start of the 58^th lap, however, the #44’s race came to an abrupt end. Alessio Picariello was turned around by a rival SP 9-class competitor and stopped on track at the exit of Turn 2. A car from another class then made contact with the stranded #44, crashing into its right rear wheel. Picariello drove the damaged Porsche back to the Falken pits, but the damage was too heavy to repair, making it an early retirement after nine and a half hours of racing.

Jaxon Evans, Sven Müller, Marco Seefried and Patrick Pilet in the #33 however, went on to drive a commanding race. The quartet rose in the standings through Sunday morning and navigated the afternoon rain showers as the race came to a close.

In the end, Falken Motorsports was rewarded for its efforts. After 3984 kilometres, the #33 crossed the finish line as the best-placed Porsche in the 135-car field, after securing its place in the top 10 during the final two hours in the tricky, changeable conditions.