Audi Claims Victory at 24 Hours of Nürburgring… Thanks to Fog?!?

Let’s break down what happened at the iconic endurance race, and Audi’s victory under an astonishing 16-hour red flag!

The Nürburgring 24 Hours is a race that’s garnered a well-deserved reputation as one of the most grueling motorsport events in operation. Held annually since 1970, the race garnered international fame as a test of the mettle of machine and driver alike. The circuit’s difficulty quickly wears down focus and machinery, resulting in dozens of retirements from breakdowns and accidents. This year started off as no exception, producing spectacular racing and heartbreaking crashes throughout the first quarter (though thankfully no injuries). The battle for the lead saw various teams jostling for the top podium, including the Manthey Porsche, RMG’s BMW M4, and the Scherer Sport Audi R8. In what’s likely to be one of its last appearances, no less, thanks to Audi’s retirement of the R8 platform.

Racing continued until a massive fog bank blanketed the track in the late afternoon. What resulted was near-zero visibility on the Grand Prix circuit, to the point where marshal stations could no longer see one another. Ultimately, the race was red-flagged at 7 hours 23 minutes while officials waited for the fog to clear. Eventually, the director issued an update for 7AM the next day to see if racing could be resumed. However, the fog never dissipated, and the race ultimately ended with everyone still under red. Audi took the win more or less by sheer luck of the draw. The R8 didn’t pit before the red flag was called and thus covered more distance. It’s arguably one of the meekest victories an Audi ever claimed at a major endurance event. So let’s look at just what on Earth occurred in Germany over the weekend.

A Doomed Race

The 2024 Nürburgring 24 Hours occurred during probably some of the worst timing in terms of weather in the race’s history. And this is a race infamous for weird weather. Some parts of the track are several miles apart, which means that it can rain on one side and be dry on the other. Which is exactly what happened during this race. In fact, cars routinely swapped strategies for the first couple of hours, with some on dry tires and others on inters. Slippage became a common issue, resulting in a number of accidents and shook up the field significantly. This culminated with Audi claiming the lead following pole-sitting RMG’s BMW crashing out and others pitting.

Meanwhile, Germany was struck with a massive storm over the weekend, resulting in flooding across the south. Parts of residential Stuttgart became completely submerged, and the weather carried on towards the Nürburgring. The forecast predicted it would hit during the night and dissipate by morning, though it arrived earlier than expected. The results being the perennial fog that only got worse as the night went on. Eventually, the race “resumed” at 7:30AM with five parade laps behind a safety car, to assess whether the track was safe for racing. But the fog never let up, and finally the race concluded at its normally scheduled time. The result being one of the longest red flag conditions in recent memory. A grand total of 16 hours 37 minutes straight (if we count the parade laps).

The Results

Audi won the race, as hollow of a victory as it is. Despite the astonishingly long red flag, it was absolutely the correct decision to make. Track marshals need to have a clear visual of what occurs on-track, as well as sightlines to other marshals. Should the race have resumed, it may have resulted in any number of accidents and avoidable injuries. Especially with emergency personnel not being able to visually identify accidents. Thankfully this didn’t happen, safety must always take priority.

The number 16 Audi claimed first, with the 15 finishing 11th. The rest were spread out or retired from various failures. With one particularly spectacular incident being the number 510 Audi S2 bursting into flames from a fuel rail issue. This event marked the seventh time Audi stood on the top spot of the podium at the Nürburgring. And while undoubtedly one of the shortest 24-hour races of all time, it proved nonetheless just as spectacular as any other. You can find the full results sheets here.

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M.C. Cuccio

I've been an automotive aficionado since I had baby teeth. My path was set when I first leaned on my grandfather's classic Porsche as I learned how to walk. One of my first memories was my mother sitting me behind the wheel of her Pontiac and talking me through the instrumentation and controls. Even though I was a mere three or four years old, I was instantly sold, and filled notebooks with technical drawings, sketches, and collections of manuals of all sorts of cars. I've actively tracked developments in automotive and motorsport technology for well over 20 years, and pride myself on being intimately familiar with the functions and history of a wide range of vehicles.

My primary goal as a writer and enthusiast is to equally learn and share what I've learned in a constructive and interesting way. I maintain connections with people from around the world and can read technical manuals in Italian, Japanese, and Spanish, granting me access to a wide array of resources. My primary focuses are deep-dives into historical topics, motorsport discussion, and learning about the complex mechanical elements of such vehicles. As such, my research is never perfect; as anyone into cars will attest, the more you learn about cars, the more you realize how little you actually know. Therefore, I always welcome fresh knowledge and corrections to help me better my work in the future.

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