Within 50 minutes after the start of the ADAC Zurich 24h-Rennen, race control had to bring the red flags out to interrupt the classic endurance race. Within a few minutes, torrential rain and hail turned parts of the track into a toboggan ride. The start having been completed at a dry track, numerous cars slid off the track following the sudden change in the weather conditions. The eight Mercedes-AMG GT3 that took the start were spared from major damage.
Maro Engel, AMG-Team BLACK FALCON #9: “I had a very good, clean start and got through very well. Jörg Müller kept me under pressure with his BMW, but I was able to maintain the lead. In the rain chaos, I slightly clipped the Armco barrier, but during the interruption, we can now repair that very well.”
Uwe Alzen, HARIBO Racing Team-AMG #8: “Everyone was just sliding around out there. Up to that point, the race was running very well. We were able to keep up with the speed of the others and hold on to our position. Then, all of a sudden, a downpour set in combined with hail. The track was fully white, the BMW in front of me slid into the barriers three times until it finally gave up at Breitscheid. Interrupting the race certainly was the right decision. For me, everything is all right, we don’t have a single scratch on the car.”
Maximilian Götz, HARIBO Racing Team-AMG #88: “The start was quite good, we were running third and fourth. Then, we caught traffic and Uwe lost one place while I stayed in third. On lap six or seven, the monsoon came. On the lap before, it was already slightly damp at that point and I know it would really be raining there on the next lap. Then, I passed Flugplatz and heard the radio call from the team, informing me in time about water standing on the track. I hit the brakes hard and then it was just driving at walking speed. Nevertheless, some others crashed out. It was sheer luck that we got both our cars safely back into the pits and can prepare everything for the restart.”
Adam Christodoulou, AMG-Team BLACK FALCON #4: “The start was good, I had agreed with the drivers around me that we wouldn’t be too aggressive going into the first few corners after the start. That worked out well; we started the race without any damage. When the heavy rain set in, I slowed down to approximately 25 km/h at Schwedenkreuz when I saw a BMW slide into the barriers. Even at that speed, I was hardly able to keep my car on track. It felt like driving on ice.”