Nurburgring 24 Hours: #29 Mercedes holds narrow lead on Sunday

Christian Hohenadel leads the race by just over 10 seconds, with he and Marco Seefried having worked their way to the front of a four-car Mercedes fight for victory.

After a slow first stint following Saturday evening's race restart - mandated after torrential rain and hail hit the circuit less than an hour after the start - the polesitting #9 Black Falcon Racing Mercedes clawed its way back into contention overnight and led until the most recent pitstop phase, where the #29 gained the initiative.

The #88 Mercedes, which led for much of the drying Saturday evening and overnight periods, now holds fourth having cycled back in after serving its pitstop at the 18-hour mark, just behind the #4 Black Falcon entry piloted by Adam Christodoulou who set the fastest lap of the race prior to the pitstop phase, before jumping the #88 in the pits.

The #100 Schubert Motorsport BMW M6 GT3 had been the only non-Mercedes in the top five and with a shot at victory, but just after exiting the pits the #93 SP5 BMW 1M-Coupe GTR was nudged across the front of the #136 Ford Fiesta and caught the #100, trying to overtake around the outside, blindsided, sending fifth-placed Lucas Luhr into the barriers and out of the race.

Instead, the #912 Manthey Racing Porsche holds the mantle of best non-Mercedes in fifth, with Michael Christensen at the wheel.

A tough race for Audi was not made any easier by an accident between the #6 and #28 R8 LMS machines that eliminated both cars from the race.

Team Phoenix driver Markus Winkelhock's closing speed on the approach to Turn 8 on the short grand prix loop was far greater than the #28 Montaplast car driven by Connor De Phillippi and the former ran out of room, nerfing the rear of the #28.

The #2 WRT car is the marque's leading representative in seventh, one lap off the lead, although it's sister Audi Sport Team WRT entry that won the race last year stopped in the same hour as the #6/#28 crash, before returning to the race in the 16th hour.