Arjun Maini, teammates secure P2 in Sp9 Pro AM category at Nurburgring
May 22, 2023
Nurburgring [Germany], May 22 : An Amazing atmosphere at the 24 hours of Nurburgring also referred to as the "Green Hell" as it is classified as one of the most difficult races in the World with a track length of 25.3 kilometres and around 73 corners with Changing Weather conditions over the 24 hours making it a real test of Endurance Racing, said an official release.
Arjun Maini, Hubert Haupt and Jordan Lowe Drove their Mercedes AMG GT3 for team HRT to an overall 8th Place but came P2 in Class as they took part in the Pro-AM Category. Arjun earlier had Qualified the car in P7 Overall over a Series of three Different Qualifying sessions.
This is the First time that an Indian Driver has taken part in this race and has not only finished the gruelling 24 hours in the top 8 overall but finished P2 in the Pro-AM class. The Pro-AM Class consists of One Pro Driver (Arjun, Gold Rated) and one Silver (Jordon) and one Bronze Rated Driver.
DTM driver Arjun Maini was the fastest man in the "Green Hell" at the start of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nurburgring on the 18th May, in 8:13.190 minutes, the Indian set the fastest time of the day shortly after the start of the 2nd qualifying session on Thursday evening in the #6 Bilstein-Mercedes-AMG, after he had already been the fastest in the 1st qualifying session in the afternoon (8:14.785 minutes), an official release stated. 
"Exactly 136 cars are on the entry list for the 51st edition of the ADAC TotalEnergies 24h Nurburgring. The endurance classic on the legendary Nordschleife is thus just as imposing as last year, when 135 race cars threw themselves into the battle twice around the clock at the anniversary event. As expected, the strongest vehicle class is that of the potential overall winners: over 30 GT3 vehicles are to be found in the SP9 Pro and Pro-AM classes. With Audi, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche, there are no less than seven brands here - and many of them are competing with factory teams or factory-supported entries, " it added.
Arjun Started the Race at 4 pm on Saturday in P7 and did a Double stint which is approximately 2 hours. By the time he handed over the Car to Jordan, the Mercedes AMG GT3 was in P5 overall. Arjun also did 2 double Stints in the Night when it gets Most Difficult to Drive. Overall, Arjun Spent over 10 hours Driving in the 24-Hour Race.
There were Several Incidents in the Night that Affected many cars but Being an Endurance Race it's Key to not Only Drive very fast but to also ensure that the Car is Brought back without damage over the Finish Line.
Maini drove the Last 2 hours of the race to Cross the Chequered Flag on Sunday at 4.14 pm finishing 161 laps of the Nurburgring and covering a distance of over 4000 kilometres at an Average Speed of 173 kilometres per hour when you count 21 Pitstops totally approximately an Hour during the race.
Arjun was extremely delighted; "I have raced the 24 Hours of lemans and the 24 hours of Spa in the Past but Nothing Comes Close to the Challenging 24 hours of Nurburgring. I am really happy to have not only Finished my first 24 hours of race in P8 overall but also managed a Class P2 in the Pro-AM Category. It's really challenging when you have 136 Cars on the Track and have to be extremely Smart about how you overtake the Slower Cars. One small mistake can cost you the race. I am now Looking forward to the Start of my DTM season Next week with the Opener at Oschersleben the coming weekend. Would really like to Thank team HRT and my teammates and sponsors for making this happen."
