With a strong twelfth place in the overall classification and fifth place in the Pro-Am category, Elia Erhart (Röttenbach, Germany) and Pierre Kaffer, together with their teammates Selv and Alexey Veremenko, finished the legendary 24-hour race at the Nürburgring. At the wheel of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II with start number 8, entered by the Lithuanian team Juta Racing, the four drivers impressed with a consistently strong and determined performance – despite an unfortunate incident on Saturday evening. A total of 280,000 spectators attended the event on site – a new record.

The preparatory phase was initially characterized by precise strategic fine-tuning and adaptation to the midsummer conditions in the Eifel. Since Juta Racing had already qualified for the Top Qualifying thanks to strong results in the Nürburgring Endurance Series and the 24h Qualifiers, the focus in the first two qualifying sessions was on data collection and vehicle setup.

In the decisive Top Qualifying, Alexey Veremenko made a strong statement with a lap time of 8:25.481 minutes. This performance secured 14th position on the overall grid and fourth place in the Pro-Am classification – an excellent starting position for the endurance classic in the Eifel.

The race ran smoothly over long stretches. Juta Racing impressed with consistently fast lap times, made no mistakes, and remained in the leading group of the Pro-Am class for a long time. However, a setback followed on Saturday evening: an unfortunate light contact with the track barrier necessitated an approximately 20-minute repair stop, temporarily dropping the team back to 28th place.

But their determination remained unshaken. With a strong comeback during the night and on Sunday morning, the quartet fought back impressively and ultimately crossed the finish line in twelfth place overall. In the Pro-Am category, this meant fifth place in the final standings.

More transparency in the Pro-Am grade demanded

“We can be very satisfied with twelfth place in the overall classification – especially in a field of 27 strong GT3 cars,” Elia Erhart summed up after the race. “Originally, we assumed that we had secured second place in the Pro-Am class. Nothing during the race suggested otherwise. It was only after the finish that further vehicles were retrospectively assigned to the Pro-Am category, which ultimately pushed us back to fifth place. I hope that there will be more transparency in the classification in the future – we saw something similar in 2020.”

Nevertheless, Erhart draws a positive conclusion: “It was a strong and successful weekend. The entire Juta Racing team did a great job. Even after the setback, we didn’t give up and came back strongly. I would also like to thank our partners in particular – this commitment would not have been possible without their support.”

Pierre Kaffer added: “In view of the high temperatures, it was an extremely challenging and intense race. The teamwork was excellent, and it was great fun to be back on the grid after 2024. A big thank you to Juta Racing for the perfect preparation of the car.”

Juta Racing before the Veedol Chicane at the Nürburgring

Source: EFP-Racing
Photos: Racepix.eu

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