Aston takes the fight to Audi

Two hours gone in Ring 24: #4 is in the lead (Ammermuller, Stippler, Stuck, Stuck) followed by the #007 Aston Martin (Turner, Mucke, Simonsen, Lamy). #1 Audi #3rd (Rockenfeller, Fassler, Stippler, Winkelhock). Manthey Racing have climbed the leader board with the #50 Porsche (Holzer, Tandy, Bergmeister, Lietz). The #22 Mercedes (Graf, Jager, Seyffarth, Bastian is 4th. Update: Aston Martin takes the lead at 14 laps. Fierce battle between Aston and Audi.

Aston in the mix

After an hour and a half the #007 Vantage is in fourth place overall at Ring 24 (Turner, Mucke, Simonsen, Lamy). Pic by RLT.

The lull before the storm

Matthew Marsh, centre left, confers with Aston Martin team-mates prior to the start of the Nurburgring 24 Hours. The cars are currently on the installation lap. Pic by Colin Marsh.

Start the car

Wolfgang Schuhbauer, from Brilon, Germany, will take the first shift in the #100 Aston Martin Rapide S in the Nürburgring 24 hour race, due to start here at 17:00 local time (CET). Pic by RLT.

Hybrid Aston in Green Hell

The hydrogen-fueled Aston Martin Rapide S, #100, is competing this weekend at the Nurburgring 24 Hours held in the Eifel Mountains in Germany. Known as the "Green Hell" the race is run on the historic Nordschleife circuit. The driving team consists of Dr. Ulrich Bez, CEO of Aston Martin, Wolfgang Schubauer, Katsura Shinichi and Hong Kong-based racer Matthew Marsh.
Picture by Colin Marsh.

Mucke to the fore in the fourth

The #007 Aston Martin driven by Stefan Mucke is in the lead here at Nurburgring as we countdown to four hours complete, followed by the Audi #4 (Ammermuller, Stippler, Stuck, Stuck). Third is the Manthey Racing #50 Porsche (Holzer, Tandy, Bergmeister, Lietz). Fourth the other Manthey Racing #18 Porsche (Lieb, Dumas, Luhr, Bernhard).