The penultimate round of the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup, held on the famous German circuit, was full of twists and turns, as the drivers themselves confirmed.

Alessio Rovera, 296 GT3 #51: “Qualifying was very positive, we showed strong pace and we deserved to start from pole position. In the race, we were unlucky: during the FCY, we lost several positions and, to top it off, the problem in the last two laps forced us to stop. A pity, because a podium was within reach. It leaves a bitter taste, as this was a weekend where we could have done well.”

Vincent Abril, 296 GT3 #51: We focused on fine-tuning the car and getting our bearings on track. Last year, this wasn’t the circuit where we performed at our best, and I believe we took a huge step forward. We started from the front row, qualifying second. We were incredibly quick. The strategy was superb, but we hadn’t anticipated bad luck. We pushed hard, but ultimately, we had to stop. I am pleased with our performance, and we’ll give it everything at Barcelona in the final race of the season.”

Eliseo Donno, 296 GT3 #50: “It was my first time at the Nürburgring and to prepare I trained extensively on the simulator. I must say that from the very first laps I felt very comfortable. In pre-qualifying, Antonio Fuoco set a good lap, and we knew the car was ready to perform well. Unfortunately, I encountered traffic on my qualifying lap today, but we still performed very well. Then there was the accident that prevented us from finishing qualifying and participating in the race. These things happen in motorsport.”

Louis Machiels, 296 GT3 #52: “We weren’t lucky, and I have to say that the start of the weekend was also quite difficult in terms of finding pace. In qualifying, we performed well and secured the third-fastest time in class. The race start was tricky, with several collisions that damaged the car and compromised our performance. In the end, even the Safety Car didn’t help us. The result was not what we’d hoped for, but we made it to the finish.” At Barcelona, we will push for a stronger result.”

David Fumanelli, 296 GT3 #8: “I must admit that, given what had happened in the previous days, I am very satisfied with fifth place because we struggled throughout the weekend on this track, with these temperatures and the lack of grip. During the race, the sun raised the temperature, and perhaps that helped us, as the pace was really strong. Unfortunately, a ten-second penalty put us out of podium contention, even though it was within our reach. I would like to thank the entire team, who worked hard all weekend despite the challenges. Coming away with these important points is a real boost ahead of the final round.”

Dustin Blattner, 296 GT3 #74: Overall, the race had looked promising, judging by my performance and the pace we’d shown during the weekend’s practice sessions. It was purely bad luck. We made hardly any mistakes but were caught up in a collision that Conrad unfortunately couldn’t avoid.”