Jules Gounon put the #2 GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG at the top of the timing screens in today's two-part test at the Nürburgring, pacing a dry afternoon session following a rain-hit morning run.
Ayhancan Güven led the way in the opening 90-minute segment thanks to a lap of 2m12.501s aboard the #22 Schumacher CLRT Porsche. The Turkish ace beat Franck Perera (#163 Grasser Racing Lamborghini) by 0.211s, though the times would tumble significantly once the weather changed.
Despite the heavy rain the session relatively trouble-free. There was a brief red flag during the early stages when the #34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin found the gravel at Turn 10, but it was otherwise uninterrupted.
The track had dried considerably in time for the second 90-minute run, which ended with Gounon at the head of the order. The Mercedes-AMG factory driver circulated the 5.1km track in 1m55.549s, very marginally quicker than Dorian Boccolacci in the #22 Porsche.
Thereafter the order ran Porsche (#96 Rutronik Racing), Mercedes-AMG (#48 Team Mann-Filter), Porsche (#911 Pure Rxcing), Mercedes-AMG (#57 Winward Racing). The first non-German car was Perera in the #163 Lamborghini, who placed seventh overall. The Italian marque should be strong this weekend: its last overall win came at the Nürburgring in 2021 and it has generally fared well at the venue.
There were no stoppages during the second session, which brought 49 of a possible 50 cars on to the track. The exception was the #93 Sky Tempesta Racing Ferrari, which is entered in the Bronze Cup. In other news, the Bronze class has gained a car – at the expense of the Silver Cup – with the addition of the #26 Saintéloc Racing Audi. Michael Blanchemain has joined Ugo De Wilde and Alban Varutti for what will be his first Fanatec GT Europe outing since the 2022 CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa.
Track activity resumes at 17:45 CEST with the Bronze Test. The first official full-field session will be Free Practice, which takes place tomorrow at 08:30.
RESULTS: Test Session 1, Nürburgring 2024
RESULTS: Test Session 2, Nürburgring 2024