BMW M6 GT3 teams battling for podium positions in the Eifel Mountains.

Nürburgring. The BMW teams in the leading group at the Nürburgring 24-hour race all made it through the night without major incidents. No fewer than five BMW M6 GT3s are in the top 10 after 16 hours of racing. Alexander Sims (GBR), Markus Palttala (FIN), Nick Catsburg (NED) and Richard Westbrook (GBR) in the #98 car from ROWE Racing are the best-placed quartet, in second place.

The #98 car and the current fourth-placed #43 BMW M6 GT3 from the BMW Team Schnitzer – driven by Augusto Farfus (BRA), António Félix da Costa (POR), Alex Lynn (GBR) and Timo Scheider (GER) – have swapped positions regularly in recent hours and more BMW M6 GT3s are lying in wait behind.

However, the #101 car from Walkenhorst Motorsport had to retire from the classic endurance race in the Eifel region due to technical problems. The Walkenhorst team #102 BMW Z4 GT3 is currently in 21^st place.

The newly-developed BMW M4 GT4 is also competing well in its endurance test at the Nordschleife. BMW Motorsport Junior Ricky Collard (GBR), Dirk Adorf (GER), Jethro Bovingdon (GBR) and Jörg Weidinger (GER) are currently in 33^rd place in the overall standings.

Drivers’ quotes:

Augusto Farfus (#42/#43 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team Schnitzer): “The night is finally over – and now it’s time to push really hard. Our #43 car is running well, although we are missing this last bit of pace to challenge the leaders. However, we want to put them under pressure for the rest of the race. Now I will get some rest to be in top shape for the final part.”

Alexander Sims (#98/#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing): “Fortunately we got through the night without any incidents. It feels as if the car is getting better and better. We are in the mix for the top positions – and that’s where we want to stay.”

Stef Dusseldorp (#33 BMW M6 GT3, Falken Motorsports): “It was amazing. I was at the wheel when the sun came out - a very special moment. There’s not so much traffic out there any more, so I could attack. The car feels great, the tyres work well so we have managed to move forward step by step.”

Marco Wittmann (#42 BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team Schnitzer): “It’s a pity we lost touch with the front-runners due to a refuelling problem. Now we need to wait and see what is possible for us. Hopefully luck will come back to us for the rest of the race.”

Bruno Spengler (#20 BMW M6 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I did my first night stint. It was pretty unique for me: so much traffic, so many accidents. It was chaotic in parts but that is all part of my learning process. Of course we hope that we will be able to improve our position in the next hours. There’s a lot that can happen. A big thank you to the Schubert crew. The guys are doing an amazing job.”

Jens Klingmann (#19 BMW M6 GT3, Schubert Motorsport): “I had a nice double stint into dawn but couldn’t really enjoy sunrise as we really started pushing in this phase. Now we want to work our way up. We will give our all to achieve this goal. The car is running absolutely flawlessly.”

Philipp Eng (#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing): “We managed to put in a good fightback after an early puncture. I did the two nicest stints: into the night and in early morning which was great fun. The car is great to drive, the pace is also good. Let’s see how the weather will develop.”

Ricky Collard (#40 BMW M4 GT4, Securtal Sorg Rennsport): “I did a double stint at night – and it was good fun. It was a challenge as there were many incidents but our car was running pretty well. I learn a lot here with every single lap.”

Positions of the BMW M6 GT3 teams at 7:30:

#19 BMW M6 GT3, Schubert Motorsport – 10^th

Jens Klingmann (GER), Jörg Müller (GER), John Edwards (USA), Tom Onslow-Cole (GBR)

#20 BMW M6 GT3, Schubert Motorsport – 13^th

Jesse Krohn (FIN), Jörg Müller (GER), Bruno Spengler (CAN), Kuno Wittmer (CAN)

#42, BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team Schnitzer – 7^th

Marco Wittmann (GER), Tom Blomqvist (GBR), Martin Tomczyk (GER), Augusto Farfus (BRA)

#43, BMW M6 GT3, BMW Team Schnitzer – 4^th

Augusto Farfus (BRA), Alexander Lynn (GBR), António Félix da Costa (POR), Timo Scheider (GER)

#98 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing – 2^nd

Markus Palttala (FIN), Nick Catsburg (NED), Alexander Sims (GBR), Richard Westbrook (GBR)

#99 BMW M6 GT3, ROWE Racing – 15^th

Philipp Eng (AUT), Alexander Sims (GBR), Maxime Martin (BEL), Marc Basseng (GER)

#33 BMW M6 GT3, Falken Motorsports – 9^th

Peter Dumbreck (GBR), Alexandre Imperatori (SUI), Stef Dusseldorp (NED), Marco Seefried (GER)