Christopher Haase set the fastest time for Scherer Sport PHX in the opening qualifying session for the 53rd Nürburgring 24, which saw the German squad’s debuting Porsche encounter a driveshaft issue.
Haase steered the No. 1 Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo to a best lap of 8:14.612, which left the two-time winner 4.733 seconds clear of Gabriele Piana’s No. 48 Black Falcon Team EAE Porsche 911 GT3 R in second place.
Raffaele Marciello took third in the No. 98 ROWE Racing BMW M4 GT3 EVO, followed by the No. 54 Dinamic GT Porsche driven by Bastian Buus.
Sven Mueller rounded out the top five aboard the No. 33 Falken Motorsports Porsche, with Nicki Thiim sixth at the wheel of the No. 34 Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
Maxime Martin was the quickest of the Mercedes-AMG drivers in seventh place, followed by the No. 35 Walkenhorst Aston Martin of Christian Krognes and the No. 27 Red Bull Team ABT Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 driven by Mirko Bortolotti.
The outright top was completed by the No. 37 PROsport Racing Aston Martin of Nico Bastian.
While no major incidents occurred in the opening, two-hour session, it did feature a significant issue for the No. 16 Scherer Sport PHX Porsche.
Patric Niederhauser brought the car, which he shares with Laurens Vanthoor, Ricardo Feller and Patrick Pilet, to a halt on the Grand Prix circuit having completed just a single flying lap.
A team spokesperson confirmed to Sportscar365 that the stoppage was the result of a rear right driveshaft failure, which left the car on the sidelines for the remainder of the session.
Later in the session, the No. 65 HRT Ford Performance Mustang GT3 also stopped on track with Salman Omega at the wheel, having similarly encountered a driveshaft issue.
The second qualifying session is scheduled for 8 p.m. CEST (2 p.m. EST).
Report: Sportscar365.com